Trey Wright
Instructor

Trey Wright began playing guitar at age 15. Initially inspired by the blues, Trey was exposed to jazz early in his development by a private instructor. While studying Sociology at the University of Georgia, Wright furthered his study of jazz improvisation with pianist and composer Steve Dancz. In 1994, he co-founded the Athens/Atlanta based jazz band Squat.
The band has been honored four times as winner of the Best Jazz Band award at the Flagpole Athens Music Awards and has been a featured artist at the Atlanta Jazz Festival, the Twilight Athens Jazz Festival and has opened for Medeski, Martin, and Wood; the Charlie Hunter Trio; Maynard Ferguson; the Squirrel Nut Zippers; the B-52’s; and Maceo Parker. Along with managing Squat and producing five independent CDs with the band, Wright plays guitar and piano with the group touring throughout the Southeast. He also performs freelance in jazz duos, trios, quartets, and big bands in the Atlanta and Athens area and has performed with bass virtuoso John Pattitucci and Mel Bay guitarist Cory Christiansen. As a solo artist, Trey has been a featured performer of the Lake Oconee Jazz Festival, and the Athens Music and Arts Festival. Trey has also performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Vienne Jazz Festival, and the World Sacred Music Festival in Bangalore, India.

In December of 2002, Trey completed a Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies at Georgia State University, and he currently is on faculty at LaGrange College, Kennesaw State University, the Atlanta Institute of Music, and is a Jazz Artist in Residence at the University of Georgia. Trey is currently working on his first solo CD, due out late fall 2005 and is putting the finishing touches on his first book, Comping the Blues: An Introduction to Jazz Harmony for Guitar to be published in early 2006.