jans

&nbsp&nbsp Jans started his journey in a log cabin in the woods of Nelson, BC, Canada. He was born to hippie parents who met on a communal traveling school bus and moved to Canada as part of the "Back to the Land" movement. At 2 years-old he and his family moved to Eugene, Oregon, a place where counter culture walks side by side with rural living. In his teenage years, when conventional schooling had failed keep his attention, he discovered music as an outlet. In this place, Jans began his search for spirituality and connection through the realm of music.

&nbsp Jans grew up listening to his parents record collections: Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, King Sunny Ade, Billy Preston, Miriam Makeba, Sly Stone, The Persuations and Al Green......... Music was constantly wafting though the air, and the influences were wide and varied. Soon after high school Jans discovered a culture of music that truly moved him - african folkloric drum and dance. For the next six years he studied the rhythms, dance and song of West Africa. His drive to learn more led him to the countryside of Senegal, Mali, Guinee and Burkina Faso, where he travelled for six months studying with some of the most accomplished drummers and dancers of the region.

&nbsp His journey to Africa was just the beginning. For the next three years Jans immersed himself in the world of afro-cuban folkloric music, spending his winters in Cuba. HIs most recent travels took him to Brazil, where he soaked in the country’s vast musical landscape. About his travels Jans explains, "...I was trying to integrate the feeling of some of the great nature based religions of the world by exploring some of the places where religion, music and ceremony intersect." He continues, "I didn’t come from any specific religion. My parents raised me with a general love of life. So I figured it was my job to go out into the world and find what moved me. I found music. The folkloric music seemed familiar when I sang it. It felt like it was part of me.....There is an undeniable spirit when drumming, song and dance are all part of one whole. I strive to inject this feeling into the music that comes naturally to me."

&nbsp When Jans came back from his travels he joined the Colorado-based nationally touring act "The Motet". The Motet combined funk and jazz with the traditional drumming of Cuba, Brazil and Africa. Jans toured as lead singer, songwriter and percussionist for the band. During those travels he met, and eventually toured with, jazz great Charlie Hunter. It was through Charlie that Jans met the songstress Norah Jones, singing duets with her in multiple shows.

&nbsp After almost four years of two-hundred shows a year all over the country, Jans left the Motet to record his first release under his own name. "I had such a wonderful experience traveling and making community through music.......It was time for me to step back, take a deep breath and make an album that was intimate and warm." For the next three years Jans engrossed himself in the writing, recording and releasing of "The Offering." Collaborating with Steve Vidaic, keyboardist for international touring act "Citizen Cope", he produced "The Offering" with the intention of creating a piece of work that speaks equally to the heart and the mind.

&nbsp Charlie Hunter says about him, “Jans Ingber is a musical force to be reckoned with. His affinity for deep soul music, whether it be Donny Hathaway or Los Munequitos de Matanzas, is evident in everything he does. His long years of study and practice, in what some may think of as disparate aesthetics, have created a unique and soulful musical voice.”

&nbsp "Strength and sensitivity, combined, is a powerful brew. Jans Ingber is an artist truly adept at creating this elixir. Sensitive enough to know when not to push, strong enough to expose the true nature of his heart, Jans creates music with physical, mental and spiritual elements teasing each other into perfect balance."

&nbsp "I could compare the voice of Jans Ingber to any great Motown singer. With self-assuredness, His voice storms through..with social commentary.... moving with a heavy dose of soul."

&nbsp Jans has had the pleasure to perform with hundreds of musicians all over the states: Norah Jones, Joshua Redman, George Porter, Charlie Hunter, Stanton Moore, Robert Walter, Karl Denson, John Fishman, Kai Eckhart, Adam Deitch, Ivan Neville, Grace Potter, Jeff Coffin, Jason Marsalis, Nicolas Payton, The Slip, Los Van Van, The String Cheese Incident and many others......