Born in Germany in 1970, Teja Gerken began his journey on the guitar at the age of six and became a serious student of the instrument after his family moved to California in the mid '80s. By the time he graduated from college with a B.A. in Art & Soc [+]Born in Germany in 1970, Teja Gerken began his journey on the guitar at the age of six and became a serious student of the instrument after his family moved to California in the mid '80s. By the time he graduated from college with a B.A. in Art & Society, he had experimented with a wide variety of musical styles, and it became clear that his own instrumental voice was found in playing the acoustic variety of the instrument.
Today, Teja Gerken is no stranger to those familiar with contemporary steel-string fingerstyle guitar. Weaving together influences of folk, jazz, classical, and world music into a style that is uniquely his own, Gerken's playing reflects his diverse musical interests. While many of his composition employ alternate tunings, two-handed tapping, percussive effects, and other extended guitar techniques, others simply rely on his keen sense of melody and movement. Within this framework, Gerken has created a repertoire that appeals to fellow guitarists as well as to listening audiences, and while original material is his main focus, he can also be found playing Irish traditionals, jazz standards, or improvising on themes by classical composers.
An active participant in the vibrant San Francisco Bay Area acoustic music scene, Gerken is a regular performer at many of the region's venues. As a former host at Strings in Emeryville, California, and a collaborator with many of fingerstyle guitar's top players, he has frequently introduced international talent to local audiences. Gerken has shared the stage with guitar visionaries such as John Renbourn, Alex de Grassi, and Peter Finger, as well as with his mentors, Duck Baker and Peppino D'Agostino. Gerken is also a frequent guest at the International Guitar Night, as well as on radio stations such as San Francisco's KUSF and Berkeley's KPFA. In 2000, he began adding concerts in Germany to his performance calendar.
Gerken's debut album On My Way (LifeRhythm Music) has received critical acclaim since its release in 1999. "This sounds as if Michael Hedges, Paco De Lucia, and Bill Monroe are all fighting over a guitar," says the music review website Listen.com, which goes on to say that "this exceptional musician combines elements of folk, jazz, bluegrass and just about any style you can think of
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