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Jan Akkerman
5,470 Followers
• 13 Upcoming Shows
13 Upcoming Shows
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Jan Akkerman merch


Close Beauty
$19.79
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Jan Akkerman's tour
Live Photos of Jan Akkerman

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Fan Reviews

Carsten
February 11th 2025
All excellent musicians and Jan in particular. A great concert and great music.
Sunderland, United Kingdom@The Fire Station

J
February 10th 2025
Firstly the venue was great: lovely space and we were close enough to catch everything.
JA is technically way beyond most famous guitarists and he played a mixed set of songs from his Focus days ( Sylvia sent me tumbling back down the years) to his latter days songs as a solo artist.
Streetwalker was exceptionally good and he cut the mustard easily. He demonstrated several times what an amazing rhythm guitarist he is as other band members took the spotlight. The keyboard player was excellent and made me think of Max Middleton.
JA came across as a self effacing man with very dry sense of humour. A great band who looked to be enjoying themselves: a standing ovation was given and they beamed. This is the 1st time I have see JA live: so glad that we went. The Met is a great venue: strongly recommend a visit: you will not be disappointed.
Liverpool, United Kingdom@Music Room

David Shannon
February 9th 2025
Jan Akkerman was fabulous at Glasgow's Oran Mor and played two sets to an ecstatic audience who lapped it up enthusiastically. His long established band were with him, (Coen Molenaar keys, David De Marez Oyens bass and Marijn van den Berg drums)
A fabulous unit who seem to telepathically know where he's going next! All were given their moments to show what they could do individually- and they did- wonderfully, without a hint of self- indulgence.
There was obvious delight from the crowd, who welcomed him back to Glasgow with warmth and genuine affection for the man and his music. He didn't disappoint. There was some more recent material alongside old Focus favourites like Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers!, Focus 1 and 2 alongside an uproarious long rocking Sylvia which nearly brought the
house down.
Akkerman finished the evening with an exquisite take on Paul Weller's You do something to me' and got a lengthy loving standing ovation from an adoring crowd . Great to see 'Big Sir' (Knighted in the Netherlands) back in the UK.
After the show, he greeted ,signed and took pictures with a long line of fans. What a man! A couple of guys surprised him by presenting him with a Dutch football shirt with Akkerman 14 on the back, in homage to his friend and contemporary genius Johan
Cruyff.
A wonderful night from one of the world's great guitarists. I think all present would agree 'please come back soon!'
Fantastic night
David Shannon
Glasgow, United Kingdom@Oran Mor
View More Fan Reviews
Fans Also Follow
About Jan Akkerman
Jan Akkerman (born 24 December 1946) is a Dutch guitarist and lutenist. In 1973 Akkerman was chosen Best Guitarist Of The World by the readers of the UK magazine Melody Maker. In the 1970s, with Thijs van Leer he formed the core of the Dutch symphonic rock band Focus.
Akkerman was born in the 'de Jordaan' area of Amsterdam, the son of a scrap iron trader. At age five he took guitar lessons and, at the age of fourteen, his first single was released. He was a member of Johnny and The Cellar Rockers, The Hunters and Brainbox, and joined the Thijs van Leer Trio in late 1969. They continued under the name Focus and scored a few world hits in the seventies. In 1976 Akkerman left the band and resumed a solo career. Akkerman produced several albums. At the same time he was active as a session musician with André Hazes and others. Furthermore he played with Alan Price, Herman Brood, Peter Banks, Charlie Byrd, Ice-T and BB King.
In 1992 he was involved in a serious car accident, but since 1993 has been active again. Jan Akkerman is a distinctive guitarist, constantly experimenting with new equipment and guitars. Akkerman's distinctive guitar sound is characterised by his pioneering use of volume swells which produce a smooth, fluty, sustained note.His latest album is called Close Beauty.
Akkerman was born in the 'de Jordaan' area of Amsterdam, the son of a scrap iron trader. At age five he took guitar lessons and, at the age of fourteen, his first single was released. He was a member of Johnny and The Cellar Rockers, The Hunters and Brainbox, and joined the Thijs van Leer Trio in late 1969. They continued under the name Focus and scored a few world hits in the seventies. In 1976 Akkerman left the band and resumed a solo career. Akkerman produced several albums. At the same time he was active as a session musician with André Hazes and others. Furthermore he played with Alan Price, Herman Brood, Peter Banks, Charlie Byrd, Ice-T and BB King.
In 1992 he was involved in a serious car accident, but since 1993 has been active again. Jan Akkerman is a distinctive guitarist, constantly experimenting with new equipment and guitars. Akkerman's distinctive guitar sound is characterised by his pioneering use of volume swells which produce a smooth, fluty, sustained note.His latest album is called Close Beauty.
Show More
Genres:
Progressive Rock, Rock
No upcoming shows in your city
Send a request to Jan Akkerman to play in your city
Request a Show
concerts and tour dates
Upcoming
Past
all concerts & live streams
Show More Dates (13)
Live Photos of Jan Akkerman

View All Photos
Jan Akkerman merch


Close Beauty
$19.79
View All
Jan Akkerman's tour
Fan Reviews

Carsten
February 11th 2025
All excellent musicians and Jan in particular. A great concert and great music.
Sunderland, United Kingdom@The Fire Station

J
February 10th 2025
Firstly the venue was great: lovely space and we were close enough to catch everything.
JA is technically way beyond most famous guitarists and he played a mixed set of songs from his Focus days ( Sylvia sent me tumbling back down the years) to his latter days songs as a solo artist.
Streetwalker was exceptionally good and he cut the mustard easily. He demonstrated several times what an amazing rhythm guitarist he is as other band members took the spotlight. The keyboard player was excellent and made me think of Max Middleton.
JA came across as a self effacing man with very dry sense of humour. A great band who looked to be enjoying themselves: a standing ovation was given and they beamed. This is the 1st time I have see JA live: so glad that we went. The Met is a great venue: strongly recommend a visit: you will not be disappointed.
Liverpool, United Kingdom@Music Room

David Shannon
February 9th 2025
Jan Akkerman was fabulous at Glasgow's Oran Mor and played two sets to an ecstatic audience who lapped it up enthusiastically. His long established band were with him, (Coen Molenaar keys, David De Marez Oyens bass and Marijn van den Berg drums)
A fabulous unit who seem to telepathically know where he's going next! All were given their moments to show what they could do individually- and they did- wonderfully, without a hint of self- indulgence.
There was obvious delight from the crowd, who welcomed him back to Glasgow with warmth and genuine affection for the man and his music. He didn't disappoint. There was some more recent material alongside old Focus favourites like Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers!, Focus 1 and 2 alongside an uproarious long rocking Sylvia which nearly brought the
house down.
Akkerman finished the evening with an exquisite take on Paul Weller's You do something to me' and got a lengthy loving standing ovation from an adoring crowd . Great to see 'Big Sir' (Knighted in the Netherlands) back in the UK.
After the show, he greeted ,signed and took pictures with a long line of fans. What a man! A couple of guys surprised him by presenting him with a Dutch football shirt with Akkerman 14 on the back, in homage to his friend and contemporary genius Johan
Cruyff.
A wonderful night from one of the world's great guitarists. I think all present would agree 'please come back soon!'
Fantastic night
David Shannon
Glasgow, United Kingdom@Oran Mor
View More Fan Reviews
About Jan Akkerman
Jan Akkerman (born 24 December 1946) is a Dutch guitarist and lutenist. In 1973 Akkerman was chosen Best Guitarist Of The World by the readers of the UK magazine Melody Maker. In the 1970s, with Thijs van Leer he formed the core of the Dutch symphonic rock band Focus.
Akkerman was born in the 'de Jordaan' area of Amsterdam, the son of a scrap iron trader. At age five he took guitar lessons and, at the age of fourteen, his first single was released. He was a member of Johnny and The Cellar Rockers, The Hunters and Brainbox, and joined the Thijs van Leer Trio in late 1969. They continued under the name Focus and scored a few world hits in the seventies. In 1976 Akkerman left the band and resumed a solo career. Akkerman produced several albums. At the same time he was active as a session musician with André Hazes and others. Furthermore he played with Alan Price, Herman Brood, Peter Banks, Charlie Byrd, Ice-T and BB King.
In 1992 he was involved in a serious car accident, but since 1993 has been active again. Jan Akkerman is a distinctive guitarist, constantly experimenting with new equipment and guitars. Akkerman's distinctive guitar sound is characterised by his pioneering use of volume swells which produce a smooth, fluty, sustained note.His latest album is called Close Beauty.
Akkerman was born in the 'de Jordaan' area of Amsterdam, the son of a scrap iron trader. At age five he took guitar lessons and, at the age of fourteen, his first single was released. He was a member of Johnny and The Cellar Rockers, The Hunters and Brainbox, and joined the Thijs van Leer Trio in late 1969. They continued under the name Focus and scored a few world hits in the seventies. In 1976 Akkerman left the band and resumed a solo career. Akkerman produced several albums. At the same time he was active as a session musician with André Hazes and others. Furthermore he played with Alan Price, Herman Brood, Peter Banks, Charlie Byrd, Ice-T and BB King.
In 1992 he was involved in a serious car accident, but since 1993 has been active again. Jan Akkerman is a distinctive guitarist, constantly experimenting with new equipment and guitars. Akkerman's distinctive guitar sound is characterised by his pioneering use of volume swells which produce a smooth, fluty, sustained note.His latest album is called Close Beauty.
Show More
Genres:
Progressive Rock, Rock
Fans Also Follow
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