Travis Swanson Music

Still Searching

Born in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, guitarist/composer/educator Travis Swanson has covered a lot ground in his relatively short music career. Swanson, an all-state basketball standout in high school, started on the instrument relatively late at the age of seventeen. Immediately, he was enamored with the early electric blues stylings of the three Kings (B.B., Freddie, Albert) as well as masters like T-Bone Walker and Buddy Guy. It was through his love for the blues that he discovered early swing pioneers like Charlie Christian, Tiny Grimes, and others. After just six months, he was performing professionally. Swanson would spend 2009-2011 in Marquette, Michigan where he studied blues music extensively under the tutelage of Tom Hyslop, a notable writer/supporter in the international blues community.

In the summer of 2011, Hyslop recommended Swanson for an opportunity touring with Texas guitar slinger/vocalist Shawn Pittman, and so he moved to Los Angeles. At the age of twenty one, Swanson toured the Southwest and Midwest along with his first international performances in Denmark, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. After 6 months with Pittman, Swanson returned to the UP to pick up where he had left off with college and to return to the woodshed. It was during this time that a serious love and understanding of Black American Music flourished. Digging in deep to the works of Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, and other masters of swinging guitar, Swanson spent 2012-2014 practicing at least eight hours a day while holding down multiple gigs around the Marquette area.

In the summer of 2014, Hyslop had once again recommended Swanson, this time, to Memphis based soul/blues singer extraordinaire John Nemeth. Swanson relocated to Memphis after graduating with his bachelors in History from Northern Michigan University. On the road for roughly a year, Swanson toured the states extensively as well as a few European tours playing Germany, Spain, Denmark, Switzerland, Czech Republic, and France. However, Swanson was already deeply committed to his studies in improvisation, and eventually this interest would lead him back to the Upper Peninsula for another deep dive in seclusion. From 2015-2017 Swanson immersed himself in the music of Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, and the countless other masters of BAM. During this time, his curiosity also led to the study of Bach and Bela Bartok as well. It was during this intense investigative period that Swanson began seeking out something he had never had before: a teacher. In 2016, Swanson would take his first real guitar lesson with Gilad Hekselman, and from there the path was clear. Swanson notes, “Just being in the room with him, seeing how he touches the guitar, how he carries himself, and of course the immense knowledge base. It was, and continues to be inspiring.”

In 2017, at the age of twenty seven, Swanson released his first self published album When It’s Time to Say Goodbye, featuring Nicholas Bracewell on drums and Aidan Cafferty on bass. The album features ten original compositions by Swanson that he says, “captured what that time in my life was… when I was searching for a sound, a voice, in a beautiful place that inspires a composer simply by existing there.” In the fall of 2017, the title played out, and Swanson said goodbye to the Upper Peninsula again, re-locating to Grand Rapids.

Since moving to Grand Rapids, Swanson has remained active performing in a variety of groups including Brad Fritcher’s Moods, Folias Duo, Earth Radio, Blushing Monk, and the most recent, The Deep Stare project with Andrew Szumouski (Logan Richardson) while also performing with his trio. Along with performing, Swanson also returned to school and received a fellowship to the University of Michigan’s Graduate Program for contemporary improvisation. There he studied with Miles Okazaki, and Swanson notes, “Miles changed everything. He made everything so clear… what I wanted to do, what I didn’t want to do, how I get there… that sort of thing. He’s an absolute master and he has given me enough to work on for the rest of my life!” Alongside lessons and rhythmic training with Okazaki, Swanson also worked with Andrew Bishop and Ed Sarath, as well as performed and composed for Bob Hurst’s combos. In December 2020, Swanson graduated with his Master’s Degree in Improvisation.

Currently, Swanson is composing, performing, and as he puts it, “still searching”. Tom Hyslop wrote of Swanson, “it’s American music with power, grace, and authority” and that can be heard on two current releases- Brad Fritcher’s Moods Live at Mexicains Sans Frontieres and Clarity In Chaos an upcoming release from the Deep Stare featuring Brooklyn based tenor saxophonist/composer Igor Lumpert.

The Jon Letts Band-Cookin’ With Gas

Jazz Tuesdays with Randy Marsh, Travis Swanson, Clif Metcalf (10/19/21)

Frankenstein – Blushing Monk (Live at Overneath Creative Collective)

Jazz Tuesdays – Igor Lumpert

When It’s Time To Say Goodbye

“Porch Vibes”

from “When it’s time to say goodbye”

The title “When It’s Time To Say Goodbye“, has so many personal meanings to me. Firstly, it relates directly to my choice to pursue my own voice on the guitar. During the time these compositions were written, I had returned to Marquette, Michigan in pursuit of finding out who I really was as an artist. This meant trying to make sense of my many interests in music, and more importantly, writing music that was directly influenced by my life.

I wanted to capture my own personal journey in these compositions, and I am proud to say that with the help of my friends Nicholas Bracewell and Aiden Cafferty, we did just that.

Besides relating to my journey on finding my voice, it relates to the challenges we face in our own lives when we find ourselves unsure of our next step. Often times, our fear of the unknown can cripple us, and it leaves us frozen in situations that drain us both physically and mentally. I wanted to capture both the suffering and liberation in making the choice to say goodbye to the familiar and comfortable.

If you are interested in purchasing a digital download of this record, you can follow the link. If you would like to order a physical copy instead, please use the “buy now” button below. Thank you so much for your support in what I feel is only the very beginning of my journey.

 

Digital Download from CD Baby

Digital Download