Kwella & Stowell
The duo Kwella & Stowell invites the listener into a personal and intimate space.
The two acclaimed jazz guitarists, John Stowell (US) and Jens Christian Kwella (DK), will release the album The Room on May 29 — a musical meeting between two guitarists from different continents.
Video presentation:
Since 2009, the two have performed regularly in Denmark, and over time they have developed a shared language and musical universe on stage — their own “room.”
After completing their tour in the fall of 2025, they spent a single day at The Hideout Studio in Aalborg recording nine tracks without overdubs or corrections, which are now being released.
The music and the process should be seen as a contrast to a music industry where everything can be edited and perfected with AI and other tools — at the risk of losing spontaneity and the sense that the music is created in the moment.
The repertoire is a mix of Kwella’s compositions and standards, and the pieces have simple forms that are not pre-arranged but instead emerge organically along the way.
The two guitarists can also be experienced live as they celebrate the release with a series of concerts in spring 2027. See upcoming concerts in "kalender".
Kwella & Stowell live:
About John Stowell:
Stowell has a unique and highly personal playing style and began his successful career in the early 1970s. He has appeared on numerous albums and, in 2019, released the critically acclaimed album Petite Fleur together with David Liebman.
Stowell tours, records, and teaches internationally, and has been an artist-in-residence at schools in Germany, Indonesia, Argentina, as well as in the US and Canada.
He has written for a number of magazines, including Downbeat, Guitar Player, Canadian Musician, Soundcheck(Germany), and Guitar Club (Italy
About Jens Christian Kwella:
Kwella has worked as a professional guitarist since 1986 and has extensive experience across nearly all jazz genres, from traditional jazz to experimental and electronic jazz. He has performed with a wide range of Danish and international artists such as Randy Brecker (US), Eliane Elias (BR), Marc Johnson (US), Curtis Stigers (US), Cæcilie Nordby, Nana Rashid, and others. Altogether, Kwella performs approximately 100–130 concerts each year, both in Denmark and internationally. He has also recorded and released seven critically acclaimed albums under his own name.
Kwella is an associate professor of rhythmic guitar and ensemble playing at the Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg.