Born and raised in Thousand Oaks, California, a suburban city approximately thirty miles north of Los Angeles, Avery Scanlon is a guitarist, composer, and arranger. Son of reputable Los Angeles woodwind player Brian Scanlon, Avery found his way to the guitar at the early age of five and began studying seriously at the age of ten. At the age of twelve, Avery began studying privately with legendary Los Angeles session guitarist Mitch Holder.

 

Avery prides himself as an exceptionally versatile guitarist, being able to sound comfortable and expressive in a number of different music genres and styles. Avery has played with or performed in masterclasses with noteworthy musicians such as Bennie Maupin, Myka Nyne, Dave Liebman, Steve Lehman, Gordon Goodwin, Alan Ferber, Tim Hagans, Katisse Buckingham and many others. Additionally, he has had the opportunity to study with notable guitarists such as Gilad Hekselman, Julian Lage, Peter Bernstein, and Andrew Synowiec. In conjunction with his work as a performer, Avery is also an avid composer/arranger who often puts groups together to play his music. His compositional work spans from personal projects to commissioned pieces.

 

In 2016, Avery began his collegiate studies at Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York, where he studied with guitarist Bob Sneider. In 2018, upon completion of his sophomore year, Avery transferred to California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, Santa Clarita, California, where he studied with guitarist Larry Koonse and graduated with a BFA in Jazz Guitar (2020). Avery also attended the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, where he concurrently pursued a MM in Jazz Studies (2022) and taught as a graduate teaching assistant in the Jazz Studies and Popular Music areas. Avery is now a Pro-Tempore Instructor of Music at the University of Oregon and splits his time between the Eugene, OR and Los Angeles, CA areas.