Stanley Jordan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stanley Jordan
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Stanley Jordan, October 3, 2017
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| Background information | |
| Born | July 31, 1959 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, jazz fusion |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Labels | Blue Note/Capitol/EMI, Arista/BMG, Mack Avenue |
| Associated acts | Paul Lansky, Milton Babbitt |
Stanley Jordan (born July 31, 1959) is an amazing American jazz guitarist. He is famous for his special way of playing the guitar. He taps his fingers on the guitar's neck with both hands!
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Stanley Jordan's Music Journey
Stanley Jordan was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He started playing the piano when he was six years old. At age eleven, he switched to the guitar. Later, he played in rock and soul bands. In 1976, he won an award at the Reno Jazz Festival.
He went to Princeton University. There, he studied music theory and how to compose music. He also learned about computer music. While at Princeton, he even played with famous musicians like Benny Carter and Dizzy Gillespie.
In 1985, a record company called Blue Note Records signed Stanley Jordan. His album, Magic Touch, became a huge hit. It stayed at number one on Billboard magazine's jazz chart for 51 weeks! That was a new record.
How Stanley Jordan Plays Guitar
Normally, guitarists use two hands to play a note. One hand presses a string down on the guitar's neck. The other hand then plucks or strums the string.
Stanley Jordan uses a special method called the touch technique. It's a very advanced way of playing. He makes a note by quickly tapping his finger down on the right spot on the guitar neck. This tapping makes the string vibrate and create sound. He can control how loud the note is by how hard he taps.
Jordan taps with both hands. This allows him to play a melody (the main tune) and chords (groups of notes played together) at the same time. He can even play two different guitars at once, or play guitar and piano together!
He also tunes his guitar differently. Most guitars are tuned EADGBE. But Jordan tunes his guitar EADGCF. This means all the strings are tuned in perfect fourths, like a bass guitar. He says this tuning makes the guitar neck easier to understand and play.
His main guitar was made by Vigier Guitars in 1984. It has a very low "action," which means the strings are very close to the neck. This makes it easier for him to use his tapping technique.
Stanley Jordan's Recordings and Shows
Stanley Jordan has worked with many famous artists. Some of them include Quincy Jones, Stanley Clarke, and The Dave Matthews Band.
He has performed at many big jazz events. These include the Kool Jazz Festival and the Montreux International Jazz Festival.
In 2004, he released an album called Dreams of Peace with an Italian band. Later, he signed with Mack Avenue Records. He released State of Nature in 2008 and Friends in 2011. Friends was even nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Stanley Jordan has been nominated for four Grammy Awards!
Did you know? Jordan created the startup sound for some older Macintosh computers, like the Power Macintosh 6100.
Stanley Jordan in Movies and TV
Stanley Jordan appeared briefly in the movie Blind Date (1987). In 1995, he wrote the music for a short movie called One Red Rose. The next year, he wrote music for a TV special called Daddy's Girl.
Since the 1980s, he has been on many TV shows. These include The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and The David Letterman Show. He has also performed at the Grammy Awards.
Stanley Jordan's Life
Stanley Jordan was married for a short time. He has one daughter, Julia Jordan, who is also a singer and songwriter.
In a 2023 interview, Jordan spoke positively about Marianne Williamson. She was a candidate for president at the time. He said she was "bringing politics into the 21st-century."
Stanley Jordan's Music Albums
Here are some of the albums Stanley Jordan has released:
As the Main Artist
- Touch Sensitive (1982)
- Magic Touch (1985)
- Standards Vol. 1 (1986)
- Flying Home (1988)
- Cornucopia (1990)
- Stolen Moments (1991)
- Bolero (1994)
- Live in New York (1998)
- Dreams of Peace (2003)
- Relaxing Music for Difficult Situations I (2003)
- State of Nature (2008)
- New Morning: The Paris Concert (2008)
- Friends (2011)
- Duets with Kevin Eubanks (2015)
As a Guest Artist
Stanley Jordan has also played on albums for other musicians, including:
- Muriel Anderson & Phil Keaggy, Uncut Gems (2003)
- Stanley Clarke, Hideaway (1986)
- Kenny Rogers, The Heart of the Matter (1985)
- Dionne Warwick, Sings Cole Porter (1990)
See also
In Spanish: Stanley Jordan para niños
