Jacob Hertzog’s love of music began with classical compositions, but he was soon drawn to rock ‘n’ roll and jazz because of the freedom of expression that accompanied those art forms. After working as a professional musician in New York City for over a decade, Hertzog brought that love for improvisational music to Northwest Arkansas, where he is a senior guitar instructor and jazz area coordinator for the University of Arkansas.
The NYC transplant has led the Jake Hertzog Trio, a jazz band, in one form or another for years. He’s bringing the most recent incarnation of the trio to El Dorado on Sept. 19, performing at 8 p.m. at the Griffin Restaurant.
“One of the most fun things about playing improvised music and playing it with different people is that you get their perspective on the music,” he said. “I’ve been lucky to play in different areas of the world with different rhythm sections.”
Hertzog will be traveling with well-known bassist Garrett Jones and Fernando Valencia, a faculty member at U of A, on drums. Valencia originally hails from Columbia, and Hertzog said he’ll bring a different perspective to the trio as well.
“He directs the Latin ensemble, teaches Latin percussion, and I think it’s going to add a wonderful perspective to bring a drummer with a background in Latin music styles,” Hertzog said. “That forces us to think of other ways to approach the music. It’s always an exciting thing to get to put people together.”
It’s been four years since Hertzog moved from New York.
“I get to work now with some incredible faculty and students and we get to play all sorts of different styles,” he said. “The mentoring aspect when I was producing recordings applies when we’re developing young talent and watching it blossom.”
The university recently announced a new jazz concentration program that gives students more options to explore the genre.
“There are students who are really interested in being devotees of jazz, and now they can choose that,” Hertzog said. “There are all these courses and ensembles available to students who take an interest in this art form.”
He said the trio would play a collection of older, recorded music and brand-new songs they’ve been working on.
“We hope to communicate the fact that this is such a universal music,” he said. “It’s come a long way in its relatively short history, and along the way it encompasses almost every other type of music there is. There’s so much to enjoy: the fluidity of the jazz genres, the joy of improvisation, the special nature of the audience/performer interaction. I think that comes out in this particular band: it’s a jazz group, but with the broadest definition.”
It will be Hertzog’s first trip to Union County.
“I think the furthest south I’ve been is Little Rock,” he said. “I’m super excited to represent our department and play in El Dorado.”
For more details on the event, or to make a reservation, visit eldomad.com.