If there is one thing you can say about Jay Sanders, it’s that he’s never stopped following his heart and the path it leads him through music.
The aspect of creativity that he admires most is collective improvisation and collaboration. This philosophy inspired him to organize the inaugural Asheville Improvisational Music Festival, a celebration of local modern jazz and improvisation in February of 2012. He hopes to reinvigorate and continue the event in 2014 as The Asheville New Music Festival.
Always the consummate musician, Jay continues to challenge himself to develop new and interesting sounds for both his writing and his technique. This sense of adventure has lead him to the N/S Stick, an 8-string multi-mode instrument with a 5+ octave range that combines the voices of both the guitar and bass into one massive sound.
His current project, the avant-garde post-rock band The E.Normus Trio, was formed with clarinetist Steve Alford in 2007. They released their debut record “Love and Barbiturates” internationally in early 2013 and will be recording a second one this spring.
“As a fellow bass player, I find Jay to be a consummate artist and a true inspiration. As a music business guy, having managed internationally acclaimed artists both in and out of jazz for many years, I consider Jay to be a major talent.” ~ Bassist Steve Cohen
Born in Nashville, Jay grew up surrounded by the best of Music City. “Many of my earliest influences were the professional musician parents of my friends. I began playing at the age of 13 when a friend of our family offered me a guitar and banjo.” Studying with various guitar players around Nashville, he quickly took to the instrument, displaying a natural talent and quick ear. Jay entered Belmont University where he studied Creative Writing and music, plus he was did a short stint in the Jazz program at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
“In 1993, I moved to Boone where I established a weekly jazz jam session at the local BeansTalk coffee house. It continued until 1995 when I moved back to Nashville for a brief spell to study guitar with Reggie Wooten.”
Jay moved to Asheville in 1996. Joining forces with the Pond family and Jason Krekel, he began playing bass and formed the Snake Oil Medicine Show. Together they would record two albums and begin a successful touring career.
“Back then, Green Acres Music Hall was a major part of the Western North Carolina music scene. While performing with Snake Oil, I met the McMurry family and in 1998 was asked to join Acoustic Syndicate. 15 years, 200,000+ miles and 6 records later, I continue to play and tour with them.”
Jay has well over 20 year of touring experience. He is most commonly known for his work with folk-rock pioneers Acoustic Syndicate. He also spent four years touring with Americana roots rock legends Donna the Buffalo, recorded and toured with CX-1 The Blackhole Bluegrass Boys and is one of the primary forces behind AVAS (The Acoustic Vibration Appreciation Society).
“Jay is a brilliant and innovative musician. He’s there to make whatever style of music he’s playing take priority – a chameleon without compromise and a super talent. I’d have him on any session!” ~ Producer Stewart Lerman
What characterizes Jay’s music is an overwhelming sense of space, time and genre. His compositions tend towards the melodic and sublime while improvisations can go from the most peaceful melody to full-scale free jazz and noise music. His attention to styles and versatility are the hallmark of his playing. Sanders can either be the “rock,” holding the steady rhythmic heartbeat of a song, or take you down a sensitive melodic road of adventurous organic experimentation.
Throughout his career Sanders has had the opportunity to play with many of his heroes including Ornette Coleman, Bela Fleck, Walter Wolfman Washington, Fred Wesley, Sam Bush, Raymond Weber, Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett of Little Feat, Bernie Worrel, Kirk Joseph, Vassar Clements, Casey Driessen, Jim Lauderdale, Tim O’Brien, Larry Keel, Hank Roberts and many more. He has studied with Reggie Wooten, E. Michael Harrington, Jerry Coker and countless other inspiring individual talents.
www.enormustrio.com
www.acousticsyndicate.com