An inspiring tour through Nicaragua in 1998, which included collaborative sessions with Nicaraguan guitarist Chamorito, launched Jerry into an intense phase of musical creativity. His efforts were culminated with the 1999 CD recording, Many Dances, an eclectic collection of “wonderful guitar music” for solo guitar which showcased his skills as composer, instrumentalist, and vocalist, and prompted guitarist Billy McLaughlin to say, “Jerry is a powerful and colorful guitarist who makes me want to practice..., or just listen with a big smile on my face.”

Jerry was the first two-time winner of the Zeitgeist Eric Stokes Song Contest, receiving the award in 1999 for his composition Matagalpa and 2000 for Many Dances. He was awarded a grant from MacPhail Center for Music to compose student pieces in 1991, and was a recipient of the 2001 Jerome Foundation Travel and Study Grant.

In 2003, Jerry joined the faculty of McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul, where, in addition to teaching courses in guitar department, he is active in helping to develop new courses in guitar technique and music history. A second CD, Sounds Like This, was recorded in 2004. Once again, Jerry combined his talents with those of Matthew Zimmerman at Wild Sound Studios in Minneapolis and produced what Tommy Emmanuel described as “wonderfully recorded guitar!“

In the wake of the new recording, Jerry acquired a Lexicon JamMan and incorporated the technology of “looping“ in his live shows. As Jerry put it,“ the JamMan enabled me to add something different to my performances... something a bit more interesting than simply playing the tunes from my CDs.“ Looping is the ability to record several live parts during a performance. The result can be quite impressive and very similar to the sound of a full band. “All the parts I loop are created on the fly. Each sound is created by either playing the guitar or tapping on the body. Well, I do use a shaker egg, from Creative Kidstuff, and the soundhole mic picks up that sound. I saw Phil Keaggy do that. Invariably, someone will ask how I am making these sounds, or are those sounds pre-programmed?“ As his live shows have evolved, Jerry has opened for Don Ross and has performed on shows with Tommy Emmanuel, Bob Brozman, Catfish Keith, Steve James, Phil Heywood, and Hull and Larsen. Currently, Jerry teaches at both McNally Smith College of Music and the MacPhail Center for Music, performs across the country, and writes music for the guitar.

Left above, Jerry with Chamorito in Nicaragua, 1998. At right, Jerry performs in MacPhail’s 2002 production of Wary for the Devil.