Local
clubs feature live entertainment, and dozens of bands play today through
Saturday at JazzFest, and at the same time across town during Saturday's
KRROfest. Jazz
guitarist Chris Champion is among the top musicians on stage this weekend. See
the Phoenix native play during JazzFest at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Get
a preview during a live half-hour show, 4 p.m. Friday at Wiley's Tavern. If you
can't get there, watch online and type questions and comments during Argus
Leader's Link Live atwww.argusleader.com/linklive.
Playing
and teaching for more than four decades, Champion now is a South Dakota
resident. He moved to Madison about a year ago when his wife accepted a
teaching position at Dakota State University.
Now
he's exploring the regional music community, playing with several musicians and
as a solo act. He's also teaching guitar.
Champion
began studying classical guitar in Phoenix at age 7. At age 15, when he heard
guitarist Leo Kottke play, he was inspired to learn techniques similar to
Kottke's legendary finger-picking style. Broadening his interest was seeing
Larry Carlton play a Gibson 335 on a PBS TV show.
"I
was absolutely fascinated by the concept of jazz-rock guitar and improvisation
in general," Champion says. Another musical life-changing event was when
guitarist Randy Buzzelli presented a clinic at Champions' high school and
talked about the Guitar Institute of Technology.
"I
went home, and I said, 'That's where I'm going,' even though I knew nothing
about it," Champion says. He soon moved to Hollywood and finished three
10-week sessions at the music school.
He
moved back to Phoenix to practice and study at Arizona State University while
performing in many bands. That's when Champion says he learned to build on his
technical knowledge to be a better musician.
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