Biography

Beginning his career as a session player when he was just a teenager, guitarist Jason Joseph Jenkins has gone on to play and record with some of the biggest artists in the world, including Carlos Santana, Al Di Meola, Jon Secada, Frankie Negron, Jamie Lynn Siegler, and Gloria Gaynor, among others. As a child, Jason was often exposed to classical and Latin American music, but it was flamenco music that left an indelible mark on the aspiring young guitarist. He became enamored with the sound of the Spanish guitar after hearing the virtuoso guitarist, Paco De Lucia, and began to study it on his own. Soon after, he discovered the hard rock and heavy metal sounds of Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden and Yngwie Malmsteen, which turned the young guitarist on to the electric guitar and its possibilities. Jason began using flamenco styled melodies, progressions and rhythms since he began writing music. According to him, All I knew was flamenco based, and the sound of the heavy metal guitar intrigued me. Once I discovered how to make that sound, I wrote and played things based on what I knew. This set him apart with a truly unique style. He adds, My music is only a result of who I am and where Ive been. My parents are from Costa Rica with roots from England and Spain, and I grew up in New York around the heavy metal scene. A guitarist to be reckoned with, he has left many in awe of his originality, fiery sound and technical virtuosity. Forming Desafio in the late nineties gave him the outlet to showcase not only his spectacular playing abilities, but also his keen compositional sense, creative arrangements and superb stage shows. His playing, composing and overall conception have matured without mellowing, developed without losing their deep and varied roots, and will reward the attentive listener with a musical palette of surprise, fire and imagination.