Biography

Scott McDevitt was born just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1972.He grew up in Malvern, PA and attended Penn State University at the age of eighteen.

After graduating with a BS in Civil Engineering in 1995, Scott moved west to Portland, Oregon to seek a new way of life. He worked as a Geotechnical (Soil) Engineer in Portland for seven years, obtaining a professional engineering license and a Masters Degree.

Scott began playing guitar at the age of 15, concentrating on 60's and 70's rock and folk music. In college he helped form and played lead guitar in the Greenfield County Fair, which covered bands like the Grateful Dead and Rolling Stones. During this time, he was introduced to the music of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Charlie Parker. This sparked a taste for jazz that flourished and developed over the following years. Looking for a new challenge, Scott began to study jazz guitar in his free time with some private teachers in the Portland area. He found that learning the jazz language was not a part time endeavor. In 2002, he left his engineering job to formally study jazz at Portland State University under pianist Darrell Grant and guitarist Jerry Hahn.

In 2004, Scott left PSU with a better understanding of music and a firm jazz foundation. He helped form two groups, the High Tone Jazz Guitar Duo, and the Urban Quartet, which currently perform regularly at clubs, restaurants, and private parties around the Portland area. In addition to his performance schedule, Scott also teaches private guitar lessons at Apple Music in Portland.