Jake Langley
Biography
JACOB (JAKE) LANGLEY (guitarist, producer, composer ) was born in the 1970s. In Canada he attended the Banff Centre for the Arts. He holds a degree in Jazz Studies from Concordia University in Montreal, and has studied in New York with guitar legends Jim Hall and Pat Martino.
During his decade-long career in Toronto, Langley was a first-call session guitarist for television and radio jingles, and performed with many top Canadian musicians including Doug ‘Dr. Music’ Riley, Big Rude Jake, and others. He was also seen frequently playing in the band for radio series and major television shows and specials including the ‘Gemini Awards, ‘Gospel Jubilee’ and the ‘Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame’. He served as Musical Director of the 2005 National Jazz Awards in Toronto.
Langley currently makes his home base in New York, but devotes up to two-thirds of each year to touring, frequently with the (organist) Joey DeFrancesco Trio. He also records prolifically, playing on over a hundred recordings – Jazz, R&B, Pop, and Blues – with leading artists including DeFrancesco, Byron Landham, George Coleman, David Clayton-Thomas, Bobby Hutcherson, Willie Nelson, Rufus Wainwright, kd lang, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Steve Gadd, Pat LaBarbera, James Moody, Trudy Pitts, Houston Person, Pee Wee Ellis, Scott Hamilton, Garth Hudson, Ron Blake, and Bill Cosby.
As a leader of his own group, Jake has recorded four CDs, was featured at the 2008 IAJE Convention in Toronto, and the appears frequently at the Montreal and Toronto international Jazz Festivals. His most recent release is 2009’s “Here and Now” with Ian Froman and Sam Yahel.
Awards include:
2003 – JUNO Award Winner for participation in Richard Underhill’s ‘Tales from the Blue Lounge’ CD
2004 - National Jazz Awards winner as 'Guitarist of the Year'
2005 - National Jazz Awards winner as "Electric Group of the Year' (Jake Langley/Joey DeFrancesco)
2007 - JUNO Award Nominee for "Best Jazz Recording" as producer of the David Braid Quartet CD
2007 – JUNO Award Nominee for Best Jazz Recording – “Movin’ and Groovin’ “
