Nana Simopoulos

Biography

Baltimore native Nana Simopoulos got her start in the music world early, learning to play the piano at the age of five. Unsatisfied with the instrument, she announced to her parents that she was moving on to the guitar, and started learning classical guitar. She moved to Greece soon after, and started getting into contemporary bands and artists. Her exposure to this music inspired her to play in rock and folk groups as well as keep up with her classical guitar studies. Once she turned 19, it was back to the States for a crash course in jazz. After hearing it for the first time, she enrolled in a guitar school and started learning from artists like Eddie Van Halen and Pat Metheney. By the time 1983 rolled around, she felt more than confident in her songwriting skills to record an album. Pandora's Blues was the result, a collaboration with some of her contemporaries. She started working on her improvisational skills, and by the time 1986's Winds and Air was recorded, she had become quite adept at that talent also. Still Waters followed it up a few years later, wrapping up her 80's jazz releases with an improvisational record. Turning towards more avant garde techniques of song writing, the unusual Gaia's Dream brought her closer to sound paintings and away from the traditional jazz of her past. Since that point, she has released several highly experimental and interesting albums that reflect her talents as a guitarist and as a pioneer in modern jazz. ~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide