Jazz guitarist Jonathan kreisberg,a New York City native increasingly recognized as a leading voice in modern jazz [[1]], is expanding his creative output beyond the stage and studio. Kreisberg is launching “The Feel Book,” a new music education app designed to provide a higher quality learning experience for jazz musicians. The project reflects a growing commitment to teaching for Kreisberg, who saw a surge in demand for his instruction during the pandemic and now dedicates roughly half his time to education.
Jazz guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg is balancing a demanding new venture with his established career, launching the music education app, The Feel Book. “I confess, I’m very busy with The Feel Book, the app I just launched,” Kreisberg explained. “I’m handling the production and mixing – basically everything except the software development. This app offers a deeper way to learn jazz standards.”
Kreisberg, known for albums like One, Wave Upon Wave, and Capturing Spirits, has increasingly focused on teaching in recent years, discovering a passion for sharing his expertise.
“During the pandemic, I developed an online course called Exploration of Note, which attracted 500 members,” Kreisberg said.
“But the problem with online lessons is that people want to play along with music and often have to settle for lower-quality recordings on YouTube, for example, or things made by artificial intelligence that sound like robots.”
— Jonathan Kreisberg au sujet des leçons de guitare en ligne
A Revolutionary App
The Feel Book, a project kept under wraps for a year, features Kreisberg recording in the studio with some of the world’s top musicians in a modern setting. The app aims to address the shortcomings of existing online resources for aspiring musicians.
“It’s multi-track, so you can, for example, remove the piano to play along with the track. You can also create ‘loops’ with the sections you want to repeat,” Kreisberg explained, clearly proud of his new creation.
“The bass lines sound so much better than computer-generated stuff. Musicians who want to improve need to listen to good music, well played, not bad music. And we also have a history of all the pieces presented, with the reasons why we interpret them in a certain way – complete information on each piece.”
Developing the app has been a significant time commitment for the musician.
“It should take us a year to become profitable with the app. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it.”
— Jonathan Kreisberg, à propos de l’appli The Feel Book
“We already have thousands of subscribers and are adding ten to fifteen new pieces per month. At this rate, we’ll add over 200 per year and should have over 1,000 within five years.”
A Passion for Teaching
Kreisberg’s dedication to education has grown since the pandemic, becoming a significant part of his work. He’s found fulfillment in helping others develop their musical skills.
“Before, I was a little selfish and put it far down on my list of priorities, after my albums and tours. But during the pandemic, I discovered how much I loved it, and I’d say I now dedicate about half my time to it. It also enriches my music a lot,” said Kreisberg, who had just finished teaching students in Mexico before this interview.
His upcoming trip to Quebec will be busy, as he’ll be giving a masterclass for students from Professor François Rioux at Laval University and from Cégep de Sainte-Foy before his concert.
“I don’t know if I’ll have time to visit Quebec City, because the next day I’ll also be giving private lessons before returning to New York to upload another thirty pieces to The Feel Book!”
— Jonathan Kreisberg à propos de son emploi du temps à Québec
Solo Performance
For his December 5 concert at the Palais Montcalm, Kreisberg is taking a risk, performing without his quartet, which includes bassist Matt Clohesy, drummer Colin Stranahan, and pianist Martin Bejerano. The move reflects a willingness to experiment and connect with audiences in a new way.
“I’ll be really alone on stage, and I can’t say I’ve done many guitar-solo concerts lately. I know it will be a challenge, but it’s going to be cool,” he commented.
“There will be a lot of improvisation, something I really enjoy, and I’m going to try things to see what happens. I also feel like reinventing some pieces, experimenting with my gear,” he added, hinting that his next album might be dedicated to his classics, revisited.
Jonathan Kreisberg performs this Friday, December 5 at the Palais Montcalm.
