▬  Jay's 1st studio album is now available on Bandcamp! The album Connections is a culmination of work with his band The Constellations; which consists of Jon Hill, Carlos Garcia, and David Canning. The album features many special appearances from musicians around Wilmington, NC. Physical copies are now available.  

https://jaykillmanmusic.bandcamp.com/album/connections   ▬ 

While Motown and Jimi Hendrix were his first musical loves, Jay Killman devotes most of his efforts nowadays to the important history and deep tradition of Jazz. Truly a unique voice on the guitar, Jay‘s influence of eclectic genres and distinct artists have become integrated into his own sound, while staying stylistically true to any genre on the bandstand. 

Over the years Jay has studied and played with numerous greats including Keith Ganz, Bobby Broom, Curtis Lundy, Robert Trowers, Andrew Renfroe, Joey Caldarazzo, Branford Marsalis, Ben Patterson, Gunhild Carling, and more. He has achieved a BA in Music from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a MM in Jazz Composition from North Carolina Central University. 

Jay has released 5 albums of original music - Jay Killman & the Constellations Connections, Jay Killman & the Constellations Live at Ted's, Jay Killman Cycles, Rene & Jay Nice Sounds Collection no. 1, and Rene & Jay Nice Sounds Collection no. 2.  He is an in-demand sideman and has been featured on a dozen albums. 

In addition to performing, Jay is an avid composer, arranger and teacher.  He has composed works for big band and small group format that have been featured on the biggest jazz stages - including Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Monterey Bay Jazz Festival. Most notably, Jay arranged a song entitled “Samuel” by the legendary saxophonist Gary Bartz that featured Bartz himself on the performance. He is an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.