Tim Jago

Biography

Tim Jago is an Australian guitarist, composer, and educator born in 1983 who has become one of the most sought-after collaborators on the global jazz scene. He began his musical journey in Perth, Western Australia, where he studied at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), completing a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance in 2006 and receiving the Melville Toyota Scholarship for the most outstanding final year jazz student. His formative years spent in the outback of Western Australia imprinted vivid memories that would later influence his musical compositions, blending deep jazz tradition with diverse stylistic influences. After graduating, he served as an adjunct guitar tutor at WAAPA from 2007-2010 while building his reputation as a sideman and bandleader in the Australian jazz scene.

In 2010, Jago relocated to the United States to pursue a Master of Music program in Studio Music and Jazz at The University of Miami Frost School of Music, graduating in 2012. Since then, he has performed and recorded extensively with world-class musicians including Terence Blanchard, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Chick Corea, Gloria Estefan, Bobby McFerrin, and Arturo Sandoval. He was a finalist in the inaugural Wes Montgomery International Jazz Guitar Competition in 2015. Jago has maintained a prolific recording career, appearing on Latin GRAMMY-nominated albums and serving as a member of Troy Roberts' long-standing Nu-Jive band across four albums spanning over a decade. Currently based in New York City, he balances a busy sideman performance schedule while having taught at The FROST School of Music and The West Australian Academy of Performing Arts.

Jago's debut album under his own name, Time Shift, was released in June 2025 on Bespoke Jazz, marking a significant milestone after fifteen years of co-leading and collaborating on various releases. The album represents a personal reflection of his life experiences and showcases his depth and versatility as a guitarist and composer. Featuring an eclectic program with varied grooves and stylistic influences unified by strong jazz sensibility, Time Shift was recorded with a core band that had been working together for over five years, developing what the artist describes as a collective simpatico rarely experienced between musicians.

Fun Facts

• Jago spent his early childhood living in the outback (or 'bush') of Western Australia, experiences that became reflected in his music and imprinted vivid memories that influenced his compositional voice.
• In 2009, Jago made his first pilgrimage to New York City, spending three months saturating himself in the culture and delving deep into the jazz scene before returning to Perth to form his collaborative trio The Grid.
• Time Shift marks Jago's debut album released under his own name after fifteen years of co-leading and collaborating on various releases, arriving fully formed with a band that had been working together for over five years.
• Jago was a finalist in the prestigious National Jazz Awards in 2007 at the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz in Victoria, Australia, and later became a finalist in the inaugural Wes Montgomery International Jazz Guitar Competition in 2015.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Roy Haynes - Martin Bejerano, Jago's frequent collaborator and pianist on Time Shift, has a 20-year association with GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award-winning drummer Roy Haynes, representing the lineage of jazz excellence Jago's circle draws from (Bejerano's work with Haynes) [20+ years]

Key Collaborators

• Troy Roberts - Saxophonist and long-standing musical partner; co-led the straight-ahead jazz album Best Buddies (Best Buddies (2021), Nu-Jive 5 (2013), Nu-Jive Perspective (2018), Nu-Jive: Nations United (2022), Nu-Jive: Live at The Perth International Jazz Festival (2023)) [2013-2023+]
• Mark Small - Award-winning saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist; member of Jago's Time Shift ensemble (Time Shift (2025), work with Michael Bublé and Darcy James Argue's Secret Society) [2025+]
• Martin Bejerano - Acclaimed Latin GRAMMY-nominated pianist and composer; keyboardist on Time Shift album (Time Shift (2025), recordings with Christian McBride, Dave Holland, Pat Metheny, Ron Carter) [2025+]
• Dion Kerr - Versatile electric and upright bass player; bassist on Time Shift; co-founder of The Smoogies (Time Shift (2025), The Smoogies (Planet Smoogies), work with Immanuel Wilkins and Marcus Strickland) [2025+]
• David Chiverton - Drummer with range across jazz, gospel, hip-hop, R&B and pop; member of The Smoogies and Troy Roberts' Nu-Jive (Time Shift (2025), The Smoogies, Nu-Jive) [2025+]
• Roxana Amed - Latin artist; Jago appeared on her Latin GRAMMY-nominated albums (Ontology (2021), Unánime (2022)) [2021-2022]
• Ben Vanderwal - Drummer and highly accomplished Australian musician; co-founder of Jago's trio The Grid (The Grid (2010), The Grid III (featuring four) (2015), Best Buddies (2021)) [2010-2021+]
• Dane Alderson - Bassist and current member of the iconic band Yellowjackets; co-founder of Jago's trio The Grid (The Grid (2010), Wear More Headbands (2013)) [2010-2013]

External Links

• Spotify