RIJF 2023

B.D. Lenz Group

Mix the sophistication of jazz, the grit of Blues, and the grooves of funk and soul, and you have the recipe for contem- po-jazz guitarist B.D. Lenz. The New Jersey native has played guitar since his early teens, is a graduate of Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, and has studied with such masters as Mike Stern, Vic Juris, and Charlie Banacos along the way.

Lenz has released 13 highly-acclaimed recordings as a leader featuring greats such as Mike Stern, Randy Brecker, Will Lee, Joel Rosenblatt, & Mark Egan. He says of his music, “I work really hard on my writing. It’s important that the virtuosic musicianship of my band members have a context in which to show it off.” His latest studio recording, Manifesto, was a crowd funded effort that broke into both the Jazz and Jam ra- dio charts.

His music has also been featured in hundreds of TV shows globally including Breaking Bad (AMC), Catfish (MTV), Pawn Stars (History), Chicago Fire (NBC), Real Housewives of Atlanta (Bravo), and Young Sheldon (CBS) to name just a few.

Lenz and crew have played thousands of gigs internationally. Select venues include Lincoln Center Jazz (NYC), Iridium (NYC), Birmingham Jaz Festival (UK), Nantwich Jazz Festival (UK), Porthcawl Jazz Festival (Wales), Cape May Jazz Festival (NJ), Panasonic Village Jazz Festival (NYC), Musikfest (Pa), Oswego Harborfest (NY), Deer Head Inn, PBS, and BBC Cambridge.