Benefit Concert for Local Musician & Music Teacher Jan Johansson

Oct. 18, 2010 - PRLog -- With a wealth of courage, brain power and musical talent, the one thing local music teacher and musician Jan (pronounced "Yahn") Johansson could ask from the Wizard of Oz is a new heart. After recovering from having a heart pump implanted this past spring, he was added back onto the heart transplant waiting list in July, and his friends are once again rallying to hold a fundraiser to help him and his wife, Theresa, defray his medical expenses. Among the musicians and bands confirmed for this latest benefit concert is David Tate, a banjo player who is also Johansson's cardiologist at UNC-Chapel Hill. Tate plays with the band Fescue 911, which has been "on-call for bluegrass emergencies" since 1993. And what could be a more fitting emergency than a bluegrass musician in need of a heart transplant?

Joining Tate and Fescue 911 on the lineup for the afternoon are: Samantha Casey & the Bluegrass Jam; Nixon, Blevins & Gage; The Hotwires; Apple Chill Cloggers with the Tims Family Band; and a grand finale with Jan and Friends, including Carolina Junction; Julie Elkins; Lindsey Tims; Ray East, and Dr. Tate.

Johansson is well known throughout North Carolina as an accomplished acoustic musician, producer, and music instructor. John Gerwin, one of Johansson's former students, said of his experience: "I think I only took about 50 lessons, max, but those were just the best 50 hours I could have spent. I learned so much more than just music. Jan gave me permission to 'play,' that is, to be playful. He did not insist that I do everything 'just one way;' indeed, he encouraged me to try different techniques with pick-holding, picking itself, note substitution within a song, etc. I had come to think of this music stuff as fairly rigid, and he showed me how to 'open up,' improvise, and really enjoy it. That was more important than learning any song itself.

"With my new-found playfulness, I ended up playing with two groups, doing lots of parties, weddings, bars, etc, for several years. It was a blast, and I'm not sure I would have had to emotional strength for those gigs had I not taken all the lessons I did from Jan.  Again, although I had played for 20 years, and done some gigs, it wasn't until after the lessons that I really took off, enjoying myself, which really came through in my guitar playing."

For years, Johansson has suffered from heart problems, beginning with a heart attack at the young age of 36. In 1999, he underwent triple bypass surgery, and in 2005 he had a pacemaker implanted. On Christmas Eve 2009, Johansson was admitted to the hospital because of extremely low blood pressure. After extensive evaluation, doctors determined that he should remain at UNC Hospital until he could receive a heart transplant. However, after several weeks without a donor match, doctors implanted a heart pump. Johansson eventually returned home in March.

Unfortunately, the heart pump is an interim measure and will not resolve Johansson's heart problems, and now that he has recovered from the heart pump operation and is back on the heart transplant waiting list, they are hoping for the next step, which doesn't come cheap. A heart transplant costs approximately $750,000, and that's only the beginning. Although Theresa has family health coverage through her employer, the family will face significant expenses related to the transplant.

All proceeds from the benefit concert will go directly to help the Johanssons defray medical expenses and lost income. All performers and event organizers are donating their time and talents in an effort to raise money and show their support and appreciation for all that Jan and Theresa have done for them and the music community. All donations will go directly to the National Foundation for Transplants to help Jan and Theresa.

There will also be a couple of instrument raffles: Fat Sound Guitars of Cary has donated a Martin guitar, and Zepp Country Music has donated a Gold Tone banjo.

If you are unable to attend the concert, please consider sending a donation to:
National Foundation for Transplants
5350 Poplar Dr., Suite 430
Memphis, TN 38119

Please make checks payable to the National Foundation for Transplants and write “For Jan Johansson” on the memo line. You can also visit their website (www.transplants.org) for information and updates about Jan and to make a donation online. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so your donation is tax deductible.

About Jan Johansson
Johansson was born in Sweden and has been playing acoustic music since the age of 14. By the time he was 18, Jan had mastered the guitar, fiddle, and mandolin. Jan married Theresa Blue of Carthage, NC, and moved to the U.S. in 1989 after three years of traveling back and forth between the two countries. In North Carolina, Jan began working as a freelance translator and music instructor. He founded Johansson’s Acoustic Music Studio (JAMS) to provide music instruction for people of all age groups interested in bluegrass and other forms of acoustic music. Focused on one-on-one personal instruction, JAMS has taught hundreds of acoustic musicians in and around North Carolina in guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and bass.

Learn more at http://www.pinecone.org, and plan to come to Cary, NC on November 7 for an afternoon of bluegrass music for a great cause!

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PineCone—the Piedmont Council of Traditional Music, is a private, nonprofit, charitable membership organization dedicated to preserving, presenting and promoting traditional music, dance and other folk performing arts.