“Spontaneity is key; to take a familiar song, improvise a fresh groove and adapt it, moment-by-moment, to the energy of a particular audience, with particular musicians, on a particular night—that is bliss.”

Jake Smolowe is a born-and-raised Bay Area pianist, teacher and composer, currently based in San Francisco. A student of jazz from a young age, Jake aspires never to play a song the same way twice. 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 (full-length album, “Speak of the Devil, but Softly” set for release in June 2011); 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.”

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’ album, “The Big One,” released in January 2011. 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.

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.