He has performed in the U.S. and abroad, is featured on solo guitar CDs showcasing his original compositions for classical guitar, and has had numerous compositions published in both anthologies[1][2][3][4][5] alongside the works of other notable contemporary composers and in publications dedicated solely to his works.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]
He has written several jazz guitar instructional books, including All Blues for Jazz Guitar.[16] He is a Grammy-nominated[17] music journalist and editor.[18]
Holding B.S. and M.F.A. degrees,[19][20] he has taught guitar and music courses at universities in California for over 25 years, has conducted guitar and music workshops in the U.S. and abroad, and has taught guitar privately for more than 40 years.[21]
Early yearsedit
Born in Dayton, Ohio, Ferguson began his early music education playing the trombone when he was seven years old, then after eight years of study, switched to the guitar at the age of 15. He moved to California and began his music career in the 1970s, performing, teaching, and devoting serious study to the guitar.
Ferguson writes compositions and arrangements for both solo guitar and ensemble settings, including nylon-string guitar and flute, and nylon-string guitar and contrabass. He learned composition from Joseph Blaha and Ernest "Red" Varner. In the early 1990s, he began composing. In 2004, he released his first solo album, Cedar & Silver.[25] Tracks from Cedar & Silver such as "Aurora" and "Blanca" have been licensed by A&E, ABC, PBS, Spike TV, and MTV India. "Brothers" was licensed by The History Channel for their special "The History of Thanksgiving".[26] The score to "Asian Pavan"[27] was published in the October 2005 issue of Classical Guitar magazine[28] and was included in the Contemporary Anthology of Solo Guitar Music for Five Fingers of the Right Hand.[3][29]
Moonstone (2009) consists of original compositions, including six pieces from 12 Simple Jazzy Studies.[6] Other published works by Ferguson include Film Noir—Four Scenes,[9] "Requiem for a Fallen Artist",[11]Four Monsters,[10]12 Semi-Simple Jazzy Studies,[14] "Winedark Sea",[12] and Jazzotica.[13] He has performed with Paulo Bellinati, Ray Drummond, Jorge Morel, Tommy Tedesco, and Ernie Watts.
Ferguson's instructional books include examples written and played by him (on accompanying CDs). The first book in the series, All Blues for Jazz Guitar,[16] was named one of "100 Great Guitar Books" by Acoustic Guitar Magazine.[30]
"Romantico y Allegro Ritmico" (1992) by Jorge Morel, dedicated to Jim Ferguson[47]
"Chinese Metronome" (2009) by Charles Postlewate, dedicated to Jim Ferguson[3]
Referencesedit
^Master Anthology of Blues Guitar Solos Volume 1 (Book/2 CD set), 2000, Mel Bay Publications. A Mel Bay bestseller. ISBN 0-7866-4724-8.
^Master Anthology of Jazz Guitar Solos Volume 1 (Book/3 CD set), 2000, Mel Bay Publications. ISBN 0-7866-5291-8.
^ abcdefghiContemporary Anthology of Solo Guitar Music for Five Fingers of the Right Hand, 2009, edited by Charles Postlewate, Mel Bay Publications. ISBN 0-7866-7756-2.
^ ab25 Compositions (Book/CD set), 2011, Les Productions d'OZ, Canada. ISBN 978-2-89655-524-6.
^ abcLearn & Conquer Guitar Repertoire with Xuefei Yang, Intermediate 1, 2015, Various composers, Les Productions d'OZ, Canada. ISBN 978-2-89503-738-5.
^ abcdefghijklmn12 Simple Jazzy Studies, 2010, by Jim Ferguson, Les Productions d'OZ, Canada. ISBN 978-2-89655-322-8.
^ abCirque du Soul, 2010, by Jim Ferguson, Les Productions d'OZ, Canada. ISBN 978-2-89655-348-8.
^ abLady Di, 2010, by Jim Ferguson, Les Productions d'OZ, Canada. ISBN 978-2-89655-349-5.
^ abcdefFilm Noir—Four Scenes, 2011, by Jim Ferguson, Les Productions d'OZ, Canada. ISBN 978-2-89655-487-4.
^ abcdefgFour Monsters, 2012, by Jim Ferguson, Les Productions d'OZ, Canada. ISBN 978-2-89655-647-2.
^ abcdRequiem for a Fallen Artist, 2012, by Jim Ferguson, Les Productions d'OZ, Canada. ISBN 978-2-89655-756-1 (also published in 25 Compositions).
^ abcWinedark Sea, 2013, by Jim Ferguson, Les Productions d'OZ, Canada. ISBN 978-2-89655-926-8.
^ abcJazzotica, 2014, by Jim Ferguson, Les Productions d'OZ, Canada. ISBN 978-2-89737-227-9.
^ abcdefghijklmn12 Semi-Simple Jazzy Studies, 2015, by Jim Ferguson, Les Productions d'OZ, Canada. ISBN 978-2-89737-390-0.
^ abNight Cats, 2017, by Jim Ferguson, Les Productions d'OZ, Canada. ISBN 978-2-89737-768-7.
^ abcAll Blues for Jazz Guitar—Comping Styles, Chords & Grooves, 1997, by Jim Ferguson. Book/CD set. Published by Guitar Master Class Publications, distributed by Mel Bay Publications. A Mel Bay Bestseller. ISBN 0-7866-3128-7.
^ abNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences: Grammy Award Nomination, Best Album Notes, presented to Orrin Keepnews and Jim Ferguson for Wes Montgomery—Wes Montgomery: The Complete Riverside Recordings|The Complete Riverside Recordings, for the awards period 1993 (presented in 1994).
^"Jim Ferguson's Reviews, Honors, Awards". fergusonguitar.com. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
^Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design, 1975, San Jose State University, San Jose, California.
^ abMaster of Fine Arts in Performance and Literature, 1990, Mills College, Oakland, California. Master's Thesis: "Darius Milhaud's Segoviana—History, Style, Implications". Guitar Instructor: David Tanenbaum.
^Maurice J. Summerfield, The Jazz Guitar—Its Evolution, Players and Personalities since 1900, 4th edition (1998), Ashley Mark Publishing Company. ISBN 1-872639-31-3.
^Jim Ferguson's album credits (partial listing) on Allmusic, retrieved June 22, 2011.
^"Jim Ferguson, the Jazz Guitar Guru", Guitar Profiles by Jude Hibler, 20th Century Guitar Magazine, November 2001, Volume 12, Number 11.
^ abcCedar & Silver, 2004, by Jim Ferguson, Spring Street Records, SSR-2004.
^The History of Thanksgiving, a History Channel television special; soundtrack includes "Brothers" from Cedar & Silver by Jim Ferguson. Video clip available at: http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving
^Review of Cedar & Silver CD by Dr. Frank Forte, Just Jazz Guitar Magazine, November 2004, No. 41.
^ ab"Asian Pavan" published in Classical Guitar, October 2005 issue, Volume 24, Number 2, Ashley Mark Publishing Company, CGV24/02.
^ abcdefghijklmnMoonstone, 2009, by Jim Ferguson, Spring Street Records, SSR-2009.
^Acoustic Guitar Magazine, December 1998 issue, Number 72: All Blues For Jazz Guitar by Jim Ferguson named one of "100 Great Guitar Books".
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxy24 Jazzy Studies, 2015, by Jim Ferguson, Spring Street Records, SSR-2015.
^Songs For Our Fathers, 2002, by the Robin Anderson Big Band, RABB 001.
^ ab25 Compositions, 2011, by Marlène Demers-Lemay, Les Productions d'OZ, DZ1625CD.
^ abcdeFairy Tales, Monsters and Wild Animals, 2017, by Meredith Connie, Move Records, MCD 567.
^ abLiner notes to Moonstone, 2009, by Jim Ferguson, Spring Street Records, SSR-2009.
^Dedication of "Winedark Sea" to JoAnn Falletta found on Jim Ferguson's Books, Compositions, and CDs, retrieved June 9, 2016.
^All Blues Soloing for Jazz Guitar —Scales, Licks, Concepts & Choruses, 1999, by Jim Ferguson. Book/CD set. Published by Guitar Master Class Publications, distributed by Mel Bay Publications. ISBN 0-7866-4285-8.
^All Blues Scale for Jazz Guitar—Solos, Grooves & Patterns, 2000, by Jim Ferguson. Book/CD set. Published by Guitar Master Class Publications, distributed by Mel Bay Publications. ISBN 0-7866-5213-6.
^All Solos & Grooves for Jazz Guitar—Position Studies, Scales & Patterns, 2001, by Jim Ferguson. Book/CD set. Published by Guitar Master Class Publications, distributed by Mel Bay Publications. ISBN 0-7866-6003-1.
^All Intros & Endings for Jazz Guitar—Bebop, Swing, Latin, Ballads, 2003, by Jim Ferguson. Book/CD set. Published by Guitar Master Class Publications, distributed by Mel Bay Publications. ISBN 0-7866-6735-4.
^Shapes, Patterns & Lines for Jazz Guitar, 2007, by Jim Ferguson. Book/CD set. Published by Guitar Master Class Publications, distributed by Mel Bay Publications. ISBN 0-7866-7672-8.
^Comping Standards for Jazz Guitar, 2014, by Jim Ferguson. Book/CD set. Published by Guitar Master Class Publications, distributed by Mel Bay Publications. ISBN 978-078-668-586-8.
^Western Publishing Association: Maggie Award for Best Instructional Column (1989) for Jim Ferguson's column Fundamentals in Guitar Player.
^Western Publishing Association: Maggie Award for Best Instructional Series (1988) for Jim Ferguson's Master Series in Guitar Player.
^Mills College Admissions and Records, Oakland, California
^"Romantico y Allegro Ritmico" (to Jim Ferguson) by Jorge Morel, 1992, published in: Virtuoso South American Guitar, v. 06, 1993, found in Catalogue: "Guitar music, 2. Solo guitar repertoire, Selection 09.2010" at Artediffusion.com Archived July 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, retrieved November 21, 2010.