TOMAS JANZON

JAZZ DIARY

Changes Music

Tomas Janzon, guitars/composer; Nedra Wheeler, bass; Tony Austin & Church McPherson, drums.

Born in Stockholm, Tomas Janzon studied classical and jazz traditions before moving to Los Angeles, California. He enrolled at the Musicians Institute, where he was named Outstanding Player of the Year. Following studies with Joe Diorio, he gained his master’s degree with honors in classical guitar from the USC Thornton School of Music. His debut recordings featured the late, great Billy Higgins on drums and Nedra Wheeler on bass. His camaraderie with Nedra continues on this album.

Janzon’s trio opens with “Spirit Secret.”  I find the piece quite melodic, but I’m missing the groove. The guitar sounds like a waltz, but the drums are not playing anything near a waltz. Written in February of 2025, this song was a short entry in Janzon’s diary and became the starting point for this album. “May Six” comes next.  It too has melodic integrity.

“Early Sunday” grew from another daily entry in his music diary.  It features a solo by bassist Nedra Wheeler.  This song has a memorable ‘hook’ and quickly becomes one of my favorites on Janzon’s album.

According to Tomas Janzon, Wheeler is the center of this record, in part, this album is a dedication to her.  Their connection goes back to his years in Los Angeles, working around Leimert Park and the World Stage with musicians like Billy Higgins and Sherman Ferguson.

His tune “She’s Listening” was inspired by walking into a room where his wife was sitting, listening to the quiet, lost in the moment.  On tunes 8 through 11, a new drummer comes onboard and his groove is distinct.  Chuck McPherson holds the drum sticks in hand and the groove is dominant. This percussionist accentuates Janzon’s original music. “Muddy Shoes” becomes another favorite tune, rooted in the blues and propelled by McPherson’s drum licks. This one should get lots of airplay. The groove created by Wheeler and McPherson gives Tomas Janzon the freedom and rhythm section security to stretch out on his guitar solo. Janzon explores his creative improvisation and imagination. This could be a single pulled from his album.

I think if an arranger had written scores for some of these Janzon songs, it would have enhanced this production. Although Janzon’s “Jazz Diary” developed from scribbled ideas in a notebook, they clearly reflect how the act of composing is quite inseparable from Janzon’s playing. This album exemplifies the guitarist’s talents on his instrument, also his love of composing music. He incorporates his Swedish heritage into the tune, “To summer,” drawn from his memory of a Sweed folksong. It is the only piece not drawn from his diary.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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