Upon first listen to a recording of Solo Acoustic Guitarist, Jeff Wahl, you might think that it's a recording of several guitarists playing together at once. However, it's all just one guitar with no overdubs. Audiences who see Jeff play live are also often surprised to see one guitarist sitting on stage yet hear what sounds like 2 or 3 guitarists playing together. Often compared to guitarists such as Leo Kottke, Michael Hedges, Joe Pass, and Will Ackerman, Jeff's style ultimately is a blend of many styles that defies categorization. Jeff's live repertoire encompasses the genres of Folk, Jazz, New Age, Classical and even Indian Ragas.
"For me, the guitar has always been my therapist and counselor. Playing the guitar and writing music came to me mainly I think because I've had to go through a lot of hard times in my life completely alone. The guitar has always been there for me through it all and I can't imagine how difficult my life would be without it. The inspiration for all of my songs is always a particular emotion I'm experiencing. I usually compose with the guitar in altered tunings so that I can't analyze the sounds through traditional music theory. Although I have a degree in music composition, I find it much more satisfying and authentic to compose through intuition rather than relying on rules of theory. Composing in this way keeps me humble to what the instrument wants to say and helps with keeping my ego out of the way when I write music."
Jeff's music has been featured often on local and national public radio programs during the last several years. Upon release of his first CD, Guitarscapes in 1999, Jeff was named one of America's best undiscovered guitarists by Guitar 9 Record's online guitar magazine.
Jeff grew up on a farm on the eastern plains of Colorado. He played the piano and trombone before discovering his connection with the guitar. He has degrees in music composition and music education. Jeff currently resides in the beautiful city of Fort Collins, Colorado.
