Charlie Apicella was voted onto the 84th annual DownBeat Readers Poll for Guitar and
nominated in the 2019 Hot House NYC Readers Jazz Awards in three categories:
Jazz Artist Of The Year, Group (Charlie Apicella & Iron City), and Guitarist Of The Year
He has performed concerts and recorded with jazz legends Dave Holland, Sonny Fortune, and John Blake, Jr. as well as contemporary masters Joe Magnarelli, Vic Juris, Dave Stryker, and Don Braden.
In 2014 he was invited by Pat Martino to study improvisation, composition, and Pats unique method for learning the mechanics of the guitar.
Charlie began his music training in 1999 at the University of Massachusetts studying composition and improvisation with Yusef Lateef, music history with Archie Shepp, and private guitar lessons with Dave Stryker.
* * *
Charlie Apicella is an Eastman Guitars Featured Artist,
a Guild Guitars Sponsored Artist,
and a ZT Amplifiers Official Artist.
He is a regular contributor to Vintage Guitar Magazine's YouTube channel
Charlie has published two DownBeat Woodshed masterclass lessons and a lesson for Just Jazz Guitar magazine.
* * *
A deeply melodic guitarist along the lines of Grant Green. Apicella faithfully has sought to channel an era of American music when hard-bop and r&b reigned...But the guitarist still manages to keep things fresh. MATTHEW KASSEL, DownBeat
"As a player, Apicella immediately brings to mind Grant Green. Hes funky, hes bluesy, and hes not afraid to get dirty at times. Apicella and band have that perfect jazz rapport that allows them to be tight as hell and play off each other beautifully." JOHN HEIDT, Vintage Guitar Magazine
"Apicella's playing shines...[he] is aware of the straight-ahead tradition, showcasing his Wes Montgomery influence...Apicella's guitar sound is bright and clean, and easily cuts through the huge sound of the organ." TIM FISCHER, Just Jazz Guitar Magazine
As a Producer/ Beginner Music director it was very important for me to focus on my guitar playing and develop my own sound. A few months ago I came across a few jazz lessons on Truefire By Charlie Apicella and the lessons were so helpful for someone like me who was exploring and being creative. The lessons were so intuitive, engaging and most importantly the topics covered were very helpful, creative and niche. It has surely been a productive time that has helped me a lot to learn and made me a better Musician! Hoping to see more in the future, keep it up!
A
aditya2509
01/03/21
Jazzmaster!
If you are someone like who is exploring into genres like Jazz then look no more and start lessons by Mr. Charlie Apicella. The lessons were so intuitive, engaging and most importantly the topics covered were very helpful, creative and niche. The All access pass that I have won has surely helped me a lot to access all the content on the website and made me a better Musician! Hoping to see more in the future.
J
JazzViolin
05/04/20
Great Jazz-Blues!
Charlie, I saw an announcement on FaceBook for your new course about Miles Davis. I hope it is available soon on TrueFire.
I first encountered Charlie when he was playing at the Blue Note in New York and I was so impressed with his jazz improv skills. He had some great original songs that he wrote as well. And what I love, he played some nice blues and jazz blues.
I have checked out Solid Guitar and I am blown away at how clear the explanations are regarding jazz improv and blues. He has a clear teaching style that is easy to understand but not too bogged down with "put your finger here...etc.," so I would say not all the videos are for absolute beginners. That is a good thing, there is so much of that on TrueFire already.
P
Panos
04/24/20
A very inspirational musician
Hello Charlie, I want to thank you for being such an inspiration in my involvement with jazz blues music. I watch your YT channel and I recently become acquainted with your True Fire channel, from the live transmission few days ago. I expect to see relevant courses soon. Keep up the good work. Thank you again for being a source of motivation. Regards !
S
sweeppicker
04/03/20
Super Helpful Videos - This Is What I Need!
Charlie, I love your videos. Do you have any courses on TrueFire I can buy? I want more info on jazz blues and walking bass lines on guitar.
