Stanley Jordan Biography
31 July 1959, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Having absorbed a certain amount of theory from an early training on the piano, Jordan taught himself the guitar while in his teens, and performed with the numerous pop and soul groups working around Chicago in the mid-70s. However, winning a prize at the 1976 Reno Jazz Festival inspired Jordan to devote some time to a serious study of music. Studying electronic music, theory, and composition at Princeton University, his reputation quickly spread and he soon found himself playing with Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Carter. In 1982 he recorded his first album: Touch Sensitive was a relatively uninspiring solo collection which registered poor sales. Three years later, Jordan's second album Magic Touch became a huge commercial success. Produced by Al Di Meola, it featured Onaje Allen Gumbs, Charnett Moffett, and Omar Hakim, while retaining some unaccompanied tracks. Since Magic Touch, Jordan's band has become a regular feature of the major international jazz festivals. He is commonly known for his development of a complex technique of "hammering-on", which has enabled him to accompany himself with bass lines and chords.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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