BACK ON CAMPUS: Famed guitarist Stanley Jordan, who graduated from Princeton University in 1981, leads a master class Thursday, April 21. (Photo courtesy of Stanley Jordan)

On April 21 at 4:30 p.m., Princeton University welcomes back alumnus Stanley Jordan ’81, considered one of the greatest living jazz guitarists, back to campus to share his knowledge and experience with the Princeton community. The public is invited to observe an open master class where Jordan will work and perform with current students from the Department of Music’s Jazz Program at Lee Music Performance and Rehearsal Room in the Lewis Arts complex.

Jordan is a guitarist and composer who has made a major impact on the music scene since his rise to fame in the mid-1980s. He is widely regarded as the foremost expert of the touch, or tapping technique, in which a guitarist uses both hands on the neck of the instrument, allowing him to play simultaneous melodies with a degree of independence previously possible only on the piano. Today this technique is common among guitarists, however, when Jordan started it was virtually unheard of. While at Princeton, Jordan’s technique caught the eye of visiting jazz lecturer Benny Carter, who invited Jordan to join himself and Dizzy Gillespie in a performance at Princeton’s Alexander Hall in 1979.

During his undergraduate years at Princeton, in addition to honing his own music and techniques, Jordan studied computer music with Paul Lansky and theory and composition with Milton Babbitt. He also did a stint as a DJ at WPRB, Princeton’s radio station. Since his graduation, he has performed in over 70 countries on six continents. He has authored articles for music theory and computer science journals, and he is currently an artist and spokesperson for the American Music Therapy Association.

Jordan has received four Grammy nominations, and his album Magic Touch was Billboard’s #1 Jazz Album for 51 weeks. He has done many television 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 top country song of 1986.

Admission is free and the public is invited. Visit arts.princeton.edu for ticket information.