Aaron McCracken, a guitarist and junior at Ballard High School, has an appreciation for a variety of instruments. That multi-instrumental approach informs his guitar playing, as well as the playlist he brought into the studios as December's KNKX School of Jazz guest DJ.
McCracken found his love for jazz before guitar came into his life. In fact, he played trumpet prior to guitar, which helped him get used to the "vocabulary" of jazz, he said.
Today, though, six-string heroes are at the heart of McCracken’s love of jazz, and of the hour of music he curated. Grant Green kicks off his show with guitar heroics on the jazz standard “Django." McCracken follows that up with an original from modern guitar star Julian Lage called “Tributary."
McCracken’s non-jazz musical roots also feature on his show. He was raised on the music of The Beatles and fell under the spell of their guitarist George Harrison.
“I just wanted to sound like the Beatle guys,” McCracken said.
Setting up a jazz fusion cover of The Beatles' classic “A Day in the Life” from the great guitarist Wes Montgomery, McCracken pointed to the contrast between chaos and calm in the tune.
The modern sounds of hip-hop appear in McCracken’s choice of the early '90s fusion song “Transit Ride” from Guru.
“I love jazz fusion, and I think jazz and hip-hop is such a tight mix, they draw from each other back and forth," said McCracken.
McCracken explained that his diverse taste in music comes from hours of deep listening.
"The most important part of getting good at playing music is just listening to music. Listening to all types of music, even if it’s not jazz, helps you create your way of phrasing things," he said.
Enjoy DJ McCracken’s hour of favorites and get a sense of the history and future of jazz from his perspective.
What instrument do you play and why?
I was probably 11 the first time I played a guitar, and it definitely wasn’t a love at first sight type of thing. I hated the way it felt, I didn’t like how it hurt to play, so I dropped it pretty quick. In 8th grade, I found a Squier Stratocaster in our basement and started to dabble here and there.
In freshmen year, I joined the jazz band playing trumpet, and after a few rehearsals I quickly figured out the guitar was the coolest instrument in the band. I played trumpet the rest of the year but spent most of my time eyeing the guitar.
My sophomore year I bought myself a “jazz guitar” and got a spot in Jazz 2. I was quite bad, but I wouldn’t have told you that at the time. I slowly started to figure out what my role was and how to blend in. I fell in love with both the instrument but also the supportive role it plays.
What is your all-time favorite jazz piece?
Hands down, "Idle Moments" by Grant Green. In my eyes, it’s the perfect song. The head is so catchy, and it’s got that beautiful minor blues sort of sound that I associate with Grant Green. Every solo is just so cool and unique and I'm in love with Joe Henderson's tone. It’s so airy and thick. In another life, I'm a horn player who can get that kind of sound.
Who is your jazz hero?
My teacher, Mike Eskenazi. I have had lots of music teachers over the years, and some have been great, others haven’t. At its core, music is supposed to be fun and I have had teachers who didn’t really highlight that at all. Mike taught me a lot technically, but also taught me how to become a more confident musician and how to use my ideas to their fullest potential. It was one of the first experiences where I truly had fun learning music and it didn’t just feel like a tedious first step.
Why jazz?
Jazz is inherently creative. It’s about your musical ideas and improvisation, not having to memorize a bunch of notes or play as fast as possible. I found my love for jazz not because I was a strong musical reader or the most technically talented, but I always felt my ideas were worth being able to express.
