James Kraft, Author and Musician

James Kraft is an award-winning author and respected jazz guitarist who now resides in Honolulu, Hawaii. He works at the University of Hawaii as an Associate Professor of History and performs regularly at some of Honolulu’s best clubs and restaurants.

Kraft is clued-up and well traveled. He earned a Ph.D. in History from the University of Southern California in 1990 and taught at the University of Puget Sound and the Ohio State University before moving to Hawaii. His first book, Stage to Studio: Musicians and the Sound Revolution, 1890-1950, won the prestigious “Best Research Award” from the Association of Recorded Sound Collections as well as the Phi Alpha Theta national honor society award for “Best Book in History by a Resident of Hawaii.” His essay in The Electric Guitar: An American Icon, is the outgrowth of his participation in a highly praised symposium sponsored by the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., and his contribution to Music and Technology in the 20^th Century a reflection of his role in an equally important conference in Budapest, Hungary. Kraft has published articles about musicians and the music business in Labor History, The Musical Quarterly, Technology and Culture and other scholarly journals. He offers courses in the area of music industry studies through the University of Hawaii’s History and Music Departments.

Kraft’s research and teaching interests reflect his background as a musician. He began playing music professionally as a teenager in his hometown of Waco, Texas, and worked with popular rhythm and blues bands in Austin, Texas, before moving to Los Angeles in the late 1970s. Over the following years he studied with jazz guitarists Al Hendrickson, Ted Greene, Phil Upchurch, Don Chamberlain, and Joe Lano, and jammed with or supported a number of well known jazz artists, including Teddy Edwards, Stan Getz, and Lou Levy. He honed his skills as a jazz guitarist working with vocalists Rita Graham and Lou Elliott, and by the mid-80s had worked in more than half the states in the nation as well as countless clubs in and around Los Angeles. Once in Honolulu, Kraft began performing at some of the city’s most upscale establishments, including the Kahala Mandarin Hotel, the Pacific Club, and Padovani’s Restaurant. He has also worked at the Brew Moon, Chai’s Island Bistro, Gordon Biersch Brewery, Michel’s at the Colony Surf, Roy’s Restaurant, the Wild Mushroom, and many other popular places.

	Background
James Kraft is an award-winning author and respected jazz guitarist who now resides in Honolulu, Hawaii. He works at the University of Hawaii as an Associate Professor of History and performs regularly at some of Honolulu’s best clubs and restaurants. Kraft is clued-up and well traveled. He earned a Ph.D. in History from the University of Southern California in 1990 and taught at the University of Puget Sound and the Ohio State University before moving to Hawaii. His first book, Stage to Studio: Musicians and the Sound Revolution, 1890-1950, won the prestigious “Best Research Award” from the Association of Recorded Sound Collections as well as the Phi Alpha Theta national honor society award for “Best Book in History by a Resident of Hawaii.” His essay in The Electric Guitar: An American Icon, is the outgrowth of his participation in a highly praised symposium sponsored by the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., and his contribution to Music and Technology in the 20^th Century a reflection of his role in an equally important conference in Budapest, Hungary. Kraft has published articles about musicians and the music business in Labor History, The Musical Quarterly, Technology and Culture and other scholarly journals. He offers courses in the area of music industry studies through the University of Hawaii’s History and Music Departments. Kraft’s research and teaching interests reflect his background as a musician. He began playing music professionally as a teenager in his hometown of Waco, Texas, and worked with popular rhythm and blues bands in Austin, Texas, before moving to Los Angeles in the late 1970s. Over the following years he studied with jazz guitarists Al Hendrickson, Ted Greene, Phil Upchurch, Don Chamberlain, and Joe Lano, and jammed with or supported a number of well known jazz artists, including Teddy Edwards, Stan Getz, and Lou Levy. He honed his skills as a jazz guitarist working with vocalists Rita Graham and Lou Elliott, and by the mid-80s had worked in more than half the states in the nation as well as countless clubs in and around Los Angeles. Once in Honolulu, Kraft began performing at some of the city’s most upscale establishments, including the Kahala Mandarin Hotel, the Pacific Club, and Padovani’s Restaurant. He has also worked at the Brew Moon, Chai’s Island Bistro, Gordon Biersch Brewery, Michel’s at the Colony Surf, Roy’s Restaurant, the Wild Mushroom, and many other popular places.