Jan Akkerman one of the best guitar players in the world

Live at Jazz Hillegersberg 2024
Jan Akkerman & Band Jan Akkerman (1946) has been one of the most respected guitarists in the Netherlands for almost 60 years. In addition to his role in internationally renowned groups such as Brainbox and Focus, he collaborated with diverse musicians such as B King, Charlie Byrd, Cozy Powell, Claus Ogerman and Ice-T. Since the 1960s he has made 25 solo albums, on which he combined elements of rock, jazz, blues and dance in his own way. Akkerman has been touring the world for years. Hi played several times at the Montreux Jazz Festival and North Sea Jazz, made numerous tours of theaters and other stages in Europe and America and gave concerts in Russia, Syria, Australia, Brazil and Japan. In 2005, the guitarist received a Golden Harp for his entire oeuvre, and in 2012 he was appointed knight in the order of Orange Nassau. In his new program MY FOCUS the focus is on... yes: FOCUS! The Dutch symphonic rock group, which was one of the first Dutch groups to gain an international foothold in the first half of the 1970s and Jan acquired world fame. In MY FOCUS, Jan Akkerman takes him into a time capsule with hits such as Hocus Pocus, Sylvia, Tommy and House of the King. But he also plays highlights of his solo career, with timeless songs such as Streetwalker, Am I Losing You and Tommy's Anniversary. He is accompanied by his regular band, consisting of Coen Molenaar (keyboards), Marin van den Berg (drums) and David de Marez Oyens (bass). He's totally a hero of mine, there are some people in life that no matter how old you are, you feel nervous if you meet someone, he's one of those, a real role model. BRIAN MAY, QUEEN Source: Jazz Hillegersberg website