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Jonathan A. Wires is jazz performer, composer, and educator. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Memphis and a Master's Degree in Jazz Studies from Middle Tennessee State University. He has studied bass with Tim Goodwin, John Chiego, Michael Formanek, and Denis Irwin. Wires has been recorded on around 30 records ranging from rock, jazz, folk, to classically influenced music. He has performed with a variety of artists including Frank Lowe, Billy Bang, Michael Marcus, Alvin Fielder, Michael Jefry Stevens, Jeff Coffin, Abbey Rader, Cassandra Wilson, Steve Davis, Kallen Esperian, Don Aliquo, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Charlie Wood, Kelley Hurt, Calvin Newborn, Larry Panella, Rod McGaha, Leon Anderson, Joel Weiskopf, Bruce Dudley, Kate Paradise, Joe Davidian, Chester Thompson, Thomas Giampietro, Bruce and Sandra Dudley, Chris Walters, and Evan Cobb. Among his other contributions are performances on the film soundtrack for "Black Snake Moan". He has also performed at festivals, including the Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis, the Zeitgeist Festival in New Orleans, and the Lincoln Center Summer Festival in New York. In addition, he has served on staff at the Vermont Jazz Institute and the Nashville Jazz Workshop's summer jazz camp. Wires has toured Europe in 2010 and China in 2012.

FROM JONATHAN:

I like to write music much more than I like to write words.

I think it was Tom Waits who said writing music is like picking bubble gum from the bottom of a desk – eventually you’ll get a new piece. I find this idea amusing and true. Often when I’m stuck and can’t seem to find an outcome, I’ll look to snippets of ideas I’ve written over the years and find a solution. This approach has more than once solved a musical dilemma for me.

I am constantly inspired by the work of those around me.

I write music for my friends to play. That’s why I do what I do. I want to give to them what they give to me – friendship, love, and inspiration. Hopefully, we give the world a little piece of curiosity in the process.

I have always been intrigued by the interplay of melody, harmony, and rhythm. I’m constantly assessing the balance of these components when I write.

Composing reminds me of puzzles and how things can be put together to get a form. Sometimes I try to write music as if it were a game of Jenga. If one piece of the composition falls out of place, the whole form can collapse upon itself. I love this delicate interplay that can sometimes appear. This encourages the players to have a sense of trust within one another.