Versatile guitar master Jim Campilongo plays Freight & Salvage
BERKELEY -- A Bay Area native who established himself as one of the most gifted guitarists on the San Francisco scene during the 1990s before relocating to New York City two decades ago, Telecaster maestro Jim Campilongo has remained a singular voice on the six-string. Rising to prominence playing a jazzy style of instrumental Western swing heavily indebted to the blazing sounds of Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant, Campilongo and his early band the 10 Gallon Cats became a staple at San Francisco bustling bars and clubs such as Bruno's, the Paradise Lounge and Cafe Du Nord.
While playing a decidedly different type of music than funkier fellow scene regulars like the Broun Fellinis and the Charlie Hunter Trio, Campilongo's deft touch, nuanced songwriting and his dizzying interplay with pedal lap steel virtuoso Joe Goldmark made the group a favorite among clubgoers. The guitarist would branch out, putting together a variety of groups that found him performing and recording material in more of a jazz and blues vein with such notables as keyboard player Rob Burger (a member of all-star Henry Mancini tribute Oranj Symphonette and the experimental Tin Hat Trio) and talented drummer Scott Amendola (Charlie Hunter Trio, TJ Kirk and numerous others). He would also add his indelible guitar melodies during session work for Sacramento alt-rockers Cake on their hit album Prolonging the Magic.
In the early 2000s, Campilongo would make a major move, pulling up stakes from the Bay Area to relocate to New York City after establishing ties with a number of musicians there, among them emerging jazz singer Norah Jones. The two would form the popular country covers act the Little Willies in 2003 with singer/songwriter Richard Julian and others after a celebrated one-off gig playing Hank Williams, Jr. and Kris Kristofferson songs in 2003, but the guitarist would mostly busy himself leading his own groups with a steady string of weekly performances that earned Campilongo a reputation as a musical force to be reckoned with in his adopted new hometown.
Even as he expanded his resume with additional live and studio session work (he has played with the late guitar great J.J. Cale, British rock legend Pete Townshend and songwriters Gillian Welch and Martha Wainwright to name a few), Campilongo has stayed focused on his music between recordings with country-tinged band Honeyfingers with duo collaborator and fellow Telecaster advocate Luca Benedetti and residencies backed his freewheeling jazz-rock trio featuring bassist Chris Morrissey and drummer (and sometime singer) Josh Dion.
In 2017, the guitarist issued the concert recording Live At Rockwood Music Hall NYC on his own Blue Hen imprint. Compiled from performances by the trio at the venue, the disc showcases the band's explosive dynamics and near telepathic communication on a mix of revamped Campilongo originals and spontaneous jams. Since then, he has released a greatest hits collection on vinyl drawing from his previous albums as well as an unreleased session as well as a duo recording with Benedetti simply entitled Two Guitars that came out last year.
Campilongo also relocated back to his former Bay Area home in 2021 to be closer to family here. He plays Freight & Salvage with his 4-Tet featuring Benedetti, bassist Andy Hess (John Scofield, Gov't Mule) and drummer Dan Rieser (Rosanne Cash) Thursday night as part of a run of West Coast performances. Freight & Salvage will also be hosting the guitarist for an afternoon guitar clinic on Dec. 17th.
Jim Campilongo 4-Tet
Thursday, Dec. 8, 8 p.m. $12-$28
Freight & Salvage