FERGUSON Jim

Described by Just Jazz Guitar Magazine as “a wonderful composer” and a guitarist with “impeccable technique,” Jim Ferguson has enjoyed a unique career that has spanned both the jazz and classical realms as a performer, composer, and educator.

In addition to Just Jazz Guitar, Jim’s compositions have been praised by Classical Guitar Magazine, Soundboard Magazine, and acclaimed conductor JoAnn Falletta. He has numerous pieces published by Les Productions d’OZ, and he contributed six pieces to Mel Bay’s Contemporary Anthology Of Solo Guitar Music For Five Fingers, edited by Charles Postlewate (2009). His music is also featured on two solo CDs – Cedar & Silver (2004) and Moonstone (2009) – which reflect classical, jazz, world, and other influences.

A former editor of Guitar Player Magazine, Jim has written several acclaimed jazz guitar books, including All Blues For Jazz Guitar, All Blues Soloing For Jazz Guitar, and Shapes, Patterns & Lines For Jazz Guitar. He is also profiled in Maurice J. Summerfield’s The Jazz Guitar – Its Evolution, Players and Personalities Since 1900, and he contributed numerous entries to The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz.

In 1994, Jim was nominated for a Grammy Award for annotating Fantasy Records’ 12-CD set Wes Montgomery: The Complete Riverside Recordings. He also penned the instructional column Fundamental Perspectives for Great Britain’s Classical Guitar Magazine, and he is the editor of several books issued by Guitar Solo Publications, including a series devoted to the studies of Leo Brouwer, Fernando Sor, and Matteo Carcassi.

Jim was born in Dayton, Ohio, and began playing the guitar at age 15. He received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Mills College in Oakland, California, where he wrote his thesis on the composition Segoviana by Darius Milhaud. Jim has taught music at California universities and colleges for over 20 years. He currently resides in Santa Cruz, California, where he continues to write, instruct, and compose. Jim’s website: www.fergusonguitar.com.