Electric and steel string acoustic guitar Mikkel Ploug Release April 16, 2027
Mikkel Ploug
Guitar
Danish guitarist and composer Mikkel Ploug has established a distinctive voice on the international music scene, combining the freedom and spontaneity of jazz with a deep sensitivity to melody, sound and musical form. His playing has been described by DownBeat as possessing “extreme beauty,” while the British jazz publication Marlbank has called him “one of Europe’s most pioneering contemporary jazz guitarists.”
Born in 1978, Ploug studied at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, graduating with distinction in composition. Since then, he has toured extensively in more than 25 countries throughout Europe, North America, South America and Asia, appearing at leading venues and festivals including Bimhuis in Amsterdam, A-Trane in Berlin, London’s PizzaExpress Jazz Club, Rochester International Jazz Festival, Vancouver International Jazz Festival and Copenhagen Jazz Festival.
Ploug has released 19 albums as a soloist and with his various ensembles. Among his most important artistic partnerships is his long-standing collaboration with acclaimed American saxophonist Mark Turner, documented on several recordings, including Faroe, which was entered for consideration for the 2018 Grammy Awards. His solo album Balcony Lullabies was recommended by Rolling Stone and named Best Jazz Album of 2020 by the British newspaper Morning Star. More recent releases include Nocturnes 2023, nominated for Danish Music Awards Jazz Album of the Year, and Lento 2025, nominated for Danish Music Awards Jazz Musician of the Year.
His collaborators also include composer Bent Sørensen, vocalist Sissel Vera Pettersen and clarinetist Joachim Badenhorst. Ploug has appeared as a soloist with the Royal Danish Ballet and the DR Big Band.
Alongside his performing career, Mikkel Ploug teaches jazz guitar at Zurich University of the Arts. His exploration of J.S. Bach reflects his exceptional musical curiosity, bringing the clarity of Bach’s counterpoint into a personal electric-guitar sound world where classical tradition and contemporary expression meet.