Wayne Krantz
Wayne Krantz is an American guitarist and composer. He has performed and recorded with Steely Dan, Michael Brecker, Donald Fagen, Billy Cobham, Chris Potter, David Binney, and Carla Bley. Since the early 1990s, Krantz has focused primarily on his solo career, mostly as the leader of various trio combinations.
Wayne Krantz

Abstractlogix · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Wayne Krantz
- Birthplace
- Corvallis, Oregon, U.S.
- Born
- 1957
- Occupation
- Musiciancomposer
- Nationality
- United States
- Fields
- jazz fusion
- Education
- Berklee College of Music
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Wayne Krantz is an American guitarist and composer. He has performed and recorded with Steely Dan, Michael Brecker, Donald Fagen, Billy Cobham, Chris Potter, David Binney, and Carla Bley. Since the early 1990s, Krantz has focused primarily on his solo career, mostly as the leader of various trio combinations.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
Wayne Krantz (born 1956) is an American composer, guitarist and musician. The composer was born in Corvallis. Wayne Krantz studied at Berklee College of Music. Genres include jazz fusion.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Wayne Krantz. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
museum · 9a65e3a2-b905-49d1-beca-d3872a57504d · wikidata · Q325319 · wikipedia · Wayne Krantz
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Wayne Krantz • Birthplace — Corvallis, Oregon, U.S. • Born — 1957 • Genre — Jazz rock • Occupation — Musiciancomposer • Instrument — Guitar • Years Active — 1980s–present • Associated Acts — David Binney, Steely Dan, Chris Potter, Michael Brecker, Carla Bley, Donald Fagen • Website — waynekrantz.com
Career
Career
A native of Corvallis, Oregon, Krantz began playing guitar at 14. Initially playing in local rock bands, he heard a jazz record in his father's album collection and became interested in the genre. Moving East after high school, his first international touring experience was with the Carla Bley Sextet. He released his debut solo album, Signals, in 1991. He formed a trio with Lincoln Goines and Zach Danziger and recorded an additional two albums with the Enja label, "Long To Be Loose" and "2 Drink Minimum." His next steady trio was with Tim Lefebvre and Keith Carlock, with whom he recorded three albums, "Greenwich Mean," "Your Basic Live" and "Krantz Carlock Lefebvre." He has also worked with Billy Cobham, Michael Brecker, Chris Potter, Steely Dan and Donald Fagen. Krantz worked with record label Abstract Logix to release Krantz Carlock Lefebvre in 2009. In 2012, Krantz released Howie 61 (a reference to Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited), which includes John Patitucci, Charley Drayton, Tal Wilkenfeld, Vinnie Colaiuta, Anton Fig, Jeremy Stacey, Paul Stacey, Pino Palladino, Gabriela Anders, Kenny Wollesen, Nate Wood, Henry Hey, and Owen Biddle. Krantz has written two books, "An Improvisor's OS," and with James Muller, "TABs On Krantz." He also created an app with Amit Lissack designed to increase tempo awareness, "Humanome."
As leader
As leader
• Signals (Enja, 1990) • Long to Be Loose (Enja, 1993) • 2 Drink Minimum (Enja, 1995) • Greenwich Mean (East River Joint, 1999) • Your Basic Live (East River Joint, 2002) • Your Basic Live '06 (East River Joint, 2006) • Krantz Carlock Lefebvre (Abstract Logix, 2009) • Howie 61 (Abstract Logix, 2012) • Good Piranha / Bad Piranha (Abstract Logix, 2014) • Write Out Your Head (East River Joint, 2020) • Music Room 1985 (East River Joint, 2021) • Player-Songwriter (East River Joint, 2025)
As sideman
As sideman
With David Binney • Balance (ACT, 2002) • Aliso (Criss Cross, 2010) • Graylen Epicenter (Mythology, 2011) • Anacapa (Criss Cross, 2014) With Leni Stern • Secrets (Enja, 1989) • Closer to the Light (Enja, 1990) • Ten Songs (Lipstick, 1992) • Separate Cages (Alchemy, 1996) With others • Robby Ameen, Days in the Life (Two and Four, 2009) • Gabriela Anders, Cool Again (Evj! 2015) • Jay Anderson, Next Exit (DMP, 1992) • Fahir Atakoglu, Istanbul in Blue (Far & Here, 2007) • Fahir Atakoglu, Faces & Places (Far & Here, 2009) • Victor Bailey, Bottom's Up (Atlantic, 1989) • Victor Bailey, Low Blow (ESC, 1999) • Ranjit Barot, Bada Boom (EMI, 2010) • John Escreet, The Age We Live in (Mythology, 2011) • Donald Fagen, Morph the Cat (Reprise, 2006) • Michael Formanek, Wide Open Spaces (Enja, 1990) • Michael Formanek, Extended Animation (Enja, 1992) • Gary Husband, Dirty & Beautiful Vol. 2 (Abstract Logix, 2012) • Chris Potter, Underground (Universal/Emarcy, 2006) • Markus Reuter, Mundo Nuevo (Unsung, 2015) • Steps Ahead, Yin-Yang (NYC, 1992) • Jasper van 't Hof, Blau (ACT, 1992) • Jasper van 't Hof, Blue Corner (ACT, 1996)
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Wayne Krantz”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q325319: Wayne Krantz
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
Institutional database
- MusicBrainz artist record for Wayne Krantz
Scholarly · MetaBrainz Foundation
scholarly publication
- Wayne Krantz, From the Minds of Jazz Musicians, 2017
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2017
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Yanow, Scott. The Great Jazz Guitarists. Backbeat. 112–113. 2013. 978-1-61713-023-6.
- 2.Cleveland, Barry. Wayne Krantz. Guitar Player. 48–54. July 2012.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 1
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
MusicBrainz artist record for Wayne KrantzMetaBrainz Foundation
Institutional witnessscholarly publication
Wayne Krantz, From the Minds of Jazz Musicians, 2017Crossref registry
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
People, houses and institutions
Knowledge graph
People, houses and institutions
Teachers, collaborators, publishers and institutions recorded against this person, each on a stated basis.
Studied at
1- Berklee College of MusicOrganisation
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Music memorabilia
42,375 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Wayne HendersonPerson
- Wayne HorvitzPerson
- Wayne HusseyPerson
- Wayne JacksonPerson
- Wayne NelsonPerson
- Wayne PeetPerson
- Wayne PerkinsPerson
- Wayne RaneyPerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Wayne Krantz?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.