Amazon.com Acclaimed (albeit not as widely as deserved) for his six-string calisthenics, San Francisco guitarist Jim Campilongo curbs his fieriness with this reflective 10-song outing. Working with accordionist/keyboardist Rob Burger as his main foil (rather than regular steel guitarist Joe Goldmark), Campilongo has created something quite rare--an instrumental album that's intensely personal. One can't help but feel there's a story behind the lost-in-thought likes of "The Grass is Greener," "Sarah," and the title track. Strikingly reserved when compared with the have-I-got-a-lick-for-you likes of 1997's Loose and 2000's Heavy, Table for One may nevertheless be Campilongo's most involving recording. Just goes to show that sometimes a whisper comes through more clearly than a scream. --Steven Stolder
Album Description "A bridge between the big sky and the big city, "Table For One" is Americana at its most touching" - BillBoard Magazine
Customer Reviews: Table For One CD review...March 1, 2010 Andrew Frost(Toronto) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This record is absolutely stunning. Jim Campilongo plays with a thoughtful, burning intensity that is heartfelt and urgent. The compositions generally have slower tempi, leaving plenty of room for Campilongo's heavily nuanced, expressive style.
The recordings seem to be mostly off-the-floor instrumental quartet ( guitar, organ/accordion, bass, drums ) as there is great interactive chemistry between players. The compositions are hauntingly beautiful, sometimes quirky, and reveal Campilongo's very unique melodic and harmonic sensibility. Tempo increases a little in the middle of the record and then eases back toward the title track of Table for One, which is an outstanding example of the "less is more" approach to writing and playing good music. I would love to find more records like this one...
FantasticMay 10, 2007 Michael M. Bruns(St. Paul, MN) 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
What a great CD. As others have described, this a very cinematic, evocative CD. It has fantastic playing on it, but it's more about the compositions and atmosphere than "how the F*&^ did he do that." I have a couple of other Campilongo CDs and I like this one by far the best. The others have much more quirky playing and great licks to learn, but this one is miles beyond the others in terms of cohesiveness. I owned this for a bunch of years and still play it regularly. You can hear a lot of Bill Frisell influence here which is all to the good in my opinion. There's also one solo he plays that stands out where he combines the spirit of Jerry Garcia, Roy Buchannon and Frisell into a fantastic amalgam that pays tribute while being more succinct than the influences he draws from (other than Frisell who can be very succinct). Absolutely great CD.
Someplace between light and dark there is this. Amazing.December 21, 2001 Kevin Barber(Alameda, CA United States) 5 out of 5 found this review helpful
A departure from previous recordings, 'Table for One' is more intense in mood and feel. The all-instrumental record has scaled back the trademark pedal steel giving way to healthy portions of organ and accordion - did I say accordion? Yeah, and it's hip. This album is very slow and deliberate in it's story telling, taking time to explore each melody fully, rushing past nothing while retaining a smooth even flow. Jim's playing is impeccable and the tonal voices he creates are breathtaking (Is the guitar weeping on Fiesty's Ride?). This is a wonderfully composed collection of introspective, intense and emotional pieces and some of Jim's finest song writing yet.
Jim's unique style and vibe on 'Table for One' is sweet as a first kiss and as heart breaking as the day you came home to find her toothbrush gone. This is a great buy.
Beautiful MusicDecember 15, 2001 5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This CD is a great collection of emotional music from the heart. I've sat and listened to this CD on many occasions and enjoyed it like a good movie. Very few records have that quality ( Sgt Peppers-Kind Of Blue-Joni Mitchell's Blue) but "Table For One is a "Noir Calssic". From the first vocal - like guitar line on "The Grass Is Greener" to the final chord of the ironic "This Old Man" this record plays like a well thought out body of work . Beause of this it is certainly the most "even" of any Campilongo releases. Rob Burger's Accordion is mixed appropriately hot and loud on the gentle ballads that give a feeling of "breathy" intamacy. Great songs from beginning to end.... "Table For One " is beautiful music.
Should have been called "The Other Side of Jim Campilongo"December 24, 1998 6 out of 6 found this review helpful
What a change from his first two albums. Well, there may have been a hint on the others. Aptly titled, right on the money. Dark country meets jazz somewhere in France and slow at that. I don't think there is one song over 100 beats per minute. Only one song with Joe Goldmark on steel. Replaced with B-3 organ and accordian. Still, it's a great CD. I really like it. But, very different from the first two. Worth a listen.
