Within two years Jaye was performing and recording with a local Boston band and practicing 6-8 hours daily. She quit college to devote all her time to playing and became more determined with each day to accomplish something no woman had (at that time) ever done before: to be considered a virtuoso in the genre of rock guitar.

Education:
For the first few years Jaye tried a number of different private instructors, but it wasn't until 1986 that she found what she needed in a teacher -- in the form of Gary Hoey. "So many of my early teachers never challenged me, and a few were downright discouraging. I think Gary saw that I was just soaking the information up, and was the first teacher to give me as much work as I wanted. But more importantly, he really believed in me, inspired me, and encouraged me to follow my dream."

Part of that dream was attending the renowned Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT), and in 1988 Jaye did exactly that. Upon arriving at the school she was amazed to find that she had placed with the most advanced group of students....making her one of the top 20 players in a class of over 200 guitarists.

Experience:
Following graduation from GIT in 1989, Jaye returned to Boston to play with the progressive metal band Lord Bane and to teach privately. She began attracting attention in the music industry: appearing in Guitar Player's Spotlight column, being selected as a finalist in 3 guitar competitions, and landing the first of many endorsements. Upon leaving Lord Bane she began another prog-metal band, Plaid Dragon, in 1993, and in 1994 she was asked to perform at the Winter NAMM show in LA for Celestion Industries.

From there the attention snowballed. To date, she's appeared in over 130 magazines and fanzines across the globe and performed at 7 NAMM shows, 2 Musik Messes in Switzerland, and a similar convention in Spain. When Plaid Dragon disbanded in 1995, Jaye began writing and recording instrumental music and in 1997 released her first independent CD "Infectious Licks". That CD has received kudos from every publication that's reviewed it, and is on regular rotation on a number of prog-rock and guitar-based radio shows around the world.

And Now:
In January 2000 Jaye released her second solo CD "Contagious Grooves". She is currently endorsed by Jackson Guitars, DiMarzio pickups, GHS Strings, Morley Pedals, and Rocktron Technology. Jaye is also one of the forces and founders behind Guitarapalooza, a web-based 'zine that focuses on instrumental guitar music. "It began as a marketing idea and just went beyond our wildest imaginings!" The website receives over 16,000 total hits a week, and features both well-known and up-and-coming guitarists.

Future plans? "I always wanted to learn to play drums," she laughs. "I promised myself that I would do that as soon as I mastered the guitar....but the funny thing is, there'll always be something more I could learn on guitar!" In the meantime, Jaye continues to perform live in the Boston area with her 3-piece band, and recently appeared in a NAMM-sponsored concert in January 2001 along with Mike Kenneally, Michael Manring, and others.

And incidentally, two years ago Jaye read a description of herself in a European newsletter -- much to her delight, she was referred to as a virtuoso rock guitarist.