proclamation of the unexpected (introduction)

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Teaching Testimonials

Guitar Lessons

John Moulder has been instrumental in my development as a jazz musician. His teaching approach has been focused on working on my jazz improvisational skills

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Mathew Ferraro, Chicago

Guitar Lessons

Mathew Ferraro, Chicago

John Moulder has been instrumental in my development as a jazz musician. His teaching approach has been focused on working on my jazz improvisational skills as well as building my song repertoire and jazz theory knowledge. John has helped me prepare for success in a number of programs, such as Illinois’ All-State band as well as Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Summer Jazz Academy for high-school students.
Mathew Ferraro, Chicago

...I’d highly recommend him for anyone who is serious about a career in music.

I’ve had the pleasure of studying with John for the past three years and have not only grown as a musician but also as an

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Erik Skov, Chicago

...I’d highly recommend him for anyone who is serious about a career in music.

Erik Skov, Chicago

I’ve had the pleasure of studying with John for the past three years and have not only grown as a musician but also as an educator and person. We explored many ways of approaching music, from the simpler aspects of modal vamps, to playing over standards, to creating original music. John was very helpful in the creative process and allowed me to find my own musical and compositional voice. John introduced me to the concept of playing scales in 12 positions that added to my knowledge of the instrument, expanded my articulation, and allowed me to access new musical ideas. He also taught with a chords-first approach that focused on voice-leading and expanded my chordal knowledge. He placed an emphasis on being a rounded musician, and encouraged me to play multiple guitars and banjo, which has made me a more marketable guitarist.
On a professional level, John has provided me many opportunities including gigs, private guitar students, and college-level teaching. He has introduced me to many of the key players in the Chicago scene. John prepared me for graduate school auditions by reviewing my audition material and suggesting additional pieces. While I attended Northwestern University, John was my private lessons instructor. He continued to help me with my graduate work, provided unique ideas for independent studies, and offered valuable insight into post-graduate opportunities. John has greatly influenced the way I think about practicing, writing, and teaching. I’d highly recommend him for anyone who is serious about a career in music.

Erik Skov, Chicago

You'll be studying with the best!

"I've been studying with John for more than two and a half years. I can't imagine where my playing would be without him. He's been

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Will Finnegan, Northwestern University

You'll be studying with the best!

Will Finnegan, Northwestern University

"I've been studying with John for more than two and a half years. I can't imagine where my playing would be without him. He's been an amazing resource, with a wealth of knowledge in everything from bebop to fusion. He's also been an incredible teacher, giving me a tailored program of all the theory, technique, and repertoire I need to succeed as a jazz musician. Most importantly, he's just about the nicest guy you'll ever meet. I would highly recommend him to any aspiring guitarist. You'll be studying with the best!"

old dog, new tricks...

John Moulder CAN teach an old dog new tricks. I've been taking lessons for years. In just a few months, John has my playing and

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Mike Fine

old dog, new tricks...

Mike Fine

John Moulder CAN teach an old dog new tricks. I've been taking lessons for years. In just a few months, John has my playing and understanding of music growing by leaps and bounds!

... I continue to be inspired by his virtuosic guitar playing.

Studying with John Moulder helped me grow immensely as a guitarist and overall musician. John spent time taking me through methodical aspects of jazz comping

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Jake Ishler, Berklee College of Music

... I continue to be inspired by his virtuosic guitar playing.

Jake Ishler, Berklee College of Music

Studying with John Moulder helped me grow immensely as a guitarist and overall musician. John spent time taking me through methodical aspects of jazz comping and chord voicings along with helping me to understand harmony in common jazz standards. As a result, I got a wealth of information and developed skills from John that helped me place in advanced ensembles at Berklee College of Music, and test out of many required courses. Not only did I learn so much from John, but he is also a very caring person and teacher who always helped me put my best foot forward in life, and musical endeavors. I continue to be inspired by his virtuosic guitar playing.

He made music where there was none.

I am a ‘non-traditional’ student. Specifically, I came to my lessons with a load of music theory knowledge, but very little playing experience. My need

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Stephen Hill

He made music where there was none.

Stephen Hill

I am a ‘non-traditional’ student. Specifically, I came to my lessons with a load of music theory knowledge, but very little playing experience. My need was simple – to apply theory in real time. And make some listenable music, if possible. John immediately saw where I was and where I wanted to go. He is working me through what I call “John Moulder’s 18 steps to Guitar Greatness.” He has a penetrating ability to see where I am in my journey to fluency and give me exercises that accelerate my progress. And what progress I have made! John brought me from a very low base to an impressive level in a very short time. He is infinitely patient (my progress is slow), and always encouraging (even when I don’t see the progress). He is, in a way, a miracle worker. He made music where there was none.

More CD Reviews

Top 10 Innovative Jazz Releases of 2009

Top 10 Innovative Jazz Releases of 2009
For the past 20 years or so, excellent guitarists have been plentiful in Chicago, and Moulder ranks high

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Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune Website

Top 10 Innovative Jazz Releases of 2009

Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune Website

Top 10 Innovative Jazz Releases of 2009
For the past 20 years or so, excellent guitarists have been plentiful in Chicago, and Moulder ranks high among them. On "Bifrost," he offers some of the most profound work of his career, alternating vastly scaled tone poems with exquisitely delicate, spiritual pieces. His work only deepens with time.
-Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune

Quietly, and with little fuss, Moulder has built his voice as writer and performer...

A longtime member of ex-Pat Metheny Group drummer Paul Wertico's trio, enough has already been written about John Moulder's double life as jazz guitarist and

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John Kelman, All About Jazz Website

Quietly, and with little fuss, Moulder has built his voice as writer and performer...

John Kelman, All About Jazz Website

A longtime member of ex-Pat Metheny Group drummer Paul Wertico's trio, enough has already been written about John Moulder's double life as jazz guitarist and ordained priest. Bifröst is Moulder's follow-up to the ambitious and eclectic Trinity (Origin, 2006), where the guitarist's spirituality became a touchstone for music ranging from the ethereal to the grounded, and from elegant folklore to potent, angst-driven fusion. What makes Bifröst even more satisfying is its narrowing of focus down from a larger cast of characters to a quintet, bringing together old friends Wertico and fretless electric bassist Brian Peters with new Norwegian ones, double-bassist Arild Andersen and saxophonist Bendik Hofseth.

That Andersen collaborated, early in his career, with Terje Rypdal makes this transatlantic first encounter all the more successful, given that Moulder's visceral, overdriven and often whammy bar-centric electric playing is unmistakably influenced by the Norwegian guitar legend. And while he certainly possesses his own voice, the sound of another Norwegian notable and early Andersen cohort, saxophonist Jan Garbarek, is an equal touchstone in Hofseth's tone and approach.

Here, Moulder's high energy electric is juxtaposed and combined with six- and twelve-string acoustic guitars to to create a context that hints, in some ways, back to Ralph Towner and Solstice (ECM, 1975). Bifröst's opening title track, in fact, speaks deeply of Towner's harmonic language and, with Wertico's light cymbal work and Hofseth's soaring lines, could easily fall into similar territory were it not for Andersen's in-the-gut double-bass and Moulder's searing electric solo. Moulder's serpentine melody weaves around ambiguous harmonies, as the piece builds dramatically—and inevitably.

Moulder may drive some of Bifröst with hard-edged electricity, but he's also capable of softer lyricism; his solo acoustic intro to the ultimately more buoyant "Watch Your Step"—where his acoustic melody is bolstered in strong, lilting unison by Hofseth and Peters— sounding like an outtake from Metheny's One Quiet Night (Nonesuch, 2003). "Echoes of Home," driven gently by Wertico's percussion, is another acoustic feature, with Moulder recalling Windham Hill's Alex DeGrassi, but with greater depth.

Andersen's remarkable combination of deep, resonant tone and lithe dexterity is a fundamental throughout the disc, with his solo intro to "Magical Space" a highlight as he builds phrase-after-phrase over a looped chordal wash. Once the group enters, setting a dark context for solos by Moulder (again, on acoustic) and Hofseth, its temporal elasticity recalls ECM classics like Bill Connors' Of Mist and Melting (1978). Wertico's restraint here is as impressive as his more powerful bent on the closing part of Moulder's episodic "Time Being," a 15-minute epic that ends with a repeating series of ascending chords, bringing the album to a strong and definitive close.

Quietly, and with little fuss, Moulder has built his voice as writer and performer, and a rare ability to conceptualize broader narratives. With Bifröst he leverages Trinity's ambitious nature into an album that may appear smaller in focus, but is ultimately even more expansive in overall sound, vision and chemistry.

Track Listing: Bifröst; Watch Your Step (introduction); Watch Your Step; Magical Space (introduction); Magical Space; Echoes of Home; Cold Sea Triptych: Part 1; Cold Sea Triptych: Part 2; Cold Sea Triptych: Part 3; Time Being.

Personnel: John Moulder: electric guitars, 12-string and 6-string acoustic guitars; Bendik Hofseth: tenor saxophone; Arild Andersen: double-bass; Paul Wertico: drums, percussion; Brian Peters: electric fretless bass, programming.

More CD Reviews

CD Review: Trinity

John Moulder of Chicago spent five years composing the material for his album Trinity. It's an epic three-part program inspired by religious belief, but it

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David Adler, Jazz Times

Website

CD Review: Trinity

David Adler, Jazz Times Website

John Moulder of Chicago spent five years composing the material for his album Trinity. It's an epic three-part program inspired by religious belief, but it can be appreciated on any number of levels. The sound of the recording is tremendous, as are the performances...Moulder impresses with his harmonic imagination and sheer ambition. The orchestrations are varied and fine-grained, not to mention expertly produced by Moulder and Brad Peters...to these ears it is probing and kaleidoscopic.
-David Adler, Jazz Times

...a work of musical and spiritual beauty.

There is a small but long-standing tradition of jazz informed by faith, whether it's a Gospel-influenced tune, or more expansive spiritual pieces like the sacred

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Ed Trefzger, JazzWeek

Website

...a work of musical and spiritual beauty.

Ed Trefzger, JazzWeek Website

There is a small but long-standing tradition of jazz informed by faith, whether it's a Gospel-influenced tune, or more expansive spiritual pieces like the sacred works of Duke Ellington or Coltrane's "A Love Supreme." Guitarist and composer John Moulder has communicated his personal faith in a suite entitled Trinity, which is his musical interpretation of "our journey in God from the primordial to the eternal." Moulder chronologically follows that trek, with the suite's genesis in the frenetic "Chaos." That movement is followed by the peaceful mood of "Creation" and a jaunty, 5/4 "Exodus." On electric and acoustic guitars, he traces other feelings of the familiar biblical narrative through an uptempo "Proclamation of the Unexpected," an uplifting "Resurrection" and a bluesy shuffle with the ending "Freedom." With a range of feelings that mirror that of the stories of the Judeo-Christian tradition, Moulder and guests including Laurence Hobgood, Paul Wertico and Paul McCandless have created a work of musical and spiritual beauty.

...the soaring melodic lines and unstoppable rhythmic sway...

Sacred music does not typically unfold in gritty jazz clubs.

But considering that the headliner at the Green Mill over the weekend was a Catholic

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Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune

Website

...the soaring melodic lines and unstoppable rhythmic sway...

Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune Website

Sacred music does not typically unfold in gritty jazz clubs.

But considering that the headliner at the Green Mill over the weekend was a Catholic priest, the rarefied choice of material seemed thoroughly appropriate.

Though guitarist John Moulder has been performing and recording steadily here for the past couple of decades, he achieved an artistic high point in 2006 when he released "Trinity" (Origin Records). Like Duke Ellington's Sacred Concerts and John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme," Moulder's "Trinity" addressed themes of faith and divinity, in a jazz context.

This often exalted music dominated Moulder's first set Friday night, a fine choice considering the holiday season that approaches.

In "Trinity," Moulder explores the deepest themes imaginable. Movements such as "Chaos," "Creation" and "Resurrection" attest to the breadth of the composer's vision and the intellectual rigor of his best work.

If the soaring melodic lines and unstoppable rhythmic sway of "Creation" established the quality of Moulder's writing, the music that followed underscored his gifts as improviser.

Even when Moulder was playing full-tilt, producing fast-flying lines of considerable complexity, the easy flow of his ideas and luster of his sound were unmistakable.

When Moulder and his quartet ventured into the climactic "Freedom" movement of "Trinity," the musicmaking took on a New Orleans hue. Its second-line parade rhythms and feverish blues exhortations underscored Moulder's message: that all-American jazz can express divine aspirations as eloquently as any genre (if not more so).

Among the evening's other highlights was a newly penned ballad, "About Us," for which Moulder put down his electric guitar and went acoustic. Who would have guessed that a guitarist who pours so much fire-and-brimstone into his plugged-in work could also play with such sensitivity and grace?

In this piece, and others, Moulder benefited from the work of Chicago drummer-percussionist Paul Wertico, whose keen sense of time and color distinguish him from most of his peers.

...in a similar vein as Duke Ellington's Sacred Music...

In some ways in a similar vein as Duke Ellington's Sacred Music, John Moulder here creates a set of his own inspirational jazz. The performances

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Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide

Website

...in a similar vein as Duke Ellington's Sacred Music...

Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide Website

In some ways in a similar vein as Duke Ellington's Sacred Music, John Moulder here creates a set of his own inspirational jazz. The performances are exquisite, with sensitive performances on all instruments. The mood is contemplative, meditative, as one would probably expect. Moulder's guitar strums out only what it needs to, with Laurence Hobgood's piano in tandem. Others often take on the temporary role of lead, with a soft run on the trumpet or sax playing out the main melody. The compositions are careful, tentative, but almost more literal than one would expect in the jazz world. Chaos, the opening track, builds from a quiet nothingness (primordiality) to a clashing finish. Creation builds methodically, with what seem to be references to 2001: A Space Odyssey and the moment of the monolith. Incarnation is particularly gentle, but with a touch of sadness. The music of the various mysteries gods directly for the exotic sound, with udu and berimbau enlisted to aid in the transition. Resurrection involves a Weather Report-like buildup, with cheer and power intertwined. It's a fine album musically, but almost exactly what one might expect if told only that it was inspirational jazz.

More CD Reviews

CD Review: The Eleventh Hour

The Eleventh Hour just came out the other week and arrived on my doorstep today. And it’s nothing short of thrilling. For me, the best

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William Harmless, All About Jazz

Website

CD Review: The Eleventh Hour

William Harmless, All About Jazz Website

The Eleventh Hour just came out the other week and arrived on my doorstep today. And it’s nothing short of thrilling. For me, the best of the year so far. Moulder is an extraordinarily talented guitarist.
-William Harmless, All About Jazz

CD Review: The Eleventh Hour

New York City may be where jazz musicians go to seek stardom, but Chicago is no Second City for those looking to work. That lesson's

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Bill Meredith, Jazziz Magazine

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CD Review: The Eleventh Hour

Bill Meredith, Jazziz Magazine Website

New York City may be where jazz musicians go to seek stardom, but Chicago is no Second City for those looking to work. That lesson's clear to guitarist John Moulder, who teaches at nearby Northwestern University (where he earned a master's in music) and has crafted a 20-year recording career, culminating in the banner work on "The Eleventh Hour: Live at the Green Mill.".... a deft, broad-shouldered performance that matches anything the Big Apple has to offer.
-Bill Meredith, Jazziz Magazine

CD Review: The Eleventh Hour

The Eleventh Hour: Live At The Green Mill features guitarist John Moulder showcasing his original compositions with a stunning quintet. To put it succinctly, this

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Dan Healy, Chicago Jazz Magazine

CD Review: The Eleventh Hour

Dan Healy, Chicago Jazz Magazine

The Eleventh Hour: Live At The Green Mill features guitarist John Moulder showcasing his original compositions with a stunning quintet. To put it succinctly, this recording represents modern jazz at its best. Moulder's compositions are amazingly creative and stimulating, taking fascinating twists and turns and also giving his talented bandmates the freedom to explore and take his pieces in unexpected musical directions.
-Dan Healy, Chicago Jazz Magazine

...his name recognition hasn’t risen to that of the top ranks of jazz guitarists. It really should.

Though John Moulder has been recording and performing for twenty years now, his name recognition hasn’t risen to that of the top ranks of jazz

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Bill Donaldson, Cadence Jazz Magazine

Website

...his name recognition hasn’t risen to that of the top ranks of jazz guitarists. It really should.

Bill Donaldson, Cadence Jazz Magazine Website

Though John Moulder has been recording and performing for twenty years now, his name recognition hasn’t risen to that of the top ranks of jazz guitarists. It really should. No exaggeration. His most recent album, The Eleventh Hour: Live at the Green Mill, is proof of that. Apparently the result of serendipity, the album exists because recording engineer Ken Christianson suggested recording Moulder’s quintet at Chicago’s Green Mill during a scheduled engagement. First of all, kudos to Christianson for a fine job of sound engineering, catching the nuances of tone, the crispness of articulation and the cohesiveness of interaction, even while recording crowd response at the end of each piece. For that reason alone, The Eleventh Hour represents an excellent live album. Blending performance and reaction into a memorable synthesis, the album adds another level of excitement to compositions that have appeared on Moulder’s previous CD’s. But the music itself, live or in a studio, distinguishes the project. Moulder plays with experienced confidence, not only altering technique to achieve effect, but also creating mood. Whether bending or distorting tone or playing with acoustic clarity, Moulder pulls in the audience with his heightening layers of dynamism. Also, Moulder works with like-minded musicians who share his vision and his sound. All but saxophonist Geof Bradfield have worked with Moulder on previous projects, but still Bradfield contributes sonic depth and naturalistic verisimilitude on bass clarinet. The quintet does perform as a single unit, achieving a totality of effect that transcends that of a single instrument. While Moulder is setting the stage for a narrative-like creation with his haunting reverb and ethereal melody for “Creation,” Larry Gray grounds the motion with his steady but understated bass lines. Though playing another chorded instrument, pianist Jim Trompeter has adapted his technique to complement Moulder’s by splashing broad chords from both hands to add color and harmonic density as the guitarist solos on, say, “Cold Sea Triptych.” Moulder’s style and Moulder’s group are fully developed and achieve instantaneous audience response to a modally oriented composition in five-four like “African Sunset.” “Eleventh Hour” too proceeds in stately, deliberate, forceful fashion from modal improvisational opportunities in moderatetempo groups of eleven beats. Not an experiment nor cleverness, “Eleventh Hour” nonetheless grips the audience with passionate expressiveness. “Magical Space” investigates the nooks and crannies of beauty as Moulder develops a fully realized haunting musical story line, once again embellished by Trompeter’s tidal chords and drummer Paul Wertico’s accents from brushed cymbals. And speaking of Wertico, in whose groups Moulder has participated for over fifteen years, the spontaneity of the exchange of ideas between them is particularly noticeable—and engaging. “Time Being” starts relatively simply with Bradfield stating the singable melody without elaboration; Wertico’s rustling and bridled energy becomes evident under Bradfield’s long tones as if Wertico is waiting to be released. Suspicions set up by Wertico’s foreshadowing are confirmed as the simplicity dissolves to reveal the underlying force, unbridled when, satisfyingly (to the crowd’s yelps and applause), Wertico solos midway through the track. All drumming breaks loose. Wertico’s solo becomes the track’s fulcrum, initially unsuspected by the audience, as singsong evolves into dynamism. The ironic contrasts within “Time Being”—melodic ease against restrained force, introductory singability against rock-like final intensity—are but one example of Moulder’s shrewd compositional imagination. Combined with like-minded first-rate musicians and the thrill of constant bursts of surprise, The Eleventh Hour: Live at the Green Mill overflows with memorable moments available now to a broader listening audience.

The five of 'em sound like they've been performing together since they were wee tots...

Whereas many of Chicago's jazz and blues guitar icons seem to channel the dark alleys and the bar sign neon of the city through their

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Dave Sumner, All About Jazz

Website

The five of 'em sound like they've been performing together since they were wee tots...

Dave Sumner, All About Jazz Website

Whereas many of Chicago's jazz and blues guitar icons seem to channel the dark alleys and the bar sign neon of the city through their instruments, John Moulder's sound is more akin to a synthesis of the lakefront—a beauty and serenity that is just as likely to show a face of fury and cold precision. For some time now, Moulder has quietly been developing his sound into something quite unique. The Eleventh Hour provides the opportunity to hear it in a live setting.

Recorded at the celebrated jazz venue, Chicago's Green Mill, Moulder presents a set of tunes culled from past albums. But while past studio albums like Bifrost (Origin, 2009) and Trinity (Origin, 2006) were laced with atmospheric effects, it's a thrilling experience to hear the blistering heat and cool grace of his guitar undiluted by studio mechanics and effects.

For this show, Moulder leads a quintet of pros that includes saxophonist/bass clarinetist Geof Bradfield and past Pat Metheny Group alum, drummer Paul Wertico. The five of 'em sound like they've been performing together since they were wee tots. No better proof of that can be found than on the album's closing track, "Time Being," where a hypnotic opening of circular interplay between Molder and pianist Jim Trompeter leads to a series of solos that build atop one another, peaking with a surge of electricity that explodes with the final notes. It's one of those rare occurrences that a song is truly deserving of the descriptor "magical."

For a live recording, the audio quality is rock solid. When the inevitable sounds of the venue do hit the audio, they serve to enhance the listening experience rather than detract from it. Live, the heart of Moulder's sound beats large, and he brings the show straight to the speakers of anyone who listens, as if seated in a booth at the Mill the night it all went down.