2025.10.03 The Muse

Jim Kanas is a jazz guitarist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist whose work fuses jazz, world music, and Americana influences into original compositions and improvisations. With over 50 years of experience playing both jazz and bluegrass, Jim's unique style resonates as both a soloist and collaborator. Recently, he was awarded a Special Projects Grant from the IAC to support the second phase of a trilogy of recordings that highlight Illinois artists, studios, and venues.

Jim shares, "This project combines a lifetime of musical influences dating back to the 1960s and for the first time incorporates my own Greek-American heritage into some of that music. The recording includes mostly original compositions that I've arranged, combining Americana, jazz, and related styles with Greek influences and instrumentation not conventionally associated with American music. Guitar is my primary instrument, though on this recording, I perform a variety of traditional and folk instruments, including mandolin, banjo, pedal steel guitar, bouzouki, and lauto (Cretan lute). 'An Americana Suite,' 'Hey Wes, Meet Bill,' 'Mountains of Illinois,' and 'Dad's Song' are selected compositions for this recording and will be featured in a public performance at the DeKalb History Center , along with radio and internet media exposure. I would like to thank the Illinois Arts Council for its support for this project and others that foster the value of diversity and the intrinsic value of art in any form."

Known for his residency program on the development of American folk music, Jim has been featured on WTTW 11 PBS " Arts Across Illinois " and on Sessions from Studio A , WNIJ, DeKalb, IL, in 2018 and 2020. He earned the "Outstanding Guitarist Award" at the Oak Lawn Jazz Fest for two consecutive years and has collaborated with notable musicians such as Johnny Frigo, Darol Anger, and Muriel Anderson. Jim will be featured on Northern Public Radio, February 3, 2026, at Studio A Cafe , WNIJ/WNIU/NIRIS, to perform and talk about this project. The live culminating event will be at the DeKalb County Historical Center; details are TBA.