Our Vision
To build a totally immersive archtop guitar experience! The Rocky Mountain Archtop Guitar Festival was created to bring together not only the greatest builders of these instruments, but also the greatest players and educators who love them in order to create a mini-camp learning environment. What better way to learn about the finer distinctions of these great guitars than to spend a weekend up close and personal learning from the masters who endorse them? Each artist will not only be doing guitar demos for their respective luthiers, but also presenting a clinic and a performance during the festival.
Meet the Artists (work in progress, more announced daily!)
Each attending Rocky Mountain Archtop Guitar Festival Artist represents one of the builders or sponsors of the festival, and will be doing a clinic, performance and/or product demonstration, as well as hanging out all weekend in a very casual, accessible environment. IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER:
Born in New Haven,Connecticut, Ed moved to New York in 1978 to play guitar with Dizzy Gillespie from 1978 to 1992 performing in Gillespie's quartet, big band and with The United Nation Orchestra which recorded the Grammy Award-winning Live at Royal Festival Hall (Enja). Gillespie died in 1993, and Cherry released his first recording as a leader, 'First Take' (Groovin' High). That same year, Ed recorded with Paquito D'Riveras' small group which recorded "Havana Cafe" (Chesky Records). Ed also worked with composer/saxophonist Henry Threadgill for two years and recorded three cds with Henry's 'Very Very Circus' group.
Rodney started playing the guitar at age 6. He has recorded two records for the Blue Note label, “The Undiscovered Few” and “Soul Manifesto”. He has toured worldwide, performed and recorded with a who’s who of music including Dizzy Gillespie, James Brown, Lena Horne, Quincy Jones, Christian McBride, Stevie Wonder, Elvin Jones, Kenny Burrell, Stan Getz, and countless others. He was the house guitarist for the Apollo Theatre for 9 years, and the staff guitarist for the Rosie O’Donnell Show for 6 years. He has written commercials and has more than 125 compositions recorded. He recently scored a documentary film for PBS about African American GIs in WW2. He served as Musical Director/Producer for Lena Horne, Ruth Brown, Gloria Lynne, Ernestine Anderson and others.. He has been a professor of Jazz Guitar Studies at The Juilliard School for 12 years and at The Manhattan School of Music for more than 20 years and has conducted clinics and workshops worldwide.
Frank Vignola, born December 30th, 1965, is one of the most extraordinary guitarists performing before the public today. His stunning virtuosity has made him the guitarist of choice for many of the world’s top musicians, including Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald Fagen, John Lewis, Lionel Hampton, the Boston Pops, the New York Pops, and guitar legend Les Paul, who named Vignola to his “Five Most Admired Guitarists List:” for the Wall Street Journal.
Born in Italy and now based in New York City, Pasquale Grasso has developed an astounding technique and concept informed not by jazz guitarists so much as by bebop pioneers like Powell, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie and the classical-guitar tradition. His new digital-only EP series, available beginning in June from Sony Masterworks, showcases Grasso in the solo-guitar format, where his intensive studies of both midcentury jazz and classical meld into a signature mastery that is, remarkably, at once unprecedented and evocative.
A hectic touring schedule; eighteen recordings as a leader, including his newest release, Junkyard Duo; countless sideman recordings including Ray Brown, Bobby Hutcherson, Roger Kellaway; soundtrack performances on three of Clint Eastwood’s distinguished films—most notably Academy Award-winning Million Dollar Baby; producer, arranger, acclaimed educator, in residence at USC’s Studio/Jazz Guitar Dept., when does Bruce Forman rest?
Jimmy Bruno, born July 22, 1953 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a master jazz guitarist and jazz educator. One of the most critically acclaimed jazz guitarists performing today, Jimmy Bruno came to prominence as a jazz musician in the 1990's, after a successful twenty-year career as a sought-after commercial guitarist and session musician. After a whirlwind round-the-world tour as the youngest member of the Buddy Rich Orchestra, he went on to play guitar in orchestras for Frank Sinatra, Anthony Newley, Doc Severinsen, Lena Horne, and many more music icons. Additionally he spent many years as an LA session musician working with Tommy Tedesco.
2021 JUNO Award winner Jocelyn Gould has been called “a leader in the next generation of great mainstream jazz guitarists.” Jocelyn has performed and recorded internationally as a leader and with GRAMMY-nominated vocalist Freddy Cole, JUNO-winning trumpeter and vocalist Bria Skonberg, DownBeat Trombonist of the Year Michael Dease, Etienne Charles, Jon Gordon, Rodney Whitaker, Randy Napoleon and Diego Rivera. Jocelyn’s debut album, Elegant Traveler, won the 2021 JUNO Award for Jazz Album of the Year: Solo. Jocelyn is a Professor and Head of Guitar Department at Humber College in Toronto.
Fareed Haque is a modern guitar virtuoso. Steeped in classical and jazz traditions, his unique command of the guitar and different musical styles inspire his musical ventures with tradition and fearless innovation. Haque has toured and recorded with Joe Zawinul, Billy Cobham, Dave Holland, Paquito D’Rivera, Sting, Zakir Hussain, Bob James, Joe Henderson and many others, in addition to co-leading groups with Tony Monaco, Paul Wertico, Goran Ivanovic, Garaj Mahal, and The Chicago Immigrant Orchestra. Haque has released numerous albums as a leader, in jazz, classical, world music and fusion styles, and is the recipient of numerous accolades and awards including Best World Guitarist, Guitar Player Magazine 2009, 2004 Acoustic Album of the Year, 2007 Independent Music Award, and Best New World Music Group in Chicago Reader Poll 2020.
Acclaimed seven-string jazz guitarist Ted Ludwig has been a part of the jazz scene in New Orleans since 1997. Ted earned his Bachelor and Masters Degrees from the University of New Orleans Jazz Studies Program, under the direction of the legendary pianist Ellis Marsalis Jr. He received an ASCAP award, the Louis Armstrong award, and the Overture to the Cultural Season award for his outstanding musicianship and creativity. Ted has recorded, produced, and released four albums as a leader and has continuously performed on many other recordings as a co-leader and sideman. In 2016, Ted was the youngest inductee into The Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame.
Sean McGowan is an award winning fingerstyle jazz guitarist who combines many diverse musical influences with unconventional techniques to create a broad palette of textures within his compositions and arrangements for solo guitar. Originally from Maine, Sean studied at Berklee earned a DMA in Guitar Performance from the University of Southern California. Sean is a Professor of Music at, and currently serving as Chair of, the University of Colorado Denver's College of Music and Arts. Sean is a strong advocate for injury prevention and health education for musicians, and his workshops incorporate a holistic approach to playing. He is also a contributing editor and educational advisor for Acoustic Guitar magazine, author of Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar Solos (Hal Leonard) and the String Letter book/video instructional methods The Acoustic Jazz Guitarist, Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar Essentials, and Holiday Songs for Fingerstyle Guitar.
Beth is a music industry leader, veteran world touring performer, champion of music education and trailblazer who has carved out an important path in the guitar world. As an educator, she has risen from GIT faculty member to serving as Guitar Department Chair, on to Assistant Dean, and now to Vice President at Musicians Institute. She considers her 36 years as a member of its esteemed guitar faculty (GIT), teaching thousands of students as one of her proudest achievements. Beth is the author of two best-selling guitar instructional method books by Hal Leonard/MI Press, and a freelance music writer for Los Angeles Magazine and Jazz Guitar Today. She received her undergraduate music degrees from The University of California, GIT and a Master of Music degree in Studio/Jazz Guitar from USC.
World renowned guitarist educator and Emmy award winning composer, Tim is a member of the legendary Northwest Gypsy Jazz Group Pearl Django and popular duo with Jamie Findlay. In between gigs with PD and Jamie, Tim tries to play as many Solo Guitar performance as he can fit into the schedule. In addition to his live playing and recording schedule Tim is also a well respected and popular teacher with a busy schedule of private lessons, classes and workshops. Recent activities include new Master Class courses with TrueFire, Jazz Guitar Camps with Frank Vignola, an Instructional DVD for Hal Leonard Publishing, Master Class Videos for JazzGuitarSociety.com
World-renowned, Seven String Jazz Guitarist, composer and arranger, Ron Jackson has performed, recorded, and taught music in over 30 countries. Jackson is likely the only African American seven-string jazz guitarist alive. His goal is to bring awareness to the instrument through education, music, and events.
Steve Herberman is a graduate of Berklee College Of Music majoring in Jazz guitar performance. He began playing a seven-string guitar in 1993. Steve has recorded numerous CD's as both leader and sideman and is a respected jazz educator. Steve Herberman's original composition "What We Do" won first place in the jazz category of the 2018 USA Songwriting Competition. Steve has about 60 video lessons published on Mike's Masterclasses and has toured across the US and Europe playing and teaching. He is featured in the book The Great Jazz Guitarists by Scott Yanow and placed as a top guitarist in the 2022 All About Jazz reader's poll. Herberman is on the faculty of JazzWire and JazzBand Masterclass. Steve is an endorser of Comins Guitars
Born in Newport Beach, California, in 1958, Howard began playing at age ten, and soon began working professionally around Los Angeles. In 1979, Alden went east, for a summer in Atlantic City with Red Norvo, and continued to perform with him frequently for several years. Upon moving to New York City in 1982, Alden's skills, both as soloist and accompanist, were quickly recognized and sought-out for appearances and recordings with such artists as Joe Bushkin, Ruby Braff, Joe Williams, Warren Vache` and Woody Herman. Howard Alden has been a Concord Jazz recording artist since the late '80s where his prolific recorded output as leader, co-leader, and versatile sideman, has captured an artist of consistently astonishing virtuosity and originality.
Dr. Wayne E. Goins, University Distinguished Professor of Music and Director of Jazz Studies at Kansas State University, has performed with such greats as legendary guitarist Kenny Burrell, alto saxophonist Bobby Watson, trumpeter Clark Terry, tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano, organist Jimmy McGriff and many others. Goins completed his PhD. at The Florida State University, with teaching experience in Boston, Chicago, and Atlanta, where he conducted jazz ensembles and taught guitar at Morehouse College, Emory University, and Kennesaw State University.
Canadian born, Brooklyn based guitarist David Blake recently released “Fun House” on CellarLive. The quintet album features 8 originals and 1 standard, performed by Brad Turner, Thad Bailey-Mai, Conrad Good and Bernie Arai. David is currently working a trio album featuring bassist Drew Gress and drummer Ari Hoenig, to be released in 2023. David is currently an adjunct instructor at NYU and teaches private lessons.
Corey Christiansen is becoming recognized as one of the world’s preeminent guitarists and educators. A recording artist, writer, educator and performer, he has played and taught in literally every type of situation around the globe for the last decade. He has played with Dr. Lonnie Smith, Vic Juris, Danny Gottlieb, Jeff Coffin, James Moody, Steve Houghton, Jeremy Allen and many, many other jazz greats. Corey has authored or co-authored over 70 method books and projects for Mel Bay Publications. He has written many articles for many of the major guitar magazines in North America and Downbeat Magazine. He has the developed The Modern Guitar Community, an online guitar-learning site. He currently is the music head at Education Advantage (an online accredited high school) and on the board of advisors for musiclessons.com. Corey currently teaches at Utah State University and has taught as an adjunct professor at the famed Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University (2008-2013), BYU-Idaho and is an outreach educator for Caleb Chapman Music. He is also an artist-in-residence at Atlanta Institute of Music (Atlanta, GA), and Broadway Music School (Denver, CO)
Jim Nichols plays everything from modern jazz, blues and Americana to Chet Atkins style. His impressive credentials include appearances on television, radio, concert halls, and clubs including Carnegie Hall and the Tonight Show. He has played and/or recorded with Kenny Rankin, Chet Atkins, Hubert Laws, Buddy Montgomery, Van Morrison, Toots Thielemans, Tom Waits, and others.
Jazz guitarist, Sunnyside records and Benedetto artist, UNT professor.
Donovan Raitt incorporates percussive techniques, strong melodic hooks, live looping, and improvisation. His musical influences ranging from Rock and Pop to Jazz and Classical music, and his innovative performance techniques combined with an extensive background in improvisational music create a unique sound all his own.
ailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, American jazz guitarist Doug Martin has been actively performing all over the world since the year 2000 and has been based in Beijing, China for since 2012. His unique combination of musical influences from around the world are all evident in his music ranging from American jazz, French chanson, Brazilian bossa-nova and more. He has performed with several top artists including gypsy guitarist Lulo Reinhardt, Grammy award winning guitarist, John Jorgenson, and jazz guitar legends John Pisano, Mimi Fox and Howard Alden, and many more. Currently Doug Martin continues to perform in Beijing, China with Jess Meider, the Hot Club of Beijing, Mademoiselle et son Orchestra, as well as strait ahead jazz with his own jazz project, Alchemy Ensemble.
Italian-born guitarist and musicologist Giacomo Fiore has premiered more than two dozen new works for justly-tuned, electric, and classical guitars, and released several recordings for Populist, Cold Blue, Pinna, Spectropol, Paper Garden Records, and his own impressum. As a scholar his research focuses on U.S. experimental music, intonation, and performance; he has published articles in Music Theory Spectrum, the Journal of the Society for the American Music, and TEMPO, and writes occasionally for Classical Guitar and SFCV. He teaches a wide range of historical and practical music courses at the University of San Francisco and UC Santa Cruz.
Hello, I'm Barry Greene. I specialize in producing online lessons tailored to musicians aiming to enhance their jazz guitar skills. My lessons focus on helping them extract greater value from the challenging jazz theory they've studied, while also significantly enhancing the creative aspects of their playing.
John Storie is a Los Angeles-based guitarist, vocalist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. As a headliner for major international festivals and venues, he performs with the world-renown Mildred Snitzer Orchestra with actor/pianist Jeff Goldblum, and the award-winning New West Guitar Group. The Jeff Goldblum/Mildred Snitzer Orchestra’s debut album on Decca Records, “Capitol Studio’s Sessions”, topped #16 on the Billboard emerging artists charts, #1 on the Billboard Jazz charts, and was voted “Best New Artist” by JazzTimes in the 2018 music poll. Their latest release “I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This” is currently climbing the charts and features Miley Cyrus, Fiona Apple, Gregory Porter, Inara George, Sharon Van Etten, Gina Saputo, and Anna Calvi.
Lisa Liu is a guitarist based in Brooklyn, NY. She plays gypsy jazz, folk, rock, and solo guitar. Liu is an Artist Ambassador for Santa Cruz Guitar Company, Sadowsky Guitars, and Krivo Pickups. Liu has been published in Acoustic Guitar Magazine and has performed and taught alongside Mimi Fox, Martin Taylor and John Knowles CGP. She is a Teaching Artist at TrueFire and Django and June, and has also been an Artist In Residence at The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.
Mark Tonelli is an internationally-renowned musician and educator whose career is characterized by innovation and entrepreneurship. Mark is associate professor of music and coordinator of Guitar Studies in the School of Music at Millikin University, where he coordinates the guitar studies program and teaches courses in commercial music. Mark created the long-running course Arts Cafe, a live-performance venue that students operate, which features innovative programming across the arts spectrum. Mark is a recipient of Millikin's Artistic Achievement Award and has been a Road Scholar for Illinois Humanities, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. He is a Fulbright Scholar to Brazil.
Guitarist Mason Razavi has been a mainstay on the SF Bay Area jazz scene for over a decade, having led his groups at SF Jazz, San Jose Jazz, and Bach Dancing and Dynamite as well as countless clubs and concert series. His albums have often featured ambitious original music that has been warmly received, with albums peaking in the top 20 on the jazz radio charts.
Guitarist and harmonica player Pat Bergeson has written, toured, and recorded with many of his musical heroes. Beginning at the University of Illinois in his home state, he moved on to New York City and picked up a Jazz Studies degree at William Paterson University. After playing in New York for ten years, he moved to Nashville upon the request of Chet Atkins who heard Pat on a demo tape. Chet invited him to play on his album "Sneakin' Around" with Jerry Reed, and later featured Pat's guitar and compositions on his 1994 releases "Read My Licks" and "Simpatico" with Chet Atkins and Suzy Bogguss. Pat continued to tour and record with Chet for several years, and was named as one of his top twelve favorite guitarists in the Oct. 2001 issue of Vintage Guitar magazine.
From his early years, playing blues on Chicago’s South Side, to his present multi-faceted career based out of northern Vermont, Paul has earned an underground reputation as a true “musician’s musician”. He has played and recorded with Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Otis Rush, Magic Sam, Earl Hooker, Lightnin’ Slim, Paul Butterfield, Sam Lay, Pops Staples, Donny Hathaway, and numerous others while in his hometown of Chicago, Ill.
Guitarist Perry Smith combines the tradition of Jazz with broad influences from contemporary music to create his signature style. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Smith is now based in Brooklyn where he performs as a bandleader and as a sideman for local and touring artists. Smith’s extensive performance resume includes notable stages such as: Birdland (NYC), Blue Note Jazz Club (NYC & Tokyo), Smalls Jazz Club (NYC), Dizzy's Club Coca Cola (NYC), Montreal Jazz Festival, San Jose Jazz Festival, Java Jazz Festival (Indonesia), Jazz a la Calle (Uruguay), Rochester Jazz Festival, Yoshi's Jazz Club (Bay Area), The Blue Whale (LA), Philippine International Jazz Festival, Rocky Mountain Archtop Festival, The Healdsburg Guitar Festival and SFJazz.
Rafael has established himself as a premier guitarist and composer since his arrival in NYC in 2011. He has performed at renowned venues such as the Blue Note Jazz Club, ShapeShifter Lab, DROM, Shrine World Music, The Bitter End, The Rainbow Room, The Metropolitan Room, 54 Below, Dizzy’s Coca Cola Club, The 55 Bar, The Edison Ballroom and Bowery Electric both as a solo artist with his original music as well as with a number of bands. He has received rave reviews on his playing as a sideman with Tony Award Winning Singer Luba Mason and her project Mixtura, The Prince Of Bollywood Jeffrey Iqbal & Unity Through Music, , Night Of The Living Funk, Steven Frieder Group, Ben Rosenblum’s Nebula Project, and The Gianni Organ Trio (GOT), The Original Haus Band amongst others.
The love affair began early, which may very well explain how Taylor Roberts’ professional career is well into its third decade. Spanning as wide a range of influences as there are genres of music, Taylor Roberts has earned a reputation that is continuously expanding. Although his heart is deeply steeped in Jazz, Roberts does not easily fit into any one box. His influences range from R&B, to Classic Rock, to Pop, and everything in between.
As the guitarist for the premier Air Force Jazz Ensembles “The Airmen of Note” in Washington, D.C. and the “Falconaires” in Colorado Springs, Colorado, WAYNE WILKINSON performed for Presidents and other dignitaries at venues including the White House, Carnegie Hall as well as major jazz and music festivals. Wayne performs regularly and plays original compositions, traditional and straight ahead jazz classics; and innovative bebop jazz from the great American songbook. His Texas roots are recognized with a hint of western swing infused jazz to honor his heritage.
Will Brahm is a Los Angeles based guitarist and composer. He received his bachelors of
music in Jazz Guitar Studies at California Sate University Long Beach, where he was a five
time consecutive recipient of the “K-jazz” scholarship. Will has performed, recorded, and worked with artists such as Arturo Sandoval, the New West Guitar Group, Gordon Goodwin’s “Big Phat Band,” Kim Richmond, Otmaro Ruiz, Sara Gazarek, Jane Monheit, and Gretchen Parlato. Will has toured with The New West Guitar Group across the United States and to Malasia and the Philippines, and toured with his own original music across the United States and to Spain and Turkey. Recent albums of his include the 2017 release of his world original music ensemble “Homenaje,” the 2018 release of his duet album “Will Brahm & Lia Booth,” and the 2019
release of his most recent album under his own name, “Venture Atlas.”
Zakk Jones is an Ohio based guitarist, bandleader, composer and educator. He holds an M.M. in Jazz Studies from Bowling Green State University, and a B.M. in Jazz Studies from Capital University. Currently he is Assistant Professor and Area Head of Jazz Studies in the Conservatory of Music at Capital University. In this role, he leads one of the nation’s oldest collegiate jazz programs, directs the big band, and teaches core-curriculum classes like improvisation and theory. In addition, he is a Lecturer in Applied Guitar at Truman State University. Since his emergence in the Midwest scene he has played and toured all over the country and world.
Jamie Stillway has been quietly making her mark on the guitar world for over 25 years. Hailed by Fretboard Journal as “One of the top fingerstyle guitarists of her generation,” Stillway is widely regarded as a master of her craft who plays like a woman with nothing to prove. She has released six albums of original compositions to widespread critical acclaim. Her latest album, “Lullaby for a Stranger” was released on 11.11.22 on Portland’s Fluff and Gravy Records. She is a regular contributor to Acoustic Guitar magazine and the current co-host of their Acoustic Guitar podcast. Jamie is also an in-demand guitar instructor, and her unique, minimalist compositions and elegant guitar style have inspired players all over the globe.
Larry Tamanini is one of the most distinctive guitar voices to emerge from the storied Philadelphia jazz guitar scene in the last 20 years as a performer and educator. Characterized by his identifiable tone and incredibly articulated phrasing, Larry was able to absorb the nature of the guitar at a young age from icons Dennis Sandole and Pat Martino. Larry applied the knowledge from Pat & Dennis to the bandstand and has shared the stage with jazz legends Joey DeFrancesco, Lenny White, Richie Cole, Tyshawn Sorey, Mickey Roker, and many other world-renowned players thanks in part to countless hours spent at Ortlieb's Jazzhaus in Philadelphia learning the culture of the music and swing from Mike Boone, Byron Landham, and Sid Simmons. Larry has released 2 albums as a leader and appears on many recordings as a sideman in various musical settings. He currently resides in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and plays Westville guitars and Henriksen amps
Brad grew up in Pasadena, Ca oblivious to the classic rock era of the 60s until one night on TV catching Mason Williams playing his guitar instrumental “Classical Gas” on a guitar with fish swimming around inside of it! He then delved into playing, first mostly acoustic finger style and later getting into electric but never finding a way to incorporate fish. Brad studied music at Pierce Junior college but his musical identity was more drawn from self study and several excellent private teachers including Derol Coraco, Ted Greene and Joe Pass. Brad Rabuchin now splits time between leading his own band and a successful carrier as a sideman.
Originally from the L.A. area, Rich has been playing professionally and teaching guitar for over forty years. His education includes years of college and private instruction with a variety teachers including Mitch Holder, Ted Greene, Joe Pass, Charlie Shoemake to name a few. He feels education is a continuing process, there's always more to learn. His playing has been influenced by Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, Howard Roberts, Ted Greene and Larry Carleton
Over 40 Artists and Clinicians, More Announced Soon!
There are a limited number of all-access weekend workshop passes available, which include a la carte clinics, presentations, workshops and special performances. There are plenty of tickets available for the guitar exhibit, and many of the public performances are free, but access to the special events and education opportunities will sell out quickly.