An incendiary, virtuosic and visceral performer; Jake Vossler has forged a unique voice and approach to the guitar by combining elements from metal and jazz and applying extended techniques. He is a founding member of the metal/jazz quartet Burning Ghosts, one of the most acclaimed bands in the LA experimental music scene.

Boxes be damned, classifying this as jazz- rock or jazz-metal is a waste of energy. It is simply what it is, which is great music... Marvelous." –Jazz In Europe

"It was big, it was badass, it was an impressive collection of identifiable SONGS, and it ended with a tide of heavy feedback and applause, the way it sure oughta." –MetalJazz (live review)

"It’s like a musical diamond mine—the deeper you go, the more you find... No matter the political view or interpretation, though, one can find enjoyment in Reclamation, because at the core of this message is some of the LA’s best musicians (all virtuosos at their instruments) making music that pushes the boundaries of noise rock, free jazz and every genre in between into new and interesting places." —Heavy Blog Is Heavy

The music spits fire and lightning, maintaining it's fast speed, regardless of the complexity of the music. The dynamics at play are powerful with the music moving from slow and ponderous to white hot and fast... This is heavy and dense music that is still able to retain a tenuous tie to the jazz tradition while blasting it relentlessly into the future." —Music and More

Burning Ghosts have performed in international festivals such as Angel City Jazz (LA), Jazz Em Agosto (Portugal) and Jazz Saalfelden (Austria)

In addition to Burning Ghosts, Jake is also a founding member of the gypsy/jazz/rock band PLOTZ! Their CD Extraordinary Renditions was the winner of “Best Instrumental CD” and “Best Instrumental Song” (Splash, by Daniel Rosenboom) from the MAVRIC Awards in Ventura County and “Best International Instrumental CD” from Toronto Exclusive Magazine’s Music Awards.

“Dazzling progressive-jazz Balkan music.”
– Josef Woodard, Santa Barbara News-Press

“A s***-hot beam of musical illumination.”
– David Cotner, Ventura County Reporter

“PLOTZ! is the unlikely bastard son of Ivo Papasov and Black Sabbath…festive heavy Bulgarian jazz-rock, catchy as hell and quite accessible overall.”
—Monsieur Délire, Monsiuer Délire’s Blog

“…music that carries a message…an experience of instrumental virtuosity sure to impress even an experienced listener.”
— IndependentClauses.com

“…these guys shine!”
— XLR8R Magazine

 Jake has performed/appeared on records with:  Dan Rosenboom, Miroslav Tadic, Vinny Golia, Swapan Chadiuri, Gary Novak, David Rosenboom, Gene Coye, Aaron McLendon, Richard Giddens, Jerry Watts Jr., Gavin Templeton, Tom Fowler, Tim Lefevbre, Vinny Coliauta, Brian Walsh, Austin Wrinkle, Tina Raymond , Jeff Babko, Gerald Wilson, Maria Schneider, Dave Binney, single wing turquoise bird, Jimmy Johnson, and countless others.

Jake has studied under some of the most brilliant minds in music.  He has studied the music of North India with Pandit Dr.  Rajeev Taranath and the illustrious Aashish Khan.  Under the mentorship of virtuoso guitarist Miroslav Tadic he has studied the folk music of eastern Europe. Jake has also studied improvisation under woodwind wizard Vinnny Golia , and harpist Susan Allen. 

EDUCATION:

California Institute of the Arts

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music (2004)

Master of Fine Arts in Music (2008)