Chicago Joe Jones
chicagojoejones.com

It doesn’t take more than a few seconds to realize that Chicago Joe Jones has a way with young people. He knows them, they trust him, and he can figure out how to approach each one of them in the way that he or she responds best.

Joseph Jones, alias "Chicago Joe" grew up on the south side of Chicago, listening to live performances by the likes of James Brown, The Temptations, The Jackson Five, and blues great Junior Wells. In 1980 he enrolled in the ALR Music School and began to learn scales, improvisation, and theory from Eric Rastus.

Since coming to Atlanta, Joe has worked every venue where the blues is played. He has backed such luminaries as Chick Willis, and Little Jimmy Reed, and has opened for Chicago blues greats Pinetop Perkins and Steady Rollin’ Bob Margolin. Most of the time, however, you can find Chicago Joe fronting his own band at places like Fat Matt’s, Maddy’s, and Two Urban Licks.

Teaching kids has been a large part of his life, too. From the age of sixteen, when he taught swimming to younger children as a summer job, Joe has worked with kids. In college he worked as a camp counselor in Wisconsin, and after college he spent three years as a youth pastor at a church in Chicago. The next twenty years were spent teaching in both the Chicago and Atlanta public school systems. Joe began a private guitar studio five years ago and feels he has a special calling to teach kids.

Mike Cady
www.myspace.com/thelonliestmonks

Michael Cady is Maple Street Guitar's bass specialist. He has been teaching bass and guitar for nearly twenty years, and performing for over twenty-five years. He has been adding his expertise at camp not only on bass, but on quick arrangements and transpositions to help the students, ever since camp opened in 2005. The students love his many techno gadgets and most of all, his expertise on the yo-yo.

Mike has studied under many teachers including Jim Woody, Lyn Deramus, David Fisher, Frank Carter, Rich Nanista, Michael Moore, Ted Howe, Mary Akerman, Sid Wolf, Jackie Pickett, and Don Strand. This variety of teachers has given him unusual insight into teaching techniques. He has taken what he considers to be the most effective methods of his various teachers and developed them into his own.

Always looking to further his own musical education, Mike continues to study with other instructors in classical, flamenco and jazz. A lover of "low and loud," in addition to his main instrument - the seven string bass - he also plays upright bass and tuba. Mike performs locally with "The Chris Paul Kenny Group" and Sam McPherson's "Red Neck Jazz". He also has his own group "The Loneliest Monks," which recently recorded their first CD, "Radiation Love."

Eskil Wetterqvist
www.myspace.com/mudcatbluesband

Eskil Wetterqvist began playing drums at the age of 11, and has been playing professionally for over 25 yrs. His first gig was at age 12. Eskil won ‘The Distinguished Musicians Award’, and ‘The John Phillip Sousa Award’ in high school while at the same time pursuing his original music projects and learning guitar, bass, and keyboards.

As a professional he has continued to compose, perform, and record with many bands. Highlights include winning 2nd place nationally in The Marlboro Music Talent Round-up with "The Chris Kenny Band," making the semi-finals in The Yamaha Music Showcase with the band "RainHouse," and being nominated for best local band in The Georgia Coca-Cola Music Awards with "Big Sky," a band whose members included former "Steve Morse Band" bassist Jerry Peek, and which was produced by "Kansas" drummer Phil Ehart. He also performed live with former "Kansas" violinist David Ragsdale to support his CD "David and Goliath." Recently he toured the UK with singer/songwriter Sue Wilkinson, for whom he also directed/edited a music video for her song "Box." The video won 1st place in a contest on online TV station now.com for their mp3tv channel. He has been drumming with blues artist Mudcat over 4 years, and has toured Europe with the band three times.

Eskil has been teaching for 12 years, currently maintaining a studio at Midtown Music. His teaching focuses upon finding the things that excite and motivate each student, while teaching the fundamentals and creating a relaxed, fun environment. He greets each student with genuine enthusiasm and lessons end with smiles all around.

Jeep Hook
www.myspace.com/hookhouse

Born in the United Kingdom, Jeep Hook began his career as a touring musician for Talk Talk, the hugely successful 80’s band whose song "It’s My Life " was recently covered by Gwen Stefani of No Doubt and for Basia, the Polish Jazz singer signed to Columbia. Jeep was later signed to Virgin Records as part of the blue-eyed soul duo, Millions Like Us. Since then he has owned and operated successful recording studios in London, Los Angeles, and now in Atlanta with hookhouse studios.

Jeep has recorded and produced a wide variety of music including Hip Hop and Rap, Rock and R’n’B. He is also a talented songwriter, always willing to nurture emerging talent. We at camp know him as a dedicated teacher, committed to helping young musicians. Jeep brings his skills in songwriting and recording, as well as his creative musicianship in playing guitar, bass, keyboards and drums. Jeep masters the CDs of all camp concerts, which gives them a great professional polish.

Jeep is married and has a teenage son and a daughter Sophia Joi, born on the same day in 2006 he began teaching at camp! He has coached youth sports in DeKalb County for over ten years, and is well-known by several of our campers in that role.

Micki González

Micki González is the administrative partner of Chicago Joe’s Rock ‘n Blues Camp. She is the mom of a guitar student, and was so impressed with Joe and his work with the students that she was eager to help him develop the camp.

As luck would have it, her own training is in music, specifically in vocal training, so she began coaching vocals during the second year of the camp. Some of the other performing faculty tried her techniques in their own work with their bands and were so pleased at the improvement that they asked her to take a more active role in helping the students find their voices and sing with confidence and skill.

Micki received her B.M. and M.M. in music from Florida State University, and her M.Div from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. Currently she is Minister of Music at Sandy Springs Christian Church. She also has maintained a private voice studio for many years.

Dustin "Red" Sargent
www.myspace.com/dustinsargent

Dustin (Red) Sargent is a favorite among not only the bass students, but all of the campers.  His sense of humor and easy accepting manner puts even the newest camper instantly at ease.  Red left his hometown of South Haven, IN at the age of 17 and soon became one of Atlanta's most sought after sidemen.

There are few bassists around who have led as eclectic career as Dustin. Basically self taught and coming from a strong jazz-influenced background, Dustin has spent the last 10 years globe-hopping and recording with dozens of acts. He has played with Sean Costello, blues artist; Pato Banton, reggae artist; Jimmy Hall of Wet Willie fame; Chris Duarte, guitarist,;Will Scruggs, jazz saxophonist; Deborah Coleman, vocalist; and of course, Chicago Joe Jones.  Red teaches bass at Midtown Music.

Akeem Marable
www.akeemmarable.com

Akeem Marable hails from Valdosta, GA. He began his professional musical studies in the School of American Music at the University of North Florida. Akeem studied saxophone with IAJE Hall-of-Famer and Charles Mingus Band member, Bunky Green. While at UNF, Akeem performed with jazz greats Dave Brubeck, Kenny Garrett, Rebecca Paris, and Terry Gibbs, of the The Simpsons. He also shared the stage with the Jacksonville Symphony orchestra in a featured concert of an original orchestral suite for symphony orchestra and Jazz ensemble. Florida performances also include two hits at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, an outdoor gig at the Jacksonville Beach Jazz Festival, and the Lakeside Jazz Festival. Marable capped off his college career with a 13-day tour of the People's Republic of China, highlighted by a performance atop the Great Wall.

Outside of school, Marable explored the marching percussion world by marching three summers with Teal Sound and one with Magic Drum and Bugle Corps. He has also been in clinics for YAMAHA led by the legendary Jeff Moore. These experiences led Akeem to percussion staff positions at Nease High School, Sandy Creek High School, Decatur High School, Stockbridge High School, Lakeside High School (ATL), Corpvets and Teal Sound Drum & Bugle Corps. Upon making the move to Atlanta to pursue a Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies, Mr. Marable performed with Jazz legend Jimmy Heath and Jazz composer Michael Phillip Mossman.  In 2007, Marable had the momentous opportunity of backing Smooth Jazz superstar Greg Karukas.  Marable made his first appearance at the Atlanta Jazz Festival in 2010 with The Joe Gransden Big Band. 

Marable has recorded with Jazz legend and personal hero, Curtis Fuller.  Locally, Akeem can be seen performing sax with Atlanta’s jazz greats Joe Gransden, Kevin Bales, Tyrone Jackson, Brian Hogans, and Jacob Deaton.  He is also holds a residency as a member of The Tree-O of Love at Churchill Grounds, Atlanta’s premier Jazz club.

Eric Frampton

Classically trained in piano from age five, Eric is a first-call keyboardist, producer, composer, and technician. He has toured and/or recorded with such artists as the B-52s, Paul Simon, Mother's Finest, Stuck Mojo, Yanni, Ed Roland (of Collective Soul), the Hollywood Hills Orchestra, Billy Currington, and Fozzy. Eric has written six musicals including the award-winning Song Of The Living Dead, performed on over 150 album projects, produced dozens of radio and television spots, and recorded cues for several feature films. Please don't feed him chicken.