Guitarist Steve Knight Releases New Album “For Years Gone”

Joe Barth talks to guitarist Steve Knight about his new album, “For Years Gone”.

One of the many great guitar players around the Chicago area is Steve Knight. Originally from Kansas, Steve moved to Chicago in 2016 and has been making a name for himself there ever since.  He has just released a new album For Years Gone.

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JB:  So, before I ask about the new album, tell me about yourself.  When did you start to play jazz guitar in Kansas, and in those early years, what was most helpful in your personal development as a guitarist?

SK:  When I was a freshman at Emporia State University in Kansas in 1999, I had all the rock guitar tropes in place but no real musicianship. I got drafted by the theatre department to play in their musical theatre pits, which taught me through trial and error how to read music on guitar. After doing a few of those pits and teaching basic guitar at a local music store, I auditioned for the Big Band in the music department in my junior year on the recommendation of a friend, having never played any jazz whatsoever prior to that. Like most rock guitarists, I could solo with pentatonic over a blues and knew my major scales but had no conception of improvisation over changes/bebop/etc. I bought a book on shell voicings and 4-to-the-bar/Freddie Greene-style comping. There was no jazz department at ESU, nor was there a jazz guitar faculty member so I learned basics from a graduate student in composition and trial-and-errored my way through everything. 

JB:  What are three of the most influential jazz guitar albums to you and your personal development as a guitarist and why?

SK:  The first jazz album I ever purchased was Benny Green and Russell Malone’s Live at the Bistro’in around 2002. Kansas Public Radio in Emporia played jazz in the evenings, and I heard a track, Tale of the Fingers, and had never heard anyone play jazz guitar like that. Bearing in mind, before universally available streaming music and Youtube, most of my jazz recordings were horns – Bird, Diz, etc. that I had found in the library or borrowed and burned from friends. I went to Borders and luckily found the album – it lived in my car CD player for the rest of undergrad.

Like so many of us, Wes Montgomery’s Incredible Jazz Guitar was a real eye-opener to the melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic possibilities of jazz, specifically guitar. I remember being wowed at someone playing such clear and warm bebop on a guitar – something I’d only conceived of in horn terms. I also remember thinking how impossible it sounded – how I’d never be able to do anything like that.

Jim Hall Live inspired me differently – I knew it was good and important but I wasn’t initially blown away by it. I think initially, I was more impressed with technical prowess than melodic development and interaction. Kind of like the “you can’t hear Jimi” dialogue in ‘White Men Can’t Jump’, I wasn’t ready and couldn’t hear it yet. Now it’s probably my all-time favorite album.

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JB:  What did you appreciate most about studying with Wayne Goins?

SK:  Because I was one of maybe three guitarists in Emporia who could read music and improvise (albeit extremely amateur), I got most of the work in Emporia, which led me to think I had stuff together. After some personal upheaval, as I was about to turn thirty, I decided to give jazz and guitar a serious, vocational try, and Wayne was recommended to me. He disabused me of my notions from lesson one but did so with love and encouragement. Wayne excels at so many things, but chief among them is helping move a player from being a rock guitarist to a jazz guitarist. His pedagogy is frank, tried, and effective. I remember my second lesson in his house, we had planned for two hours (I was driving to Manhattan from Oklahoma at the time), and I ended up staying all day. I can’t tell you how many times in those early years I’d text questions, and he’d always respond and still does. I feel very lucky to have Wayne in my life as both a mentor and a dear, dear friend.

JB:  How long did you live in New York City and what did you appreciate about your years there?

SK:  I moved to NYC in 2012 and from NYC to Chicago in 2016. After a year of playing on Carnival Cruise Lines, I returned and began taking lessons with anyone who’d have me and hearing as much music as possible, eventually experiencing hands-on instruction and mentorship from the late Jack Wilkins, Mark Whitfield, and vibraphonist Mark Sherman, among others. I did more listening and learning in NYC than working, somewhat based on financial concerns and having a day job, and somewhat because I was still getting my stuff together and was not ready for the rigor of the NYC scene. Among the best parts of NYC, which Chicago has, too, is great jazz every night of the week. I went to all the hallowed ground places (Vanguard, Smalls, Blue Note) but also discovered the more intimate clubs like Bar Next Door, 55 Bar, Smoke, and Jazz Standard (several of which no longer exist). 

JB:  You moved to Chicago in 2016.  Was it because of a music opportunity?

SK:  My wife and I were sick of NYC – too expensive, especially as I eyed music as a vocation rather than a hobby. We looked at several places that are cheaper than NYC but have the cultural/musical pedigree and landed on Chicago because we love the city, we had friends here already, the food/music/culture, and we can afford to live here more easily than NYC or Austin etc. I was (and am) a huge fan of Bobby Broom and knew there were other musicians of his caliber in Chicago. I maintained an entry-level accounting clerk job in Chicago for the first year as I got my footing and met people in the jazz scene.

JB:  On your new album For Years Gone, I love your renditions of George Harrison’s “Something” and Joni Mitchell’s “Urge for Going.”  Briefly reflect upon the other material selections for the recording. 

SK:  My first album, Persistence, was mostly originals with a few standards/covers. Some of the songs on this album, like “Something” “Sentimental Mood” and “Pure Imagination” have been staples of our live sets for years, and we thought them worthy of documentation. The Joni Mitchell song had been a favorite of mine for years that I hadn’t quite cracked in terms of how our group should approach it. Similar to “Kothbiro”, I was looking for songs I love (melodically, harmonically, etc.) that also served as nice textures for both live sets and the album. “Colossus” is a Pat Martino tune that I’ve never heard anyone but Pat play; I love its muscularity and drive. 

JB:  What do you appreciate most about your rhythm section on the album, bassist Justin Peterson and drummer Linard Stroud?

SK:  Justin was among the first musicians I met in Chicago, both of us arriving around the same time. We met at a jam session, and since we didn’t know anyone, we gravitated toward each other and began playing in our homes. I love his accompaniment style and solos – mercurial, genuine, and always trying new things. He’s so solid on intonation and time, and from that comes a Charlie Haden-esque exploration, whether we’re playing in front of a huge crowd or in a tiny coffee shop as wallpaper. He’s an inspiring musical partner and a dear friend.

I met Linard under similar circumstances at a jam session; we had an instant connection. Linard’s feel and groove are borne of a ton of church, blues, and R&B work, as well as several decades in the music. That depth of experience comes across in his playing, which easily slides between bombastic athleticism and quiet sensitivity, always with huge ears and a welcoming pocket that never falters and feels so warm and inviting.

JB:  How did you become a Benedetto guitar ambassador?

SK:  I became an Artist/Ambassador in 2022 with the release of my first album after having played their guitars for nearly a decade. Howard Paul had introduced me to Jack Wilkins when I moved to NY (another legendary Benedetto Artist), and after my stint on the ship, he helped get me into a 16b – among the finest guitars I’ve ever played. I got into them because of another player – guitarist and educator Barry Greene – whose video lesson series was an inspiration, especially during my year on the ship away from home and lessons. I’m humbled by the instrument and my inclusion among their ranks, especially given so many of my heroes like Jack, Ulf Wakenius, Rodney Jones, Dave Stryker, and Dan Wilson are similarly endorsed. 

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JB:  Talk about the gigs you do in Chicago and how you make a career in music work for you.

SK:  Jazz guitar in 2025 can be a hard nut to crack, but like countless others, get by with a mix of teaching and playing throughout Chicago, its suburbs, and beyond. Steady gigs are the unicorns of our business, and I’m lucky to have a weekly residency at The Albert, a posh restaurant/hotel downtown. I also have a summer residency in the park across the street from my house called Jazz in the Yard, which is going into its sixth season and offering free jazz to our community every Sunday while the weather is nice. Those gigs are augmented with society events (weddings, graduations, holiday parties) and one-off gigs wherever jazz is booked, including Andy’s, Fitzgerald’s, The Green Mill, and other stalwart Chicago venues as well as restaurants, breweries, etc. I’m also lucky to have sideman work with local saxophonist Chris Greene and drummer/percussionist/impresario Paul Abella. All that together, plus teaching and masterclass opportunities keep the lights on and the strings fresh. I feel very lucky for these opportunities – a far and welcome cry from my days of office work during the day and playing at night.

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