I first heard of Tomas Janzon many years ago when he submitted an album for review. Suffice it to say I really dug his playing and wanted to feature him in a Jazz Guitar Life interview. Life had other plans however and I never got the chance to reach out to Tomas until earlier this year when I had the pleasure to review his most recent album Nomadic. Thankfully, This time I didn’t wait too long to ask him for an interview and he was more than willing to do so 🙂
In this interview Tomas touches upon his upbringing musically, his major influences on Jazz Guitar, how he straddles the fence between the Jazz world and the Classical world and how he mentored with the great Joe Diorio when Tomas was a student at GIT (MI).
It’s a great interview with some informative insights as to what it is like being a professional player and much, much more!
So grab a beverage of choice and enjoy…
But first…
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JGL: Thank you Tomas for taking the time to talk to Jazz Guitar Life. First off, if we can get into a little background about you that would be great. What geographical area do you reside in?
TJ: New York City.
JGL: Nice! For those who may not know you, could you give us an elevator pitch of who Tomas Janzon is and then we’ll get into more detail as this interview unfolds.
TJ: Elevator pitch: My recent album 130th & Lenox was One of The Best Albums in 2020 by Downbeat.
JGL: LOL…that’s quite a pitch Tomas! Congratulations and well deserved. At what age did you first start playing the guitar and were you interested in jazz from the beginning or were there other musical interests before jazz? How did you find your way to this particular music and instrument?
TJ: I started guitar kind of late around 15. At first I remember being fascinated by Blood Sweat & Tears and there tune “Spinning Wheel”, looking in the jazz direction, but I ended up starting a rock band with a friend. We listened to Deep Purple’s Made in Japan and digging how they actually improvised, and I was transcribing and playing the tunes. I remember being surprised how easy it was for me to figure out what they played. I think the first one was called “Place in Line” with a bluesy minor pentatonic guitar line. I then went further getting into Santana, playing and figuring out his tunes, as I was now getting more into rhythms. Then at some point Django Reinhardt showed up and I was amazed, while at the same time Charlie Parker’s “Cool Blues” hit me. There was no going back!
JGL: I can imagine. That’s some pull! When coming up as a young player did you attend a formal educational institution or are you self taught? Was there one – or more – particular moments that opened the flood gates so to speak as you went about learning this music?
TJ: My first instrument was the recorder when I was 7 years old. Then at 8 years of age I started playing the cello. We also had music on the regular schedule at school but I kept taking lessons on the cello once a week throughout my childhood. It was fantastic as I had a great teacher. We played recitals at the end of each semester and I kept improving.
I also played in the orchestra, and at 12 years of age was qualifying into a separate chamber orchestra for adults where I got some very strong experiences with Bach’s music, especially Die Kunst Der Fuge (The Art of The Fuge). Maybe that was it. I was advised to apply to the conservatory but for some reason I didn’t want that. So I kept moving forward.
JGL: I could imagine how hard it was to choose. Had you always wanted to be a working musician?
TJ: Maybe I was predestined to be a musician, but the road towards what I’m doing now has certainly been moving in different directions.
JGL: Well speaking of “different directions”, who were your influences on jazz guitar when you were beginning, and have they stayed the same or have they changed over the years?
TJ: My first influence on jazz guitar was Django Reinhardt. Later on I remember standing in a record store in Stockholm holding a box of vinyl with Wes Montgomery wearing a green cap on the cover. The guy standing next to me said: “That’s a great one, all his Riverside recordings, the best” So I bought it.
And that ended up being a big moment for me. I spent many year listening and transcribing Wes.
He is still my main influence. Of course there were many others, especially Joe Pass, who I met in Los Angeles when I played the Vine Street Bar & Grill. He would play on the weekend and I had Tuesdays. Early on I listened to Philip Catherine as well, especially that one album with Kenny Drew.
John Scofield was also an early influence as I remember transcribing his tune “Last Week”. I heard him in Stockholm with Swallow and Nussbaum. I also transcribed Barney Kessel and then spoke with him when he played in Sweden. He was friendly and funny. Also I cannot forget Doug Raney whom I studied with at a classical guitar festival in Sweden. He was a beautiful player. These guys are just to name a few.
JGL: Well Tomas, you can’t go wrong with one – or all – of those artists. Now, in the same vein, who has been most influential in your life as a Jazz Guitarist and why?
TJ: As I mentioned Wes Montgomery has been a big inspiration and he still is. I even recorded his “Full House” on my Experiences album with Tootie Heath, Art Hillery and Jeff Littleton and I have a tune called “Wescology” on my Coast to Coast to Coast album.
As to the why? It is his phrasing, timing, rhythms, notes, the blues and his sophistication!
Another influential player of course is my mentor Joe Diorio who made me go to Los Angeles. He has been the infinite inspiration, all these years. His creativity and ability to always move forward and come up with new things is unparalleled. Lots of my ideas came out of his influence.
JGL: Two exceptional influences to be sure Tomas. Now, similarly, has there been a major influence in your life who was NOT a guitarist and why?
TJ: Yes I think quite a few, especially writers Stig Dagerman, Joseph Conrad, Herman Melville, Robert Pirsig and painters like Kandinsky, Van Gogh, Munch. Also ideas from Indian Vedanta philosophy that I keep researching, specially Vivekananda.
JGL: Those are some pretty heavy influences I can imagine. Shifting just a little, what was your practice routine like when you were beginning and what is it like now? Are there specific areas that you work on or do you just play through tunes? When improvising, are you thinking chord/scale relationships or is there something else going on?
TJ: I have a tendency to just play when I practice, so oftentimes, nowadays, I discipline myself by setting a timer to 25 minutes and then work on a specific area or tune. Then I take a short break then back to work.
In terms of improvising I work in different ways. It’s good to be able to choose between approaches like intervals, double stops, pentatonics, triads, superimpositions, the altered sound with 7 different starting points, Messiaen modes, rhythms overlapping bar lines, odd meters etc. The list can go on and on and always keeps evolving.
JGL: Speaking of practice routines, you are highly regarded as an educator. What would you advise students of Jazz Guitar to work on if you could only choose two components and why?
TJ: Chord melody and rhythms. Melody is always important and the chords are the harmonic basis for line development. It seems that rhythms in jazz can always be evolved, especially amongst us guitarist.
JGL: Good advice. Tell me, as a highly regarded member of the Jazz Guitar community, what are you most grateful for and on the other side of the coin, what irks you?
TJ: I am most grateful to the jazz music that keeps giving inspiration and never fails. Also I am truly grateful for all the great musicians that I have met and played with along the way. The tricky part is being an independent artist laying out your own way and handling all the hurdles that happen to always show up.
JGL: Hurdles indeed! Let’s go back a bit Tomas. If what I have read is correct, you are originally from Stockholm, Sweden but are now based in New York City? If not too personal, how did you find your way to NYC?
TJ: I started studying with Joe Diorio in Los Angeles, later teaching at both USC Thornton School of Music and GIT in Hollywood. When the time was ripe I had to do the drive from LA to New York, and in 2010 I was on my way. New York has an amazing jazz scene, so it is always an inspiration being here.
JGL: As mentioned, you found yourself living in LA at which time you attended MI (Musicians Institute) and studied with the great Joe Diorio. Did you go there specifically to study with Joe? What was he like as a private teacher? If not too long, what kinds of studies did you work on with Joe?
TJ: Yes, I went there after finding his book Intervallic Design back in Stockholm. It became an amazing experience. I would see him once or twice per week and he would say “shall we do science or play tunes?” Usually he would start with science making up new inversions, intervals, etc and later going into a certain tune. He was super fast at writing things down, always documenting what he came up with. For more details, see my article “Considering Tap Dancing” page1, page 2, for Just Jazz Guitar magazine on my website.
JGL: Will definitely check those articles out. Any memorable stories you’d like to share with us regarding your relationship with Joe?
TJ: I remember the first time I saw him. He had his own room at GIT and sitting there behind his desk with his Gibson 175 and a paper and a pencil. He asked me to play something. I started playing a tune (maybe Stella) suddenly while playing I heard him say “now I hear you” then again “now I hear you” and then later again. The amazing thing was that every time he said “now I hear you” I felt I really played something. So I realized that he heard directly what was going on. I knew I was in the right place.
JGL: Nice!! While we’re on the subject of MI, you eventually taught there from 1995 to 2008. What was it like on the other side of the desk so to speak and what generally were you teaching?
TJ: I had a good time, especially teaching Open Counseling (where any student would come in and play or ask questions). I also taught general guitar class, and private students.
JGL: Oh!! Do you give private lessons now and if so, how does one go about studying with you? Is there a particular level of student you are looking for?
TJ: I try to keep it at mid or advanced level jazz guitar. And yes I teach privately. The best way to contact me is at my website or send me an email tomas@tomasjanzon.com. For online teaching I use FaceTime, Zoom, Skype etc, which works well. I’m also on the faculty at Crestwood Music Education Center in Scarsdale where I mostly teach classical guitar.
JGL: Looks like you keep busy. Changing the topic a little, is there anyone – alive or dead – who you’d love to play and/or record with?
TJ: Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Joe Zawinul, Sonny Rollins, Elmo Hope…another album with Sherman Ferguson (he’s on X-Changes).
JGL: On the topic of albums, you have a relatively new album out called Nomadic, which I thoroughly enjoyed and given your recorded output, you seem to write and favor your own original tunes. What is the process when composing your own tunes? Do you sit down with your guitar and come up with ideas or is it more cerebral? In the same vein, do you compose on the spot or do you need inspiration of some kind?
TJ: I start every morning by playing and I when I do come up with ideas I write them down put the date on the paper and keep going. Some ideas are better than others and they become compositions after I put in some more work. During the pandemic I found that the early morning hours between 3 and 5 was a good time for this. I would also get ideas walking to the gym or drinking coffee where sometimes a napkin would work well for writing down the ideas that came to me.
JGL: Thanks for the compositional tip Tomas 🙂 Now, speaking of original compositions, you have recorded and performed in a variety of musical situations. Is there one that you prefer over the other and is there a particular situation you have yet to play in but would like to (ie: trio, quartet, duo, solo, etc.)?
TJ: I love playing/recording with a trio as well as a quartet. Currently I am working on a solo guitar album and I have plans for a bigger ensemble.
JGL: Nice! I look forward to hearing those when done. You seem to be quite comfortable in both the Jazz world and the Classical world as a player and composer. Do you ever see yourself playing only Jazz or only Classical one day? Is there a particular style of music that touches your heart more than others?
TJ: I am a Jazz Artist so that defines me. But true I also play classical guitar and did my Master degree in Classical at USC Thornton in Los Angeles. I have a program I call “From Bach to Jazz” where I play from Bach’s Lute Suites and also do classical improvisation – from abstract to improv over an ostinato bass line.
JGL: Wow. That sounds interesting. Swithcing topics slightly, and for the gear-heads out there, what guitar(s) do you use for live situations and studio work and is there a special “go-to” guitar that you instinctively grab for?
TJ: My number one guitar is a Gibson L7 from 1959 as well as a 1962 Epiphone Casino. I’m also endorsed by Godin with a Multiac Nylon and by Greg Bennett with an archtop LaSalle and I still have the Fender Strat I received from GIT as Outstanding Player Of the Year…
JGL: Wow…very cool…
TJ: Thanks. For classical it’s mostly my Kohno 30 from 1976 and also a Carlos Piña (1998).
JGL: Speaking of gear, what do you use live in the way of amps and – if any – processing?
TJ: As for amps, with my L7 I can plug almost anywhere but I prefer tubes, usually a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe or a Princeton for recording. As for processing, at this point I’m just using the best cable you can get, and then spring reverb. I look for the most direct sound coming from my own touch but for live situations I sometimes use a Holy Grail reverb from Nano.
JGL: Sounds like you’re well equipped for pretty much any musical situation. Now for a little personal question. Almost every musician, no matter their level and professional stature, has their own insecurities to deal with when it comes to music and playing their instrument. What, if any, insecurities do you face on your instrument and how do you work at getting over them?
TJ: I like playing on stage so that has never been a problem. If there is something it is usually a technical issue, so then I just focus on that.
JGL: Simple and to the point. As mentioned, you have a relatively new release which of course, needs to be marketed. How have you been getting the word out? Do you find the business side of being a Jazz musician distracting or should the playing be left to the player and the business side of things be left to the managers and agents? Do you have a manager or agent or is it all a one-man operation?
TJ: I enjoy working on that other side of musicianship also. Trying to approach it as a creative process as well. Working on upcoming tours, making phone calls emailing, getting the dates etc. I even have a workshop I call Being Your Own Agent where I talk about this process. However, this doesn’t exclude working with agents which I also do now and then, usually for certain geographical areas.
JGL: Veering off a little, you started studying cello at the young age of 8 and seemed to have studied and played that instrument for quite awhile. Do you still pick it up from time to time? What other instruments have you learned to play?
TJ: Yes, I loved the cello, was on my way, but then I didn’t want to become a Cellist. Today I am busy with the jazz guitar, the classical guitar and some piano.
JGL: Sounds like a wonderful life 🙂 Any advice for the younger guy or gal who is thinking about playing Jazz Guitar…or even Classical?
TJ: It’s all personal, so it’s really hard to say. If I had to come up with something…maybe being open-minded as classical guitar is different but can open up new ideas. It also has a well tested method of study which can be helpful early on. For Jazz Guitar, it’s a lot about listening, transcribing and loving the music.
JGL: Thanks for that Tomas. I wonder, have you ever had second thoughts about your choice to have music as a career and if so, what other career path do you think you would have followed had you not been a guitar player.
TJ: I studied other things at a variety of universities like Literature and Engineering – but THIS is IT for me. There’s no turning back!
JGL: I hear ya! But…if you had to do one thing over again, what would it be and why?
TJ: None. It is all good. All the setbacks etc. are there to stimulate and make you stronger.
JGL: Great mindset! I’m curious, what is one thing that people would be surprised to find out about you?
TJ: That I’m related to Charlie Parker, by marriage. My wife is from Kansas City 🙂
JGL: Sweet!! As we wrap up this interview, and apart from a new album, what else does the future hold for Tomas Janzon?
TJ: The next album is hovering over me and I will start the first session soon. There’s also an upcoming tour in Sweden-Stockholm Jazz Festival and directly after that I’ll be at The Merc in Temecula CA and Trinity Lutheran in Los Angeles. Then I head back to New York for the next recording session.
JGL: Wow! Sounds like you’re going to be busy so I won’t keep you! LOL 🙂 Thank you Tomas for taking the time to chat with Jazz Guitar Life. I wish you all the best in all that you do!
TJ: Thanks for the attention Lyle. I do appreciate it!
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