Seeds for The Campbell / Whiteman Project were planted when two superb guitarists Chris Whiteman and Royce Campbell met at a guitar summit a few years back. Doing some gigs together at a club in Richmond, Va., Chris and Royce discovered they had great rapport, both musically and personally. This collaborative album, released in 2020, also features Paul Langosch (bass) and Emre Kartari (drums). Once they all started working together, it’s clear that some excellent chemistry resulted, and musical magic happened. Royce Campbell’s an amazing guitarist who played with Marvin Gaye before spending twenty years with Henry Mancini. Chris Whiteman is equally remarkable with an advanced degree from the University of Miami in jazz pedagogy and years of teaching and performing. Paul Langosch spent nearly twenty years as Tony Bennett's bassist, as well as with an astonishing list of other iconic jazz musicians. Born in Turkey, drummer Emre Kartari holds a master’s degree in jazz performance from New York University, and he has performed and recorded with various groups.

Besides being competent professionals who are committed to what they do, the musicians on this album also had a clear, strong vision about where they wanted to go. The Campbell / Whiteman partnership led to bountiful rewards with four original compositions from each guitarist, as well as three covers (“Ladybird,” “My Ideal” and “In Walked Bud”). The quartet plays with inspiration and passion, and I also enjoyed dialing in a You Tube video from their session of Whiteman’s sweet piece, “Autumn’s Fall.” These guys make it look so easy as they play with the precision, intonation and single note linearity of guitarists like Grant Green and Jim Hall.  They’re also fluid, tasteful improvisers with great dexterity. Whiteman’s other originals include the spirited “Jackrabbit,” lyrical “See You Again” and lively “Barrel Thief Blues.” Campbell’s four originals similarly cover many musical moods from his engaging “Along the Way” and lively “Blues at an Angle” to an enchanting “Winterlude” and evocative bossa “Secluded Cove.” Solos are clean, colorful and express real musical value as their instruments speak with lush tone, imagination and elegant taste. This album appeared last year under the radar, and it deserves a much wider listen and circulation.  (Joe Ross, Roots Music Report)