Guitar Virtuoso Stanley Jordan is finally back! With his first release in more than a decade, Stanley Jordan’s new CD, State of Nature was released earlier this Spring marking his first offering on Mack Avenue Records. To celebrate this new project and partnership, Stanley has announced performances at the Iridium Jazz Club from September 25-28th.

Retreating in the mountains of the Southwest since the 90’s in a self imposed exile, Stanley decided to take a break from the commercial music industry and is just reemerging with a new direction for his life, which is all reflected on State of Nature. Now he is back to thrill listeners with his mix of aural pleasures, social issues and pure genius.

Already known as a world-class guitarist, State of Nature also marks Stanley’s return to piano. Mastering two instruments creating one unique sound, proves that Stanley Jordan definitely marches to the beat of his own drum. Never one to be locked into constraints, Stanley has also taken the profound task of using this new CD to aurally tackle pertinent themes including environmental issues and man’s relationship to nature and humankind.

Though he maintains a busy international touring schedule, Stanley’s broader interests stretch into the studies of Music Therapy and Sonification. Before the completion of State Of Nature, he recorded several independent CDs, including Relaxing Music for Difficult Situations, an audio extension of his Music Therapy interests. In fact, he predicts music therapy will become one of the breakthrough healing systems of the 21st century, and he is studying for a Masters Degree at Arizona State University. Stanley is especially interested in young people from underserved areas and feels music therapy can work to boost self-esteem, identity as well as the immune system through musical activities.

Stanley Jordan first came to prominence with the release of his 1985 Grammy nominated debut album Magic Touch, a revolutionary project that helped to re-launch the legendary Blue Note Records into a contemporary entity in jazz and beyond.  Key to Jordan's fast-track acclaim was his mastery of a special "tapping" technique. This method uses “touches & taps” on the guitar's board instead of conventional strumming and picking. While a handful of other virtuoso players use similar techniques, Stanley's fluid and melodic use of tapping captures the imagination of listeners through his inherent warmth and sensitivity.