About

​

Greg Allen Comonal is an up-and-coming jazz guitarist based in Detroit, MI. He is an active performer and educator whose dedication to jazz music has led to lucrative performance opportunities in the Midwest, including venues such as The Jazz Showcase, Epiphany Center for the Arts, the South Haven Jazz Festival, Cliff Bells, Merriman’s Playhouse, Fitzgerald’s Sidebar, and the Detroit Jazz Festival. He has shared the stage with modern jazz greats including Reggie Thomas, Chris Collins, Paul Keller, John Clayton, and Jason Moran.

Comonal was born in Chicago, IL and raised in nearby Romeoville, IL. His music education started with piano lessons, church choirs, and musical theatre before discovering guitar at the age of 12. In 2019, he moved to DeKalb, IL to study at Northern Illinois University’s School of Music, where he studied with Chicago jazz musicians Reggie Thomas, Tom Garling, and Marlene Rosenberg. He was also mentored by world-renowned jazz guitarist Bobby Broom and internationally acclaimed classical guitarist Dr. An Tran. 

While he is adept at many different styles of guitar, he is deeply rooted in the jazz tradition, channeling the likeness of hardbop and soul musicians of the 50s and 60s. A native of Chicagoland, as well as being born into a first-generation immigrant household, his exposure to different cultures, religions, and people have led him to pursue a sound that can only be described as one of unity, love, and respect—three qualities which he holds at the forefront of his career as a musician.

​

Comonal is a current recipient of the Gretchen C. Valade Graduate Assistantship in Jazz at Wayne State University and is currently pursuing a Master of Music in jazz performance. At Wayne, he is mentored by Detroit jazz luminaries Chris Collins, Vincent Chandler, and Chuck Newsome. As he continues his musical studies, he aims to explore the traditions of both jazz and the guitar, as well as evolving his sound to match the ideals that have been formed by his career.