Q. What inspired you to first pick up the guitar and what were your first attempts at playing these instruments?

A. I was always interested in music although I didn't take up the guitar until high school. I had a friend at the time that could play "The Best of Both Worlds" by Van Halen and he somehow convinced me that I could play the guitar as well. That being said, my first attempts were pathetic, but It just urged me on to get better.

Q. Did you take lessons or are you self-taught?

A. I took lessons shortly after picking up the instrument and continued studying with a teacher throughout high school. In college I studied with pianist and composer Steve Dancz. Studying with Steve helped me see beyond the world of guitar for a different perspective on music and jazz . While in graduate school at Georgia State University I studied with jazz guitarist Dave Frackenpohl.

Q. Who inspired you to learn the guitar?

A. Initially I was inspired by blues rock guitarists like Jeff Beck, B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan, but I was hooked on jazz guitar after hearing Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery and Grant Green. Although I play with a different style now, their influence gave me a solid foundation to build on. I am constantly amazed and blown away by their playing when I am revisiting their music with a student.

Q. What is your practice regimen like?

A. My practice regimen has to be very focused these days. With a two year old at home and another on the way practice time is precious! I will usually take one concept or idea and apply it to tunes. I try to work on one tune at a time, applying the concept, playing the tune in 12 keys with different tempos and feels, and playing along with recordings of the tune.

Q. How would you define your style of playing?

A. This is always a tough question. Although I am rooted in the jazz guitar tradition of Wes, Grant, Joe, etc. etc., my style has evolved into a more modern textural style of guitar playing inspired by Jim Hall and Bill Frisell as well as pianists Bill Evans and Brad Mehldau. My style has become much more expressive as I have let other influences including pop and classical to soak into my playing.

Q. What can we expect from your CD release, "Thinking Out Loud"?

A. I think "Thinking Out Loud" captures the Trey Wright Trio in a particularly creative period. The entire CD was recorded in two days at our drummer's house. I wanted the CD to match the creativity and intimate mood of our live shows and unlike my first CD "Where I'm Calling From", I just wanted to use trio instrumentation with no overdubs (except for the "guitarmageddon" at the end of "Analyse"). Although the compositions and ideas on the CD are very modern we wanted to use traditional jazz instrumentation and sounds. The CD contains eight original tunes (including one by drummer Marlon Patton) and jazz interpretations of Soundgarden's "Blow up the Outside World" and Thom Yorke's "Analyse".

Q. Tell us about the musicians that appear on your CD.

A. Unlike my first CD, the new disc was very much a collaboration of ideas and styles. Marlon Patton co-produced the CD with me along with playing drums, engineering, and even composing one of the tunes! Along with the Trey Wright Trio and hip hop group Heavy Mojo, Marlon is one of the premier drummers in the southeast. Marlon and I began playing together in the 1990's when we both lived in Athens and he has often played and recorded with my other group Squat. I was grateful to be able to collaborate with Marlon on this CD. Marlon has been turning me on the Bad Plus and suggested that we research Soundgarden tunes to cover.

A. Marc Miller has played bass with the trio for the past three years and his original stamp is all over the new disc. Along with playing a lot of duo gigs together, Marc and I also taught together at LaGrange College. Marc is very influenced by the music of other cultures and he approaches jazz in a unique and fresh way. I am thankful that both Marc and Marlon are not jazz snobs and instead we are all influenced and inspired by a wide range of music from traditional jazz, classical, rock, hip hop, drum and bass, latin, and middle eastern music. I think these influences come through in our playing on the CD. I am blessed to be playing with such great musicians and friends!

Q. Lets talk about your creative process. How do you approach writing an original song?

A. I feel that writing is one of my best strengths, yet it is always a challenge to finish a piece of music! The initial idea of a tune often comes to me quickly in a brief moment of inspiration, but I often wrestle with the form and arrangement of a tune for months before it is completed.

Q. What challenges do you face when switching from different styles of music?

A. The hardest thing about playing different styles is switching mindsets. I am currently preparing for a Who tribute with the Cobb Symphony Orchestra. Switching gears from jazz guitar to the aggressive style of Pete Townshend has proven to be quite challenging.

Q. What other types of music or artists do you derive inspiration from?

A. Outside of the jazz world, I am probably most inspired by pop musicians including Radiohead, Peter Gabriel, and Nick Drake. Mostly the brooding melodramatic stuff. These tunes make great vehicles for jazz improvisation. Jazz musicians have always used popular music of the day for repertoire and it always surprised me that we don't see more of this today.

Q. What's the most important bit of advice you were given by another musician?

A. My mentor Steve Dancz inspired his students to understand that less is more and to make each note count. So many players today overwhelm the listener with technically impressive yet meaningless barrages of notes. Steve always taught us to strive to find the most direct and personal way to communicate a musical idea or thought. This has profoundly influenced my playing and songwriting and is something I am constantly striving for.

Q. What's been your proudest playing moment?

A. My proudest moment was playing the World Sacred Music festival in Bangalore, India with the Steve Dancz Quartet. The festival was put on by Tibet House and the Dalai Lama. We played spirituals and gospel tunes in a jazz style and I can't imagine a more supportive audience! I have always been inspired by travel and found India to be no exception.

Q. What's the biggest disaster you've ever had on stage, and how did you cope with it?

A. There have been many! Getting lost in tunes (particularly when I was younger) to realizing my guitar had gone out of tune in between songs (while doubling a melody with Jimmy Haslip no less!) or the gig when my strap broke and my guitar smashed into a concrete floor. All of these (and many more) have been learning experiences for me. In the moment, there is nothing you can do but laugh at yourself and move on. It is easy to forget about human error when playing music. I realize that performing music requires extreme focus because anything could go wrong at any minute!

Q. Do you warm up before a concert and if so how?

A. Not like I should! I will sometimes play a few scales just to get the hands moving but not always.

Q. What's the most important bit of advice you could give to new guitarists?

A. If they are interested in playing jazz, they should go back to the roots of modern jazz guitar. I have many students that are inspired by modern guitarist such as Pat Metheny and Mike Stern. I always encourage them to go back and study the generation of guitar players that influenced them: Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, Jim Hall, Charlie Christian, etc... Jazz music is a tradition that builds upon itself; understanding the tradition can help you develop as a musician and a jazz guitarist.

Q. Thanks for your time and consideration for this article and interview. Any last thoughts for our readers?

A. Thank you again for talking to me! It's always a pleasure to talk about and share musical experiences.