Jan Knutson

Jan Knutson is an acclaimed guitarist and composer based in Washington , DC. His wide ranging musical knowledge of jazz, bluegrass, classical, rock, and world music have made him a sought after player in the DC musical community. He has been priveleged to perform with some of the world’s finest guitarists including, Frank Vignola, Martin Taylor, and Julian Lage. He has recorded five albums, three of which are all original music.

In addition to performing at major venues in the DC area including the Kennedy Center, Strathmore, and solo shows at Blues Alley, he has been a featured artist at the Richmond Folk Festival, the True Blue Jazz Festival and the Marlow International Guitar Series. In 2018 at the age of 19, he won the guitarist/arranger position with the United States Army Orchestra and in 2024 joined the US Army Blues Jazz Ensemble.

Jan has been blessed with wonderful teachers including Paul Wingo, Bob Sneider, Steve Abshire and Frank Vignola. He studied for two years with Rodney Jones at the Manhattan School of Music before joining the Army Band. He completed his Bachelor’s of Music degree at the University of MD where he studied with Gerry Kunkel.

“There have been solo shows at Blues Alley in the past. I remember Chick Corea performing solo. For Jan, though, this was a debut performance at the iconic venue. He exuded on on-stage ease and rapport with the audience... His inventive playing, and the constantly shifting moods of his compositions erased any thought that 75 minutes of solo guitar might be more than enough.
A brilliant Blues Alley debut and two brilliant albums. Not a bad start to 2023 for Jan Knutson.”

— Ken Avis Antidote Sounds

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