Up Close and Personal with Jann Klose

There is a certain inner voice telling you to keep going. To keep pushing on until you get it right, no matter how frustrating it is. “If you love playing guitar you will keep at it. You can’t help it. You need to listen to your insides.” That is exactly what Jann Klose has done to perfect his ability. He suffered with finger pain, because without calluses it hurts, and it took him, “Too bloody long” to develop his craft.

After listening to any one of Jann’s CDs you can hear the results of all his hard labor. His graceful guitar, his beautiful voice, and the incredible style created over the years of practice. He seems to have a perfect recipe for music and everything that has been produced by him is a true masterpiece.

He started learning piano first with a cheap keyboard he had and messed around with it for a while. The librarian at his high school gave him his first guitar. He put steel strings on the guitar and warped the neck. He then found out, you can’t put steel strings on a classical guitar. Jann laughs at his past mistakes and he learned from them. On guitar he just kept pushing himself and continued to teach himself how to play; learning more and more. He studied voice in Cleveland and continued to develop into a singer-song writer and started to smooth out his style. He polished his material and put a real nice shine on it.

Jann is a German born man who has lived around the world, but for nearly a decade he has called The Big Apple his home. He considers himself very lucky to have been able to travel around the world. “Africa was wonderful. There is something about the music.” He believes it has its ups and downs traveling around constantly. He likes being at home and really is a home body, but seems to make the best of the traveling.

He began performing live like a lot of other musicians; at any place he could find. His first shows were in the subways and in the fish markets in Germany. He has come a long way from where he started and isn't through making his climb to the top. Now he is playing to some bigger audiences and is scheduled to play at the Skokie Theater in Skokie, Illinois on April 30 with Anne Harris. Another larger scale show coming up is at the infamous Cavern Club in Liverpool, England.  

Klose is playing (approximately) seventy-five shows this year which is less than previous years, but he continues to move forward in the right direction. Jann has a few new songs (“Sacrifice”/”Waiting For The Wave”) coming out on an EP that were recorded during the Reverie sessions, and a video called “Doing Time,” which is a fan favorite from Reverie. As his popularity starts to grow, the shows are getting bigger with better bands sharing the stage.  He has played with Fancy Toys and is also billed with Willie Porter.

His shows are filled with all original material from his collection of works, but from time to time he will throw in a piece from Gershwin or another great artist like B.B. King. Occasionally he will pull out “Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. No matter what the material is that he brings out, it’s guaranteed to be very well performed.

Jann’s music is acoustically driven, “I don’t like to have to worry about plugging in” and within “The last few years we have been [more] instrumental.” The music just keeps refining as he pours every ounce of energy into writing, practicing, and performing. He has moved himself to the next level of being a musician.

With his Martin guitar in hand he just keeps playing and singing his way through shows. When asked if he gets stage fright or worries about making mistakes anymore he replied laughing, “All the time. I do get nervous at bigger shows.” After as many shows as he has done he shouldn’t, but it shows his human side by getting a little uneasy.

He has never been a side man in a band; it has always been his band since high school with him at the helm every step of the way. Jann is the perfect front man for his group. He has talent, good looks, style, personality, and a voice that never seems to quit. There is no need for anyone else to get in his way out in front during a show. 

His influences come from such a solid background like Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), America’s top 40 radio, and a wide variety of artists boiling down into a great musician. His most memorable musical time was seeing Paul McCartney at Madison Square Garden in the second row. How can you top that? He obviously has good taste in music.

When asked if there is anything he would change he responded, “Yeah! Tons! I think saying ‘No regrets’ is B.S.! You can’t change the past, so don’t dwell on it.” He offers some sound advice and a smart view on the past. Really just need to keep moving forward.

His newest album Reverie is just an absolute perfect collection of songs. He has combined his hard work and talent to make this fabulous musical material. He should be proud to put this one next to his previous CD’s and stand with his head held high. His musical evolvement can be heard since his debut album called Enough Said. As he moves forward he keeps creating these flawless pieces that are impossible to turn your ears away from.

Jann Klose has a style of playing that is relaxing and soothing to listen to and has become his specialty. His perfection to the song is an accolade that is a dominant factor on everything he performs. If you get the chance to see him live you better do it quick because this man is on the rise. See him as soon as possible and try to get up close and personal. Your ears and mind will thank you!

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