Jesse Solomon

A guitarist based in northern Colorado, Jesse Solomon has built a career since the 1980s that spans rock, teaching and collaborative projects. Born in Victorville, California, and moving as a teenager to Fort Collins after a childhood between Spain, England and several U.S. states, Jesse trained professionally at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood before returning to the Front Range. There he played in various local bands, including Screamin’ O and Windfall, and later founded Strapless, a melodic hard rock group that began as a covers band and then moved to original material, documented on the self-produced albums Luck of the Draw and Peace by Piece. At the same time he pursued numerous collaborations with his guitarist brother Rob Solomon and took part in Canebrake Run, a blues-tinged rock band that recorded Nothin’ to Hide, as well as on the album Where Do We Go From Here with Randy Pfeuffer and Rob Solomon. In 2008 he embarked on a more personal direction with the instrumental record Fire! Ready, Aim, exploring a rock-oriented guitar style that is technical yet melodic. In subsequent years he appeared as a guest or touring partner — notably with Jennifer Batten — and moved into hybrid projects blending rock, funk and jazz (B SUITE), then toward a more pronounced instrumental approach with ManAtomic and the album Fingerprints. In parallel, Jesse Solomon founded and has led the Academy of Guitar in Fort Collins since 1996, becoming an active figure in the music scene and music education in northern Colorado while continuing to work as a session guitarist, touring musician and masterclass instructor.