Panas Athanatos

Panas Athanatos is a Greek-born jazz guitarist based in New York City, where he has led his trio at Smalls and hosted sessions there and at Mezzrow since arriving in 2017. His playing is rooted in the swinging mainstream guitar tradition, drawing on Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, and Joe Pass. He began his studies at the Philippos Nakas Conservatory in Athens with guitarist Yiotis Samaras and worked with figures of the Greek jazz scene before moving to the Netherlands in 2015 to study at the Prins Claus Conservatory in Groningen, where his teachers included Paul Bollenback, Jonathan Kreisberg, and Adam Nussbaum. In New York he has also held residencies at Shrine and Bar Next Door. His self-produced cassette Rainbowhood, recorded live at Smalls, gathers original compositions, standards, solo guitar pieces, and Curtis Mayfield covers.