Wayne Krantz

Wayne Krantz
Wayne Krantz in Chicago, 2012
Background information
Born	Corvallis, Oregon, U.S.
Genres	jazz rock
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Guitar
Associated acts	David Binney, Steely Dan, Chris Potter, Michael Brecker, Carla Bley, Donald Fagen
Website	www.waynekrantz.com

Wayne Krantz is an American guitarist and composer praised for his utilization of complex rhythmic and harmonic concepts. He has performed and recorded with artists such as Steely Dan, Michael Brecker, Billy Cobham, Chris Potter and David Binney, but since the early 1990s has focused primarily on his solo career, mostly as the leader of a trio.

Wayne Krantz was born in Corvallis, Oregon. He released his first album, Signals, in 1990, sporting an array of recognized jazz musicians such as Dennis Chambers, Don Alias, Anthony Jackson, and others.

In 1992, he formed a trio with bassist Lincoln Goines and drummer Zach Danziger, and recorded two albums with them, Long To Be Loose (1993) and 2 Drink Minimum (1995), a live album, and began playing periodically at the 55 Bar, a jazz club in New York City. In 1996, Krantz released an acoustic album with Leni Stern, dubbed Separate Cages. Krantz formed a new trio in 1997, Tim Lefebvre on bass and Keith Carlock on drums, playing a style of music that he later announced would no longer fit small clubs; on June 28, 2007, he played his final regular Thursday night gig at New York's 55 Bar.

Krantz's first three solo albums were released on the jazz label Enja Records. His next three albums, 1999's Greenwich Mean, 2003's Your Basic Live, and 2007's Your Basic Live '06 were all released from Wayne's private website. Like 2 Drink Minimum, these albums are excerpts of various sets at the 55 Bar. These albums also include more use of effects pedals, and are more unscripted and improvised than the previous three. He contributed to Donald Fagen's release Morph the Cat, and toured with Fagen's band in early 2006. He was featured on tenor saxophonist Chris Potter's 2006 release, Underground.