High Road by Jan Knutson

This is an album that I finished over two and a half years ago. For those who might have been waiting for this, I apologize for the long delay, but I hope that this album can be viewed as a snapshot of a very specific and meaningful time in my life.

It's no surprise to the people who know me well that I have not always had the healthiest relationship to recording. I always find it to be an exercise in fixating on the worst and promising to do better the next time.

Making "High Road," however, was a different experience. This project involved some much needed self acceptance and healing for me, and I don't think I would have found anything close to that had it not been for all of the closest people in my life. Prior to the start of recording, I had just started seeing my lovely girlfriend, Nora. I showed her some of my music to gather her thoughts, as she herself is a musician who engages with music deeply from her heart. While she listened to me play with love and appreciation, she was not as into how I criticized myself. I often expressed a lot of negativity and was obsessed with what could have been different. At some point, she encouraged me to apologize to myself for being my worst enemy and to celebrate the elements that define the player I am. I'm not sure if I had ever really given myself that grace before.

With all this fresh in mind, I made sure to go into this project with as much confidence, patience, and self-affirmation that I could muster. My parents were kind enough to let me use their basement to set up mics and record while they were out of town, as my home was very susceptible to outside noises. Construction, lawnmowers, engine revving, and screaming kids all plagued the production of my past albums "Tunnel Visions" and "Here's The Thing". For the next ten days or so, I spent countless hours recording, taking deep breaths, drinking water, listening back, re-recording, re-tuning, recording once more, and tweaking tones. Unlike previous times, it surprisingly never felt painful. Every mistake was an opportunity to laugh, experiment, and change. I could feel myself rediscovering the joy I have always had for playing guitar, and I believe that is reflected in the finished product.

I want to say a special thanks to both Nora and my parents for taking the time to not just listen to the recordings and share their feedback, but also for being willing to listen to different mixes that in all honesty probably sounded very similar to each other. I am so grateful for your patience and endless support.

I am so excited to finally share "High Road" with you all. This was a session I look back on with a lot of fondness, and I hope you all can enjoy the music!

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.

janknutson.com