Open Masterclass with Stanley Jordan ’81

Stanley Jordan ’81 is a guitarist and composer who has made a major impact on the music scene since his rise to fame in the mid-80s. He is widely regarded as the foremost exponent of the touch, or tapping technique, which extends the musical possibilities of the guitar. In a recent article by Guitar World Magazine entitled “40 Guitarists Who Changed Our World Since 1980,” Jordan was listed in the top five.

To date he has received four Grammy nominations and his album Magic Touch was Billboard’s #1 Jazz album for 51 weeks. He has done many TV appearances through the years including Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Arsenio Hall, and Jimmy Fallon. He played a cameo role in the movie Blind Date with Bruce Willis and Kim Basinger.

Jordan has performed or recorded with a wide variety of artists including Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and Sharon Isbin. His guitar work on Kenny Rogers’ “Morning Desire” helped make that track the #1 country song of 1986.

During his undergrad years at Princeton, Jordan performed with Jazz greats Benny Carter and Dizzy Gillespie at Alexander Hall. He studied computer music with Paul Lansky and theory and composition with Milton Babbitt. He also did a stint as a DJ at WPRB.

Since his graduation, he has performed in over 70 countries on six continents. He has authored articles in music theory and computer science journals, and he is currently an artist/spokesperson for the American Music Therapy Association.