What's Hot With Jazz Guitar: Tomas Janzon

by Doc Dosco

It's time for some European flavor, so this week we feature Swedish born jazz guitarist Tomas Janzon.

Online Bio

Tomas Janzon was born in Stockholm, Sweden. His musical quest started at the age of 7 playing the recorder. At 8 he began studying the cello and by 12 he was performing with the chamber orchestra Collegium Musicum. Later he would pursue and focus on the guitar.

After studying at Musikhögskolan, The Royal School of Music in Stockholm he embarked on his professional career: touring, performing and recording in Sweden and northern Europe with such artists as Berit Andersson, Bronislaw Suchanek, Anita Strandell, Twice Guitar, Casa Grande and others. Tomas composed and recorded music for TV and films: "Vargavår" for national TV, the documentary "Kvinnor på kontor", art-film "The King of Siam".

Tomas arrived in Los Angeles 1991 to study with Joe Diorio at GIT, graduating as "The Outstanding Player of the Year", teaching as an adjunct staff member from 1994 to the present. May 2000 he completed a MM with honors in Classical Guitar at USC Thornton School of Music, studying with Scott Tennant and James Smith, also teaching at the Jazz Studies and Studio Guitar Departments.

Since coming to the United States Tomas has played clubs and/or sessions with: Billy Higgins, Alphonso Johnson, Sherman Ferguson, Dave Carpenter, Bob Sheppard, Ricky Woodard, Brandon Fields, Melvin Davis, Jimmy Earl, David Goldblatt, Joel Taylor, Billy Mintz, Joe Brancato, Frank Wilson, Ken Filiano, 5th Dimension, Ben Vereen, Charo and others. He has appeared on TV on "L.A. Jazz" and BET on Jazz. He and his group has appeared at The Playboy Jazz Festival, The City of Angels Jazz Festival, The Stockholm Jazz Festival and many other venues.

2001 Tomas spent in Canada as an Artist-in-Resident at Selkirk College, teaching and performing. 2002 to the present has included several trips to New York, Seattle, Phoenix and Sweden for concerts, festivals and clinics. The last two years has also seen Tomas' articles published in Guitar Player, Down Beat, LA Jazz Scene, Orkesterjournalen, Jazz Stage and Fotnoten.

Tomas recorded with Sherman Ferguson, Nedra Wheeler and Billy Higgins and has received positive reviews and international airplay with this, his Changes Music label recording X-Changes.

His recent live national radio broadcast concert from jazz club Fasching in Stockholm with Bobo Stenson, Petur Östlund and Christian Spering has been reviewed by www.allaboutjazz.com and Orkesterjournalen, see www.tomasjanzon.com/reviews.

Tomas Janzon's website:

http://tomasjanzon.com/

Doc Dosco is a jazz guitarist, composer and audio consultant living in Los Angeles, CA. His website is located at http://www.docdosco.com, where you can find more information on the 'What's Hot with Jazz Guitar' columns, audio clips of Doc's playing, and many additional features. Doc now endorses Peerless Guitars and has the website Jazz Guitar Zone to help promote Peerless jazz guitars in the US. He also endorses the new Pignose Valve Tube Amps -- great for jazz (and anything else!)

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Back 28.10.2008