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Jim Campilongo

BIO

Billboard Magazine calls Jim Campilongo, "an American treasure", an accolade this guitarist's artistry and influential career has richly earned him.

With seven albums of original material and guest appearances on dozens of recordings; from the Bammie-winner's contribution on Cake's million-selling "Prolonging the Magic" to (most recently) doing lead guitar duties with Martha Wainwright, Teddy Thompson and The Little Willies, his band with Norah Jones, He's also had repeat appearances on David Letterman, Conan O'Brien and been interviewed on many major radio shows. Campilongo is also a published guitar teacher and contributing editor for Guitar Player Magazine. Campilongo's virtuosity and originality has inspired a generation of guitar players. His songwriting uses a palette of the best in Blues, Country, Jazz and Rock with a sensitivity and wit that has also earned him the broad fan base most instrumental guitarist never enjoy.

Campilongo's career began in the mid 1970s when he studied guitar in his native San Francisco with the eccentric Bunnie Gregoire, who taught the pre-teen to embrace everything from George Van Eps to John Denver. Campilongo recalls, "Before Bunnie I used to just randomly buy records if there weren't that many songs on them, I didn't care who the artist was. A banner day would be discovering a double album that only had two songs on it. So I ended up with John Coltrane Live in Japan and John McLaughlin's Devotion with Larry Young on organ. I listened to those records until they melted and I still do to this day (on CD). Eventually, I found Roy Buchanan's first album and all bets were off, I was going to be a guitar player." Jim's first instrument was purchased with Green Stamps.

In addition to Chet Atkins and Roy Buchanan, Jim began to be deeply affected by Muddy Waters and the Sex Pistols. Around this time he was given a 1959 Telecaster by an appreciative student in exchange for successful bass lessons. "Playing that '59 Tele changed everything for me," Campilongo remembers, "It was like it told me to get serious." Soon after, he formed the hugely popular Ten Gallon Cats, which featured pedal steel guitar and Jim's ever-expanding Country/Jazz vocabulary. They recorded three CDs.

Jim broke from the Cats and reached a creative pinnacle in his existing body of work with 1998's Table For One, a collection of winsome and elegant compositions praised by Billboard as, "Americana at its most touching".  Guitar Player affirmed the CD as a showcase for Campilongo's "darkly romantic melodicism". The record also garnered Campilongo a new level of recognition. 

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Event

"This is Our Music" Series Continues on April 16 in Brooklyn with Knucklebean, Club D'Elf and Jim Campilongo!

"This is Our Music" Series Continues on April 16 in Brooklyn with Knucklebean, Club D'Elf and Jim Campilongo!

Source: All About Jazz

Any and all friends of sound are invited to attend “This Is Our Music II," the second installment in a monthly series at the Galapagos Art Space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. “This Is Our Music II" is set for Wednesday, April 16 at 8PM. This month, the series welcomes the legendary Club d'Elf, from Boston, the incredible Jim Campilongo Electric Trio, featuring Brad Jones on bass, and Knucklebean, the funkiest free band in the land. Tickets are only $10. The schedule ...

JIM CAMPILONGO IN TOP 50 ESSENTIAL NYC SECRETS IN THIS WEEKS TIME OUT... November 2008 "...New York has no shortage of guitar heroes but few cover as many bases as Jim Campilongo..." "...reveals a range that extends from seductive country-swing to atmospheric jazz and well beyond...

BILLBOARD MAR 2007 "...an overall killer course on How To Play Your Instrument Putting All Others To Shame. The man can jam. His instrumental compositions are practically lyrical, mixing blues with jazz with country. A real treasure..."

DOWNBEAT DEC 2006 "...HEAVEN IS CREEPY 4 STARS OUT OF A POSSIBLE 4 STARS..." 

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Primary Instrument

Guitar

Willing to teach

Beginner to advanced

Credentials/Background

Take the "L" train to the Grand St stop. I'm 50 yards from the stop I'm happy to supply a quality electric guitar for you to play at the lesson *no problem AT ALL* Please bring a blank cassette for my recorder, SanDisk for my recorder (see attachment below for example) or recording device of your own for taping the lesson. **Recording the lesson will help you out greatly** Lessons are $85.00 for one hour of private instruction

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Concerts

Music

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