Guitarist Jeff Swanson has made his unique voice and open mind a valued part of Chicago’s diverse music scene. A strong player in many disciplines, he has been featured at the Chicago Jazz Festival, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Iowa City Jazz Festival, Chicago Gospel Festival.
Case-fitter, is Swanson’s first original full-length release. It was recorded over four weeks in April 2017 during a residency at The Whistler in Chicago. Each week the group used a set repertoire and added members to its core trio, exploring a different experience each week and concluding with the final recorded performance as an octet.
Swanson brings a fresh lyrical approach to bringing jazz, improvisation, electronic and post-rock music together on this release. Featuring a cast of rare talent, Case-fitter explores these seven new compositions to paint boundless landscapes with craft and care.
As a composer his work is also featured in the New York/Chicago Whirlpool. Featuring Caroline Davis and Charles Rumback, the group's first record This World and One More was released on Ears&Eyes Records in 2013. The group also released Dancing on the Inside in 2015 featuring Ron Miles on cornet. His original music has also been paired with saxophonist Artie Black in Living Bridge. Their self-titled album with drummer Marcus Evans and bassist John Sims was released in February 2016 on Ears&Eyes Records.
His adaptability and creativity as a sideman has lead him to perform and record with
Dustin Laurenzi’s Natural Language, Juan Pastor’s Chinchano, Quentin Coaxum Quintet, Doug Rosenberg’s Better Than TV, Marquis Hill, Matt Ulery, Greg Ward, Sam Trump, Nick Mazzarella, Christopher McBride.
Since graduating from Northern Illinois University in 2010, Jeff has been a featured clinician at university’s and schools across the country including Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, University of Colorado Boulder, Northern Illinois University, and Denver Schools of the Arts. In addition to teaching while traveling, Jeff also maintains a private studio of students in Chicago.