Jake Hertzog — Ozark Concerto (Zoho Music ZM 202504, 2025)
Vituoso jazz guitarist Jake Hertzog returns with Ozark Concerto, his second release on the Zoho label. This new project features Hertzog as the soloist alongside the 23-piece Ozark Jazz Philharmonic, under the direction of conductor and arranger Susumu Watanabe.
After several acclaimed jazz-rock trio albums, including Throwback (2013) featuring trumpeter Randy Brecker, Hertzog shifted toward smaller, more intimate settings. He explored solo guitar on Well Lit Shadow (2016), acoustic duets on Stringscapes (2018) with Yishai Fisher, and ambisonic textures on A Turn of Events (2023) with Adam Hogan.
However, following a major grant, Hertzog embraced a larger scale project. Drawing inspiration from iconic works such as Kenny Burrell’s Guitar Forms (1965), John McLaughlin’s The Mediterranean (1988), and Bill Frisell’s recent Orchestras (2024), he composed an expansive concerto combining jazz, western classical, and orchestral traditions.
Premiered at the 2024 UARK Jazz Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the boldly inventive and scintillating Ozark Concerto was later recorded for this release. The work is structured in seven distinct movements, each pairing Hertzog’s electric guitar with varying instrumental forces: full orchestra (Parts I, III, V, VII), brass (Part II), string quartet (Part IV), and saxophones (Part VI).
“I wanted to create something that, from start to finish, followed more of an orchestral or classical philosophy of what a feature for an instrument could be,” Hertzog explained.
Guitar: Jake Hertzog;
Conductor: Susumu Watanabe
The Ozark Jazz Philharmonic:
Piano: Matt Nelson (Part V), Tomoko Kashiwagi (Part I, III, & VII)
Bass: Garrett Jones
Drums: Chris Peters
Trumpet I: Bill Gable Trumpet II: Ben Hay Trumpet III: Rich Rulli Trumpet IV: Cameron Summers
Trombone I: Cory Mixdorf Trombone II: Shea Pierce Trombone III: Michael Olefsky Bass Trombone: Jason Hausback
Alto Saxophone I: Michael Hanna Alto Saxophone II: Sarah Hetrick Tenor Saxophone I: Alisha Pattillo Tenor Saxophone II: Austin Farnam Baritone Saxophone: Rick Salonen
String Quartet;
Violin I: Er-Gene Kahng; Violin II: Dayton Strick; Viola: Tim MacDuff; Cello: Pecos Singer
Track Listing
Ozark Concerto – Part I
Ozark Concerto – Part II
Ozark Concerto – Part III
Ozark Concerto – Part IV
Ozark Concerto – Part V
Ozark Concerto – Part VI
Ozark Concerto – Part VII
Buy Ozark Concerto