Jani Moder is a world-class guitarist who has achieved international renown and has for years been considered one of the foremost Slovenian music artists. He began to play the classical guitar at the age of eight. Later he graduated with distinction from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he received multiple awards, and completed his master’s degree at the Academy of Music in Graz, Austria, also with distinction. He has performed across Europe, the United States, and Africa, recorded with numerous world-class artists and ensembles, including the European Movement Jazz Orchestra, and contributed to more than 40 releases as a guest musician. His own discography includes three albums, Momentum (2008), Sky High Low Down (2012), and Abacus (2014), all of which have received great acclaim from audiences and garnered glowing reviews from influential critics. He teaches jazz guitar at the Academy of Music and the Conservatoire of Music and Ballet in Ljubljana. His intelligent playing, steeped in emotion and full of musical surprises, is engaging and unlikely to leave the listener indifferent.
“It is truly international music, with a sound and technical skill that could be found anywhere. […] Moder’s compositions are striking and memorable, and his band delivers them with verve.” Mark Sullivan, ALLABOUTJAZZ (March 2015)
“Guitarist Jani Moder brings an array of styles into play on Sky High Low Down, with a sense of accomplishment that never lets the movement or the mode get ahead of his field of vision. He carries his art into bop as easily as he does into a ballad that coaxes a rainbow of soft colors from the song’s harmonic folds. […] Moder lays the framework of his skills on the line as he seamlessly essays changes across a mellifluous and impressive tonal range.” Jerry Dsouza, ALLABOUTJAZZ (December 2012)
“Jani’s compositions have warmth, depth and variety.
Not only are they skillfully written and clever, but they also contain the most important ingredients in a guitar-organ combo groove, feel and vibe!!!
Kudos to this wonderful musical gathering, and to the bright future of the wonderful Slovenian guitarist Jani Moder.” DAVID GILMORE (New York City, 2012)
““Vrlo lirična i specifična atmosfera obiluje ponuđenim materijalom, koji je u producentskom i aranžmanskom smislu postavljen kao koherentna celina. Vrhunsko izvođačko umeće, i da ponovim još jednom, vrlo prijatna atmosfera samih songova, karakterišu muziciranje gospodina Modera i ekipe saradnika. Jani Moder je vešto uspeo da se izvuče iz “kandži” manirizma, ili kopiranja već čutog. “Abacus” je izdanje zrelog muzičara, sa jasnim autorskim dignitetom.” Branimir Bane Lokner, BARIKADA (July 2015)
“The beautifully harmonious group astounded with its elaborate collective interplay as well as vibrant solo passages, which all band members indulged in besides the leader: keyboardist Marko Črnčec, bassist Robert Jukič, drummer Klemens Marktl and marimba-player Flip Philipp.
With his strings, Moder dexterously steered the course of the playing and varied the intensity of the group’s sonic interaction. He would occasionally draw away and add colour to the backdrop by softly plucking his strings; his extended solo flights were invariably sensibly embedded into the flow of music. The quintet astounded with the fluidity of its playing and rich assortment of moods, ranging from intimistic fluctuations and associations with fusion to scintillating, fiery funk and rock.” Mario Batelić, LJUBLJANA JAZZ FESTIVAL (July 2014)
“Jani Moder seems to be defining the boundaries of his music from within to without: his compositions are based on dynamic, contrasting compositional structures leading up to longer central solo passages of lithe dexterity and precision, in which the musicians are at their most loose.” Andrej Hočevar, SIGIC (July 2014)
“A number of times, the sound’s timbre was being skillfully adjusted by Moder’s subtle and well-placed use of effects. The rhythm section of Robert Jukič and the drummer Klemens Marktl dictated a calm and leisurely musical flow, with only very occasional breaks into more exhilerated and harsher rock and funk modes. Most of the time, the band was weaving and colouring its melodies by winding its way between solo and full-band sections. The passages where the entire band interfered with the compositions’ main flow by producing broken and staccato rhythmic patterns and sounds sounded confident and intense.” Luka Zagoričnik, RADIO ŠTUDENT (July 2014)
Jani Moder had the honour of sharing the stage with:
Dave Samuels, Alex Sipiagin, Renato Chicco, Aaron Parks, Johnathan Blake, Tommy Crane, Chris Tordini, Masatoshi Kamaguchi, Miles Griffith, Peter Michelich, Logan Richardson, Aruan Ortiz, Flip Philipp, Rob Bargad, Ryo Noritake, Takeshi Ohbayashi, Hyanwoo Han, Ratko Divjak, Milko Lazar, Krunoslav Levačić, Drago Gajo, Aleš Rendla, Klemens Marktl, Robert Jukič, Igor Lumpert, Jure Pukl, Lenart Krečič, Cene Resnik, Igor Matkovič, Jaka Kopač, Marko Črnčeč, Erik Marenče, Joe Kaplowitz, Gašper Bertoncelj, Žiga Golob, Michael Erian, Mario Vavti, Viktor Palič, Steve Wood, Daniel Noesig, Predrag Revišin, Danielle Dagaro, Giovanni Maier, Vladimir Kostadinović, Marko Djordjevič, Joris Teepe, Steve Altenberg, Primož Grašič, Zvonimir Šestak, Jošt Drašler, Janez Bončina Benč, Tihomir Pop Asanovič, Dado Topič, Igor Bezget, Alenka Godec, Oto Pestner, Nina Strnad, Jadranka Juras, Miki Stanisavljević, Blaž Jurjevčič, David Jarh, Matjaž Mikuletič, Primož Fleischman, Vasko Atanasovski, Rudy Fantin, Tonc Feinig, Aljoša Jerič, Nikola Matošič, Adam Klemm, Milan Nikolić, Andjelko Stupar, Tomaž Gajšt, Blaž Trček, Peter Ugrin, Jani Hace, Rok Golob, Denis Beganovič, David Morgan, Jan Gregorka, Žiga Kožar, Janez Gabrič, Aleš Avbelj, Tadej Kampl, Mario Marolt, Marco Quarantotto, Nevio Zaninotto Lovro Ravbar, Stefan Thaler, Dre Hočevar, Žiga Murko, Peter Ugrin, Bojan Krhlanko, Jan Kus, Miha Koren, Kristijan Krajnčan, Goran Krmac, ….