Zakk Jones is an Ohio-based guitarist, bandleader, composer, and educator. He currently serves as the Coordinator of Guitar Studies at Truman State University and is a faculty mentor for the Sonora Guitar Intensive.
As a performer, Zakk is a member of Doc Robinson, the Tony Monaco Trio, and Third Shore Collective, and has also performed with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, Jim Belushi, Maria Schneider, Lou Marini Jr., Ryan Keberle, Steve Kortyka, Bobby Selvaggio, Jon Irabagon, and Bobby Floyd. He has released four trio records under his own name and appears as a sideman on over a dozen acclaimed projects.
Zakk has been featured at festivals and events including the Rocky Mountain Archtop Guitar Festival, Columbus Jazz & Ribs Festival, Denison Jazz Guitar Festival, and the Rochester International Jazz Festival, among others. As a composer, he has earned multiple grants and has participated in residency programs in Florida and New Hampshire. Most recently, he was awarded the 2024 Individual Excellence Award from the Ohio Arts Council for outstanding accomplishments in music composition.
As an educator, Zakk previously served as Head of Jazz Studies at Capital University’s Conservatory of Music, his alma mater, where he led one of the nation’s oldest collegiate jazz programs. His prior faculty appointments also include Mt. Vernon Nazarene University and Bowling Green State University.
Beyond performance and teaching, Zakk is an avid composer/arranger, contributes educational articles to JazzGuitarToday.com, and hosts the podcast Beyond The Frets.
He proudly endorses Eastman Guitars and Kopp String Instruments.
