Sam Reider, Accordion and Jim Campilongo, Guitar!
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Sam Reider is a Latin GRAMMY-nominated pianist, accordionist, composer, and educator from San Francisco, California. His work brings together various streams of American music, from jazz and folk tunes to popular song and contemporary composition. He has appeared as a bandleader and soloist at major festivals and venues around the world and his performances and original compositions have been featured on NPR, PBS and the BBC.
Reider grew up in San Francisco, California. At Columbia University in New York City, he majored in American Studies and fell in love with folk music. This set him off on a journey that has taken him from back porches and dive bars to concert halls and major festivals all around the world. Representing the U.S. Department of State as a musical ambassador, Sam has traveled to China, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Estonia, Turkey and Azerbaijan, carrying his accordion on his back and collaborating with international artists.
Reider is a passionate and dedicated educator and a lifelong student. He holds a B.A. in American Studies from Columbia University and an M.A. in Music Composition from San Francisco State University. He is on faculty at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, CA where he teaches jazz, improvisation, and composition.
Jim Campilongo was born in South San Francisco, California. When he was nine, he discovered the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix.
Campilongo's career began in the mid-1970s. He studied guitar in San Francisco with Bunnie Gregoire, who taught him to embrace many genres of music, including the work of jazz guitarist George Van Eps and country singer John Denver. He used green stamps to buy his first guitar. One of Campilongo's biggest influences at the time was blues guitarist Roy Buchanan.
When Campilongo was seventeen he began performing with local bands Radio City, the Rick Slyter Group, The Chromatics, Nancie and the Neighbors and went on to play with Marcus Fillinger and the San Francisco “World Beat” scene that led to a stint in the Renegades of Funk.
In 2002, he moved to New York City and formed his Electric Trio, which toured Europe and Scandinavia
Additionally, Campilongo is a published guitar teacher and contributing editor for Guitar Player Magazine. Campilongo's TrueFire instructional video "Sonic Tele" continues to be a best seller along with his popular, homespun "Lessons By Mail", offered on jimcampilongo.com. Campilongo's virtuosity and originality has inspired a generation of guitar players.
Jim recently moved back to the Bay Area to continue his career & studies while enjoying the Bay Area quality of life while being closer to his family.
These short bios only scratch the surface of the experience and accolades these internationally recognized musicians have garnered. For more information on Sam Reider, please visit samreidermusic.com and for Jim Campilongo: jimcampilongo.com.
The San Francisco Accordion Club is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization whose purpose is to enhance, promote and stimulate an appreciation for the accordion within the membership and throughout the general public. Donations are tax-deductible and gratefully accepted by using the Donate button at the left or by mailing your contribution to the Club Treasurer.
