Biography
-
Born
1 January 1965 (age 59)
-
Born In
Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States
Peter Janson offers original fingerstyle acoustic guitar music with folk roots, world-beat grooves, post-Windham Hill guitar influences, Jazz aesthetics, and Celtic elements woven into a unique and compelling sound.
One of a growing breed of new acoustic musicians gaining a reputation for an eclectic approach to performance and composition, Peter Janson offers original fingerstyle guitar music with folk roots, world-beat grooves, post-Windham Hill guitar influences, Jazz aesthetics, Celtic elements, demanding part writing, and acoustic sonority. Solo and with his band this is world class acoustic music with artistry, detail of classical technique, and attention to melodic line.
Janson began playing guitar as a kid in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Although his list of guitarist influences is long and diverse – Martin Simpson, Ralph Towner, Pat Metheny, Leo Kottke, Pierre Bensusan, Ed Gerhard, Tuck Andress, David Leisner, to name a few – Janson’s earliest musical influence was his father. “My dad played solo guitar that reflected his love of the music of Chet Atkins, Django Reinhardt, Les Paul and Andreas Segovia. He had it all: style, taste, technique, improvisational ability. From as early as I can remember I would just sit and listen to him for hours at a time.” The brilliance displayed by each of these various artists inspired Janson not only to strive for excellence but to do it in a way that was particularly his own.
As he enhanced his musical sensibility through exposure to many styles and techniques, Janson further honed his skills through formal training. After receiving an undergraduate degree in music, he studied for two years with David Leisner at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he was awarded a Master’s of Music. Janson currently directs the Guitar Studies program at the University of Massachusetts – Boston. In addition to composing, recording and performing his own music, he also tours with the Peter Janson Band, which sometimes includes bass and African/Eastern style percussion, among other configurations. Janson is often requested to demonstrate the fine guitars built by Bill Tippin, and recently guitars built by Mario Beauregard, Mich
Artist descriptions on Last.fm are editable by everyone. Feel free to contribute!
All user-contributed text on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply.
