Hi Everyone! This is my annual holiday greeting and music news.

Happy New Year and many thanks to all who have bought CDs, come to performances, booked venues, written nice things, watched kids, kept in touch, and more! It's exciting to have reached millions over these past years with American Roots, Jazz and New Music... Cheers!!

Seasons Greetings to One and All !!

Wishing you the best in 2006!
...jimKanas

WHAT'S NEW...

-NEW I recently jumped on board with Heritage amplifiers out of Brentwood, Tennessee as one of their product artists. Heritage is related to the Kalamazoo Gibson folks. I got an endorsement deal to play the "Freedom", a class A point-to-point hand wired tube amp, and a perfect match to my early 60's arched top Epiphone and Tele-style Tom Holmes solid body...'super amps! Check out www.heritageamplifiers.com .

-NEW The jimKanasTrio with fiddler Annie Kincaid recently performed at Charlotte's Web at Rockford College. We recorded enough material for a live DVD/CD release. It's in the mix stage and its a comin'!
Annie is a bluegrass/classical/jazz violinist who has toured with David Allen Coe, recorded with Steve Goodman, worked with Count Basie, Frank Sinatra and many others!

-Just for FUN ...on the tour bus...I recently enjoyed comradery, stories and picking with Ricky Van Shelton's band while they were on tour here in Illinois. Ricky is a great singer and it was excellent to be in that musically rich Nashville environment without having to leave Illinois! Thank you to Robert Bowlin, Ricky's guitarist and Bill Monroe's last fiddler, for that opportunity!

-Welcome to Chris DeShepper who is starting to help with educational programming and general business. Thank you to Kelly and Jenny Hale with marketing and artist representation and thanks to Rachel X. Turner, graphic design. To all my friends in the schools, the brilliant staff at the Illinois Arts Council and of course, all you musicians! Thank you all!!

Upcoming PERFORMANCES...

-If you are in the state line area and/or get cable tv in Northern Illinois, Rock Valley College will air their last show for the Season of "Ground Level/Musician's Corner" featuring yours truly on Friday, 12/30; Saturday, 12/30; Sunday, 1/8 and Monday, 1/9 on channel 20. This is performance only. The interview was aired last month. For more information contact <info@successinmusic.com>. Air times will be posted on www.jimkanas.com/calendar as soon as they are available. I'm playing an arrangement of "Flowers of Edinburgh" on my classical guitar. It departs from the melody and structure and morphs into jazz/rock harmonization and rhythms, including harmonics and partial capo application.

-Jazz and Acoustic Guitar, Aldo's Italian Restaurant in Rochelle, IL, downtown near the theater.This is a pickers gig.... guitars only, standards and lots of improv and original music.
815-562-3456
see calander for dates!
6-8 pm Come for dinner!

-"In Jim Kanas' playing Doc Watson peacefully coexists with Joe Pass.
Creating a distinct personal style from such disparate influences isn't easy
to do. Jim pulls it off with aplomb." Pat Donahue, A Prairie Home Companion

JIM KANAS is an American roots musician, jazz guitarist and producer with the Illinois Arts Council's ArtsTour program who has conducted numerous school music residencies for over 20 years. Jim was featured on WTTW11, Chicago, PBS "Arts Across Illinois" and has performed at colleges, festivals and broadcast medium throughout Illinois. His American Folk Music Programs trace the development of American music through its ethnical roots and incorporates a large assortment of conventional, homemade and world instruments. Jim Kanas' assemblies, breakout sessions and residencies are interdisciplinary in nature, cross-cultural in tone and highly engaging. For more on Jim Kanas' educational and performance programs visit www.jimkanas.com.