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New York City based singer/songwriter Jeff Litman has had more than his share of musical twists and turns throughout his career. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he grew up amid the sounds of the dynamic 80's and early 90's scene there, soaking up such artists as Soul Asylum, Prince, the Replacements, the Jayhawks, and Trip Shakespeare. Wanting to play an instrument from an early age, Jeff started learning piano at age 6, finally convincing his parents to buy him a guitar by age 10. He took to it immediately. Following the zeitgeist, Jeff started out learning to play Bon Jovi and Motley Crue tunes, then Metallica and Guns N' Roses, moving on to Nirvana and Pearl Jam, and finally settling on the Beatles/Beach Boys-influenced melodic pop of bands such as Jellyfish and Jason Falkner, as well as singer/songwriters like Aimee Mann, Elvis Costello, and Elliott Smith.
Later, Jeff became interested in jazz, eventually graduating from Indiana University with a degree in jazz studies. While at Indiana, he was exposed through his coursework to the world of classical music and the old masters Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and Schoenberg, as well as contemporary composers such as Elliott Carter and Pierre Boulez. He began to study classical guitar and composition on the side of his jazz degree. After graduating, he decided to pursue a master's degree in classical guitar. In 2004, Jeff moved to New York City to attend the Manhattan School of Music, and graduated two years later with a degree in classical guitar performance.
Jeff's most recent musical twist has brought him back to his roots in pop and rock music. While beginning doctoral study at the City University of New York, Jeff slowly realized that while his love for classical music was deep, it was not what made him pick up a guitar in the first place, and it would never take the place of pop music in his heart. Since reaching that conclusion, Jeff dropped out of graduate school, and has been feverishly writing songs and recording an album both at his home studio in New York, and with producer/engineer Andy Thompson in Minneapolis. Drawing on his diverse musical background and personal experiences, Jeff writes songs with catchy melodies, unique harmonies, rich arrangements, and deeply personal lyrics.
Jeff has recently finished work on his debut album, "Postscript," which is due out on Dec. 19, 2008.
