Last Wednesday, Peter Janson, instructor at UMB’s Music Department, put on a live performance in the Harbor Art Gallery to a delighted crowd of twenty-five or so. Janson, a nationally respected guitarist well known in Boston, sat down with just an acoustic guitar to play nine songs from his current CD, “Sometimes From Here,” as well as some older material. Wasting little time, the audience took their seats. Janson quickly marched up to his stool, grabbed his guitar, and with the sound of birds chirping in the background over the amplifiers, began to play.

Janson didn’t mention the name of his first song, but everyone in the audience was captivated by its mellow, highly moving melody. As soon as Janson began to pluck away at his guitar, everyone knew they were in for a treat; and indeed they were.

Playing songs with titles such as “Morning Song,” “Under a Shady Tree,” “Simple Joys,” “Shallow Ground,” “Dancing With Kate,” and “An Ocean Reprise,” Janson kept the audience silent and reflective throughout his hour-long set. In every song he played, Janson used a capo. A capo is a small device that is used to clamp down on the neck of the guitar, changing the tuning, allowing for a greater range of sounds. Janson took full advantage of the capo and seduced the audience with his masterful work and arrangements.

It was refreshing to hear such tranquil music during this time of war. While listening to Janson play and master the fret board, the audience seemed to be thinking deeply. The power of Janson’s music caused everyone in the audience to remain silent enough to hear a pin drop.

Sporting a shaved head and a long, dark pony tail, and wearing all black clothing with white running shoes, Janson looked more like a heavy metal thrasher than mellow acoustic finger picker. He was a man of few words. Many musicians like to take time in between each of their songs to tell you all about what they just played and what they are going to play next, but Janson would often jump right into the next song upon completion of the one before. He wasn’t entirely silent, however. He did reveal enough about his songs to satisfy the audience and he occasionally threw in an anecdote here and there, but he didn’t spend a lot of time talking about himself; he let his music do the talking.

Janson’s musical style is called New American Acoustic, a style that springs from folk, old time and classical guitar traditions. He’s probably the world’s foremost player of New American Acoustic, but he’s not a flashy player. He doesn’t show off by running scales at high speed, like many guitarists do, though he certainly could. Instead of showing off, Janson is more concerned with hitting the right notes to produce beautifully crafted songs.

Janson is a very nice and very approachable man. However, he did not reveal the title of his upcoming CD. Fans will have to wait for the surprise or content themselves with older albums. Background on Janson can be found at his website, www.easternwoodsmusic.com.