George Cole

"George Cole was more than a guitar teacher to me. He was a mentor that talked about great music, great songs, good taste, and everything in between. I feel grateful and lucky that he showed me how to express myself with a guitar" - Billie Joe Armstrong

"George Cole, guitar guru at the forefront of style" - Anthony Sauro, Stockton Record Joe Armstrong

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"George Cole was more than a guitar teacher to me. He was a mentor that talked about great music, great songs, good taste, and everything in between. I feel grateful and lucky that he showed me how to express myself with a guitar" - Billie Joe Armstrong

"George Cole, guitar guru at the forefront of style" - Anthony Sauro, Stockton Record Joe Armstrong

"George Cole has a sound that incorporates some of the finest elements of '30s/'40s-era European and American music. Cole's excellent Django-style guitar work and his band's enticing instrumental and vocal harmonies make them a must-see for any fan of vintage jazz." - Art Thompson, Guitar Player Magazine

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Primary Instrument

Guitar, acoustic

Location

San Francisco

Willing to teach

Beginner to advanced

Credentials/Background

GEORGE COLE - "The Guitar Professor" : Available for remote lessons as of March 2020 via digital interface; see below for rates.; CREDENTIALS - With over 40 years of experience as a professional musician and music educator, guitarist George Cole inhabits a musical world all his own.... a world in which Django Reinhardt, The Ramones, Artie Shaw, Nat King Cole and Doc Watson get equal billing with Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Willie Nelson and the Great American Songbook. Cole currently occupies the guitar chair for the David Grisman Quintet and has 2 releases on Grisman’s highly regarded Acoustic Disc Label. George was guitar teacher and mentor to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt of Green Day for 10 years. Cole, a San Francisco native and BAMMIE award winner brings an expertise to his guitar playing and singing that is filtered through Rock and Roll, Gypsy Jazz and All things American. Cole is a composer, lyricist, and highly skilled arranger, his current projects include The George Cole Orchestra (7-16 piece big band) and recording a new solo record. Upcoming 2020 performances pending directives from the CDC [RE: Colvid 19 Pandemic] SFJAZZ Center (Dec 17): YOSHI’S Oakland (Nov. 30). The following festivals and appearances were postponed for 2020, when dates are rescheduled they will be posted on www.georgecole.net , social media, and www.bandsintown.com : La Conner Guitar Festival (Headline Performer and Lead Guitar Seminar/Workshop Facilitator), July 10-12): Bodega Seafood, Art, and Wine Festival (August 2020): Crocker Art Museum Jazz in the Courtyard Series (Sept 24). GUITAR CLINIC/SEMINAR/WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION: Great American Songbook For Guitar; Learn to play jazz guitar in a fun, exciting and engaging hands-on guitar workshop! Guitar master George Cole whose credits include 5 years and counting with mandolinist David Grisman, guitarist/vocalist duties with jazz icon Keely Smith and 10 years as guitar instructor and mentor to Green Day’s  Billy Joe Armstrong. Workshop includes chord charts and instruction on how  to play five jazz standards. learn how to play rhythm, melody and solo over your favorite jazz  classics  in a friendly, supportive environment with the emphasis on practical learning and developing. Explore your creativity and engage those fast twitch muscle reflexes rather than sit in a stodgy purely academic and theoretical environment. 

Clinic/Workshop Information

Read more

Primary Instrument

Guitar, acoustic

Location

San Francisco

Willing to teach

Beginner to advanced

Credentials/Background

GEORGE COLE - "The Guitar Professor" : Available for remote lessons as of March 2020 via digital interface; see below for rates.; CREDENTIALS - With over 40 years of experience as a professional musician and music educator, guitarist George Cole inhabits a musical world all his own.... a world in which Django Reinhardt, The Ramones, Artie Shaw, Nat King Cole and Doc Watson get equal billing with Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Willie Nelson and the Great American Songbook. Cole currently occupies the guitar chair for the David Grisman Quintet and has 2 releases on Grisman’s highly regarded Acoustic Disc Label. George was guitar teacher and mentor to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt of Green Day for 10 years. Cole, a San Francisco native and BAMMIE award winner brings an expertise to his guitar playing and singing that is filtered through Rock and Roll, Gypsy Jazz and All things American. Cole is a composer, lyricist, and highly skilled arranger, his current projects include The George Cole Orchestra (7-16 piece big band) and recording a new solo record. Upcoming 2020 performances pending directives from the CDC [RE: Colvid 19 Pandemic] SFJAZZ Center (Dec 17): YOSHI’S Oakland (Nov. 30). The following festivals and appearances were postponed for 2020, when dates are rescheduled they will be posted on www.georgecole.net , social media, and www.bandsintown.com : La Conner Guitar Festival (Headline Performer and Lead Guitar Seminar/Workshop Facilitator), July 10-12): Bodega Seafood, Art, and Wine Festival (August 2020): Crocker Art Museum Jazz in the Courtyard Series (Sept 24). GUITAR CLINIC/SEMINAR/WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION: Great American Songbook For Guitar; Learn to play jazz guitar in a fun, exciting and engaging hands-on guitar workshop! Guitar master George Cole whose credits include 5 years and counting with mandolinist David Grisman, guitarist/vocalist duties with jazz icon Keely Smith and 10 years as guitar instructor and mentor to Green Day’s  Billy Joe Armstrong. Workshop includes chord charts and instruction on how  to play five jazz standards. learn how to play rhythm, melody and solo over your favorite jazz  classics  in a friendly, supportive environment with the emphasis on practical learning and developing. Explore your creativity and engage those fast twitch muscle reflexes rather than sit in a stodgy purely academic and theoretical environment. 

Clinic/Workshop Information

GEORGE COLE GUITAR CLINIC/SEMINAR/WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION: Great American Songbook For Guitar; Learn to play jazz guitar in a fun, exciting and engaging hands-on guitar workshop! Guitar master George Cole whose credits include 5 years and counting with mandolinist David Grisman, guitarist/vocalist duties with jazz icon Keely Smith and 10 years as guitar instructor and mentor to Green Day’s Billy Joe Armstrong. Workshop includes chord charts and instruction on how to play five jazz standards. learn how to play rhythm, melody and solo over your favorite jazz classics in a friendly, supportive environment with the emphasis on practical learning and developing. Explore your creativity and engage those fast twitch muscle reflexes rather than sit in a stodgy purely academic and theoretical environment.

Show less