Hans Ottsen

Hans Ottsen has played and studied music since birth. His mother, Linda Ottsen, soprano, sang with Leonard Bernstein & Aaron Copland, performing at Kennedy Center with Hans in the womb. After studying classical piano until his mid-teens, he began playing guitar & pursued his formal education at the University of Southern California, continuing his studies at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, focusing on jazz guitar, improvisation, & music theory. His teachers include Joe Diorio, Chris Rosenberg, Frank Potenza, Pat Kelley, Mark Pratt, Garry Dial, & most recently Gilad Hekselman. Hans performs in many ensembles:  HANS OTTSEN TRIO (various incarnations include Drew Gress, Don Peretz, Tom Etchart, Tyler Hammond, Danny Young, Hunter Van Dam, & Adam Clark), Karl Hunter Quartet, OTTSEN FLOWERS & CLARK w Rachel Flowers & Adam Clark, IDIOSYNC w Bevan Manson, Tom Buckner Quartet, TICO TRIO w Adam Clark & Randy Tico, Harlem Holler Trio w Phil Salazar & Randy Tico, to name a few. Hans was featured for the debut of 'Santa Monica Mountains',  composed for jazz guitar & chamber orchestra & written for Hans by composer/pianist Bevan Manson. Hans has performed at venues across the U.S. and Europe. Performance venues include The Knitting Factory (NYC), NAMM, The Thousand Oaks Center for the Arts, The Mint, Chadneys, Soho, Squashed Grapes, The Wine Rack, Sessions At The Loft, and dozens of festivals & jazz venues between San Francisco & Los Angeles. Hans has toured Denmark and Holland playing shows with drummer Don Peretz and saxophonist Sam Sadigursky. In addition to his performing life, Hans is co-producer at Filzar Studios, owned by fiddle guru Phil Salazar. There he has worked with artists such as Jim Christie, Tom Scott, Jeff Elliott, Randy Tico, Gilles Apap and others.  Hans recently released NAVIGATION: Hans Ottsen Trio featuring Drew Gress & Don Peretz on Deepdig Records.