Jake Smolowe is a born-and-raised Bay Area pianist, teacher and composer, currently based in San Francisco. Ever versatile, Jake is a regular member of several up-and-coming bands, including jazz quartet The Tectonics; roots/Americana/gypsy rock band Sioux City Kid & The Revolutionary Ramblers; electronic rock band Future Perfekt; and The Big Beat Jazz Trio. Jake has toured throughout the U.S. and Canada with internationally renowned blues harpist and vocalist John Németh, and appears as a contributing artist on Németh's 2010 release, "Name The Day," playing organ. Additionally, he works as an accompanist for local jazz singer Melissa Dinwiddie, and appears with the Big Beat Trio on Dinwiddie’s 2009 release, “Online Dating Blues.” He is currently working to complete albums with both Sioux City Kid and The Tectonics, set for release in late 2010. Jake is also a proficient composer and arranger, and has been writing music for as long as he can remember. His varied writing styles reflect his listening habits, which range from Art Blakey to J.S. Bach, Cinematic Orchestra to Bilal, Ray Charles to Bruce Hornsby, and beyond. He has scored music for film, written for big band and solo piano, and contributed several originals to his various performing groups throughout his career. Three of his pieces appear on The Tectonics’ upcoming release, “The Big One.” He does composition and arranging work for his own bands and by commission. Jake studied music at Stanford University, and graduated in 2006 with a B.A. in Music with Honors in Composition. While at Stanford he led his own small combo, performed with the Stanford Jazz Orchestra, and collaborated with many other musicians and performing artists, including Stanford Shakespeare Society. He has four years of experience assisting Stanford jazz program director Jim Nadel with his Continuing Studies Program (CSP) jazz listening class, as well as several guest appearances since graduating Stanford. Prior to his time at Stanford University, Jake received a comprehensive education in jazz from the Stanford Jazz Workshop, which he attended every summer for 10 years, and through private lessons from local jazz pianists Rich Kuhns, Dee Spencer, and the late Don Haas. More recently, Jake has studied with jazz pianist Ben Stolorow, and currently works with classical pianist Marc Steiner. Jake values music education and loves sharing his knowledge of theory and harmony, jazz and other popular styles via private lessons in San Francisco and around the Bay Area.