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Duncan James
Duncan James is a jazz, swing and blues guitarist and instructor. He has been teaching guitar since 1964, including four years as adjunct faculty at Lone Mountain College in San Francisco - 1972-1976 - and three years as a public school instrumental music teacher in Springfield and Miamisburg, Ohio - 1968-1971. He participated in the Bay Area Young Audience Program from 1981-1991 and has been a Jazz Instructor for Guitar Solo of San Francisco from 1986-2008. He is also a mentor for Jazzmasters Workshop having taught three guitar workshops in 2001. Mr. James holds a Bachelor of Music degree from The Ohio State University and has done post graduate work at Wright State University and Central State University in Ohio.
Performances include work with George Barnes, Howard Alden, Bruce Foreman, Mundell Lowe, Marilyn McCoo, Eartha Kitt, Michael Feinstein, Bernadette Peters, Barbara Cook, Chet Baker, Bobby McFerrin, Jimmy Witherspoon, Frankie Laine, Bob Hope, Les Brown, Eddie Sauter, the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, and the San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, Concord, and Russian River Jazz Festivals.
Recording credits include three recordings with George Barnes, including his last recording released in 2003 on acousticdisc.com, the Concord Jazz Guitar Collection Vols. 1 and 2 CD, his own trio with vocalist Madeline Eastman, five recordings with Turk Murphy vocalist Pat Yankee and two CDs with blues/jazz singer Darlene Langston, including "Street of Dreams" released in 2007. He also has a self produced solo CD, Duncan James "Solo Jazz Guitar", is prominently featured on Jim Rothermel's CDs "NeoClassic Swing" and "Memories of You", and on San Francisco blues diva Dr. Margie Baker's CD "Live at Rasselas" released in 2010 and "So Many Stars" released in 2014. Duncan's new CD "All My Tomorrows" was released in 2010. The new CD, trio and solo CD's are available on the Jim Luellen Music Company web site at jimluellen.com.
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"Where does one begin with Duncan James, the venerable swing jazz guitarist"- David McGee (Just Jazz Guitar Magazine May 2013)
Here is what Just Jazz Guitar Magazine had to say about Duncan in the Feb 2011 issue: "San Francisco-based jazz guitarist Duncan James is an old-school jazz guitar master." - (Just Jazz Guitar Feb. 2011)
Other selected press:
"James' elegant guitar brilliance"- Phil Elwood (San Francisco Examiner 01/12/1978)
"Relaxed, easy swing and strong sense of melody"- Jesse Hamlin (San Francisco Chronicle 11/16/1983)
