About HANS LUCHS
Guitarist | Composer | Educator
Hans Luchs is a guitarist, composer and bandleader based in New York City. He has performed in settings from small jazz clubs to large outdoor festivals and concert halls, and has toured with eight-time Grammy winner Pepe Aguilar. He has also performed with Motown legend Martha Reeves, "Daughter of the Blues" Shirley King, and many celebrated jazz artists from New York and around the world.
Chicago roots
Luchs got his start in Chicago. His first steady gig was Sundays at the Velvet Lounge with drummer Isaiah Spencer's band, alongside Marquis Hill, Chris McBride and Junius Paul. In 2011 he played with Makaya McCraven's band in a Jazz Institute of Chicago production with Caroline Davis, Kendall Moore and Andrew Vogt. He played the Auditorium Theatre, The Green Mill, Buddy Guy's Legends, Andy's Jazz Club and The Jazz Showcase. Weeks before moving to New York in 2017, he played the Chicago Jazz Festival with Gustavo Cortiñas.
New York and beyond
In New York he has played Citi Field, the BRIC festival at the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park, Mezzrow, Smalls, One Flight Up, Ornithology, The Django, Minton's Playhouse, Midnight Blue, The Bowery Electric and The Bitter End. In New York he has also played with Joe Magnarelli, Duane Eubanks, Ben Paterson, Vanisha Gould, Quintin Harris, Tony Jefferson, Pete Ayres and Anita Donndorff, just to name a few.
Abroad, he has led bands and played as a sideman at:
Recordings
Luchs has recorded as a leader and a sideman, including projects produced by NPR and Apple Music. He has released three albums as a leader, with a fourth on the way. His debut as a leader, Time Never Pauses (OA2 Records, 2015), drew praise from DownBeat, Jazz Weekly and All About Jazz. He followed it with the self-released Until Next Time (2018). The Spell Is Broken (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2025), a set of eight originals, reached #80 on the JazzWeek charts and stayed in the top 150 for several months. His fourth album, Homage, is out January 15, 2027, on Fresh Sound New Talent.
Listen"Hans Luchs… plays an intense, assertive, and agile guitar."
"Luchs brings his trademark sound of polished elegance and understated, but definite passion to this captivating music."
"Luchs' compositions are… notable for their original and often-stimulating chord changes."
"Hans Luchs leads an impressive and flexible team."
"[Luchs] effortlessly blends sophistication with an inviting energy."
"He is a skilled and thoroughly modern player…"
As a sideman · on Agustin Grasso & Brooklyn Mixtape (Fresh Sound New Talent)
"Luchs' angular guitar tone sets the mood from the start… expertly comping chords before coming to the fore with a gorgeous solo."
Teaching and education
Luchs has taught for 20 years, including six years on the faculty of the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, and now runs a private studio in person and online. He holds a master's in jazz performance from DePaul University and a bachelor's in music performance from the University of Illinois Chicago.
Lessons