Stanley Jordan

Born in Chicago, Illinois on July 31, 1959, Stanley Jordan is a jazz guitarist best-known for his playing technique that involves fretboard finger-tapping using both hands. When he was six, he began learning the piano but switched to guitar at the age of 11. In his early performing days, he played with soul and rock groups. He attended college at Princeton University, studying music theory, composition, and computer music. During his time at Princeton, Jordan had the opportunity to play with Benny Carter and Dizzy Gillespie. He released his debut album, Touch Sensitive, in 1982. When Blue Note Records was reactivated in 1985 – after remaining dormant for six years – the label’s president Bruce Lundvall chose Jordan as the label’s first new signing. The 1985 album Magic Touch was a critical success and sold well, signaling the arrival of a fresh new artist and the return of one of jazz music’s most respected labels. Jordan’s next album was 1986’s Standards, Vol. 1, followed by Flying Home (1988), Cornucopia (1990), and Stolen Moments. Jordan left Blue Note – who released one more Jordan album, Live in New York, in 1998 – and then released a series of albums for Arista, Mack Avenue, Inakustik, Nicolosi, and Manifold Music. Jordan also recorded with other artists including Muriel Anderson, Phil Keaggy, Burt Bacharach, Stanley Clarke, Billy Cobham, Kenny Rogers, Dionne Warwick, and others.