- Jason Schimmel
Jason Schimmel is best known as the guitarist and co-founder of the eclectic Santa Cruz band
Estradasphere . He is also involved withDon Salsa ,Secret Chiefs 3 and theSanta Cruz White Album Ensemble . He can also play the banjo and piano. He is well known for his versitile playing style, improvisational and compositional skill.Born in Los Angeles, California in 1978. He began studying music at the age of eleven. Throughout his childhood his primary instrument was guitar. Studying many musical styles with various teachers throughout Los Angeles area, Jason developed a deep understanding of reading, improvising, and composing music.
During the time he was in high school he attended Harbor College where he continued his studies of harmony, theory, and jazz improvisation with Ken Miller from 1995-97. He then went on to attend the University of California, Santa Cruz, from 1997-02. During these years he focused on classical and jazz guitar, piano and voice. Receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Classical Guitar, Jason immersed himself in performance. Electronic music was also of interest to Jason during this time; he received a Bachelor of Arts minor in Electronic Music from UCSC, focusing on tape composition, analog synthesis, MIDI composition, and computer sequencing. During this time he studied many forms digital audio composition, recording techniques, and mixing.
Performance of original works is also very important to Jason. Recording over five albums’ worth of original compositions with the band Estradasphere, he has toured all over the U.S., Europe, and Canada many times in support of these albums. He has also recorded or performed with John Zorn’s COBRA and Masada, DJ Colette, Trey Spruance (Mr. Bungle, Secret Chiefs 3), the White Album Ensemble (Doobie Bros, Snail), Santa Cruz New Music Works, William Winant, Fred Frith, and Chris Brown. Currently Jason is composing, performing, and teaching throughout the Bay Area. In 2008, Jason released his debut solo album entitled the Orange Tulip Conspiracy on Mimicry Records.
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