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Jan Rivera
Jan Rivera performing live in 2024
Background information
Origin	Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Genres	Progressive rock, Jazz fusion
Occupations	Musician, Composer, Author
Instrument	Guitar
Years active	2010s–present
Website	janrivera.com

Jan Rivera is a Puerto Rican–born guitarist, composer, and author, born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. He is known for his complex rhythmic writing, genre-blending compositions, and collaborations with high-profile musicians such as Grammy-winning keyboardist Jordan Rudess^[1], Marco Minnemann, Mohini Dey, and Nili Brosh. His debut album, Existential Paranoia, has been praised for its innovation and compositional depth, and was featured in Guitar World^[2], PROG Magazine^[3], and Bass Magazine^[4].

Jan Rivera was born and raised in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, where his early musical exposure came through family gatherings centered around guitar playing. He earned degrees in classical guitar from the Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, San Germán, before shifting his focus to contemporary styles influenced by players like Joe Satriani and Steve Vai.

He later moved to Los Angeles, where he immersed himself in the fusion and progressive scene—studying under Alex Machacek and Scott Henderson at the Musicians Institute’s Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT), and taking private lessons with Greg Howe. During this period, he also served as a teaching assistant at GIT.

Rivera released his debut solo album Existential Paranoia on October 14, 2022. The album features an elite cast of collaborators, including Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), Marco Minnemann (The Aristocrats), Mohini Dey (Willow Smith, A.R. Rahman, Guthrie Govan), Nili Brosh (Danny Elfman, Dethklok), Chad Wackerman (Frank Zappa), Gary Husband (John McLaughlin), Jimmy Johnson (Allan Holdsworth), Gino Banks (Dave Holland, Chris Potter, Zakir Hussain, MaMoGi), Chris Clark (Virgil Donati Band), along with Juan Antonio (Sublimation), Eli Markus (Nili Brosh band), and Mark Hartsuch (MaMoGi).

Blending progressive rock, jazz fusion, and modern orchestration, the album established Rivera’s voice as both a guitarist and a composer. Notable tracks include "The Encounter", "Things That Don’t Fit", and "Fractional Lineage".

Rivera is the author of Advanced Rhythmic Concepts for Guitar, a widely acclaimed book that explores polyrhythms, metric modulation, and complex rhythmic ideas. The book has been reviewed by respected musicians including Ben Monder, Gustavo Assis-Brasil, and Dean Brown (guitarist), and received coverage in JazzTimes and Vintage Guitar^[5]. It has also been adopted as curriculum in several music colleges.

As a clinician and educator, Rivera has presented masterclasses and clinics internationally, including at Sweetwater^[6], Musicians Institute (Hollywood)^[7], MI Tokyo^[8][9], and Tokyo School of Music^[10]. He has also served as a curriculum designer, on-set consultant, and lesson author for Fender Guitars, contributing educational content for Fender Play.

Rivera’s music is characterized by deep rhythmic complexity, chromaticism, and emotive melodic writing. While drawing from progressive rock and jazz fusion traditions, his compositions also include elements of Latin music and orchestral structure. His work has been compared to genre-defying innovators while maintaining a unique compositional voice.

• Jordan Rudess – keyboards (Dream Theater)
• Marco Minnemann – drums (The Aristocrats, Steven Wilson)
• Mohini Dey – bass (Willow Smith, A.R. Rahman, Guthrie Govan)
• Nili Brosh – guitar (Danny Elfman, Dethklok)
• Chad Wackerman – drums (Frank Zappa)
• Gary Husband – piano (John McLaughlin)
• Jimmy Johnson (bassist) – bass (Allan Holdsworth)
• Gino Banks – drums (Dave Holland, Chris Potter, Zakir Hussain, MaMoGi)
• Chris Clark – piano (Virgil Donati Band)
• Juan Antonio – guitar (Sublimation)
• Eli Markus – bass (Nili Brosh band)
• Mark Hartsuch – saxophone (MaMoGi)

Rivera’s work has drawn enthusiastic praise from both the media and his collaborators.

Existential Paranoia was featured in Guitar World^[11], PROG Magazine^[12], and Bass Magazine^[13], where critics highlighted its fusion of rhythmic sophistication with emotional depth. The album’s compositions were described as “spellbinding” and “technically breathtaking,” particularly for their use of chromaticism, orchestration, and story-driven motifs.

• Mohini Dey: “My reaction was surprised, shocked… Because I heard how challenging the material was but also at the same time, how beautiful the writing was. … When I hear something that has never been done before, it automatically pushes me to do something better.”

• Jordan Rudess: “When I first heard Jan Rivera's music, I was freaking out! … I get asked to do a lot of projects. I have to say that many of them are really good, but it's not very often that you find a unique compositional voice.”

• Nili Brosh: “He brings to the table, only the freshest concepts. And again, like, kind of, beyond everyone and above everybody's head; all the crazy rhythmic stuff that he comes up with...”

• Existential Paranoia (2022)
  • Notable tracks: "The Encounter", "Fractional Lineage", "Things That Don’t Fit"

• Advanced Rhythmic Concepts for Guitar (2014)

• Official website
• Bandcamp
• Instagram