CAMI THOMPSON - a light-hearted biography "She's a jewel, and sings the way the jazz angels should." Sam Baumann - Nevada Appeal (Aug 31, 2006) Spirited singer, actress, songwriter, arranger, teacher and band leader Cami Thompson has been sharing her gifted musical talents and charismatic personality with appreciative audiences all around the globe for about 30 years now. Reno born and musically raised, she has traveled to the far reaches of Paris, London, Amsterdam, Bangkok, Cannes, Casablanca, Manila, Tokyo, Seoul, and managed to find her way back from being very lost in most places to work around the US, singing her heart out in concerts, clubs, jazz festivals, cabarets, theaters and more than a few unsavory but delightful dives. Audiences journey with her through a passionate repertoire of classic American standards, unique jazz tunes, saucy blues and poignant originals. Her 4+ octave voice resonates with warmth and beauty, and displays great depth, dexterity and unbelievable control. Often displaying dizzying blasts of scat, Cami sings with outstanding musical skill backed by a great sense of humor, compassion and human dignity, all the while soaring on the wings of innovative jazz freedom, faith and a great lack of reality, probably stemming from her extensive background in musical theatre. "(She has) a voice that stands out like diamonds from plastic glitter!" (Guy Richardson, Reno Gazette) Miss Thompson spent over 2 years singing in Europe at various jazz clubs and festivals in England, France, Italy, Morocco and Holland, including the prestigious North Sea Jazz Festival in Den Haag, Holland, and the Juan Les Pins Festival du Jazz in France. She has toured as lead actress with two DOD/USO 3-month-tour shows throughout the Far East. She spent four years in LA singing in jazz clubs, recording, teaching voice, performing with the prestigious Emmy-nominated vocal group LA Jazz Choir, and auditioning her heart out... but she was "too short" for the LA theater scene. Cami has lived much more happily in San Francisco since 1995, singing in clubs, creating concerts, touring, recording, teaching voice, and enjoying the great cuisine and fresh foggy air! She has received no awards there. - oh well, the balcony view is worth it! "Cami probably has more talent than any performer I know. Her voice does things I can only dream of doing! She has incredible stage charisma and timing, and she's got... THAT VOICE!" (Co-star in "Mame", Nevada Opera Company) TONI TENILLE - Reno Gazette Journal (Jul 20, 1996) Cami has starred in many professional and community musicals such as "Annie Get You Gun" (Annie) with John Raitt, "Mame" (Agnes Gooch) with Toni Tenille, "Sweeney Todd" (Mrs. Lovett), "Showboat" (Ellie ay), "Follies" (Sally Durant), "Candide" (Old Lady), "Hair" (lead singer), "JC Superstar" (Mary Magdelan)," and "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (Miss Mona)," and had operatic leads in "Hansel and Gretel" (Rosina Daintymoth the Witch) and "Desert Song" (sidekick Susan). During this time Cami also sang and/or played keyboards and percussion in various rock, R&B, soul and jazz bands around Reno-Tahoe, and she was one of the youngest members of the Nevada Opera chorus (8 productions) while studying music, theater and voice at University of Nevada-Reno. She earned several awards as "Best Local Singer" and "Best Local Actress" in the Reno Gazette Journal's "Best Of Reno" readers' surveys. She received the "Best New Artist" in the Washington D.C. area while she lived and worked there. "Cami Thompson is remarkable, a perfectly wonderful singer." (Philip Elwood, San Francisco Chronicle) Cami has also had the priveledge of performing as Opening act for The Manhattan Transfer, Nancy Wilson, Mel Torme, Dianne Reeves, Lou Rawls, Art Blakey, Jon Hendricks, Eddie Jefferson, Abbey Lincoln, Charo, Jose Feliciano, Louis Bellson, Lou Levy, and others. The recorded collection of Cami now measures 5! In 1993 in Los Angeles, Cami and her best friend/manager Lizabeth Rogers and pianist Benjamin Dowling independently co-produced Cami's first CD, "No More Blues," a collection of jazz favorites and original torch, blues and ballads. An earlier cassette release of a live performance, "An Evening with Cami", has recently been digitally remastered and edited, and is now available on CD. In 1998 Cami produced her third recording, a jazzy soulful holiday album,"Colors of Christmas". Her fourth release, "By Request" is a powerhouse of beautifully recorded live and studio tracks, capturing all the dynamic splendor of great American ballads, jazz and swing standards, including Cami's most-requested songs such as "Over The Rainbow", "Bye Bye Blackbird", "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and more. (It's sort of an "Ella meets Barbra meets Bette" thing.) Her fifth album, "Café Camille", is a collection of torch, blues and jazz songs recorded live during 10 months of club dates in the Los Angeles area during 1993 with her trio. This CD, as well as "An Evening with Cami", was lovingly mastered and produced by Lizabeth Rogers. All may be found on Miss Thompson's website, www.CamiThompson.com, along with her performance schedule. Credit card users can visit www.CDBaby.com/cami to purchase these recordings, and digitally at iTunes as well as numerous other music download sites. "Cami is loaded with talent and possesses one of the most technically diverse, smooth and sumptuous voices in music today... It grooves, belts, caresses, scats, soars, and gets way under the skin of every tune she sings." (Jack Neal, Nevada Journal) In 1990 Cami was asked to sing with trumpeter/ bandleader Mike Vax and His Great American Jazz Band, touring Jazz and Swing festivals around the US with his band for 12 years. She is also a frequent guest artist with Vax's 19-piece Jazz Orchestra, and has recorded tracks on their two albums, which received global critical acclaim and great reviews. "Freedom, humor, love and compassion--these are the things Thompson values most, and she hopes her creative endeavors can be a source of inspiration and encouragement to others. Her voice is beautifully diverse and moving, skillful and wise, and her outlook on life is so positive, you can't help but admire her--that's the inescapable aspect of her music: It makes your body move and makes you feel good." CASEY SCHUMACHER - Reno News and Review (Sep 30, 2004) Currently Miss Thompson performs at various festivals, cabarets, concerts, jazz spots, showrooms, clubs (regularly at Harrah's Reno Sapphire Lounge) charity events, supper clubs, and private parties around the world. Cami also teaches voice privately and in clinics, and enjoys songwriting, traveling the world, skiing, scuba diving, eating great food by her very own "kitchen mechanic" (fiance', chef Scott Lenau), exploring the cultural scene, movies, concerts, reading, laughing a lot, and tending her balcony garden with great joy. WHERE HAS CAMI BEEN? --- Clubs, Cabarets and Concerts SAN FRANCISCO / BAY AREA The Coconut Grove Supper Club - House singer for 15 months Yoshi's Jazz Club Essex Supper Club Rose Pistola Stars Restaurant Campton Place Hotel Alta Plaza Mr. E's Jazz Club Pan Pacific Hotel Infusion Rasselas Jazz Club Konocti Harbor Resort The Ramp Gertrude Stein's Bach Dynamite & Dancing Society Mecca EUROPE North Seas Jazz Festival - Netherlands Loosdrecht Jazz Festival - Netherlands Grenoble Jazz Concert Series - France Le Club Montana - Paris, France Juan Les Pins Festival Du Jazz - France Hollywood Savoy Club - Paris, France Le Ragtime - Cannes, France (9 months) Valentino's Club du Jazz - Nice, France L'Aventure - Nice, France Das Kurzhaus - Munich, Germany Hotel Boekelo - Enschede, Netherlands Hotel Safir - Casablanca, Morocco Ronnie Scott's - London, England Cafe de Paris - London, England LOS ANGELES AREA Queen Mary - Long Beach Drake's Restaurant - Glendale Lunaria - Century City Monteleone's - Encino Tatou - Beverly Hills Chadney's - Burbank Winston's - Sheraton Hotel Truly Yours - Encino Robin Hood - Reseda Studio Cafe - Corona Del Mar Menage - Pasadena Grand Avenue Bar - Los Angeles Bel Air Bay Club - Pacific Palisades Caffe Giuseppe - Reseda WESTERN USA Monterey Traditional Jazz Festival Sacramento Jazz Jubilee Festival Sun Valley Jazz and Swing Festival San Mateo Traditional Jazz Festival Mammoth Lakes Jazz Jubilee Desert Jazz Festival - Palm Springs Seaside, Oregon Jazz & Swing Festival Medford, Oregon Jazz Bash Eugene Oregon "Celebration" John Ascuaga's Nugget Jazz Fest Florence Oregon Arts Center Lake Havasu Jazz Festival Reno International Jazz Festival Pleasant Hill OR Jazz Festival The Hult Performing Arts Center, Eugene OR Caesar's Tahoe - Showroom Harold's Club - Reno Tahoe Biltmore - Cabaret Cicero's Dinner Club - Reno Peppermill Casino - Reno MGM Grand - Reno Harrah's: Breck Wall's "Bottom's Up" Sahara Tahoe - Showroom MGM Grand/Bally's - Reno Reno Hilton - Reno Lily's, Lakeridge Country Club - Reno ELSEWHERE Back Alley Saloon, Wash, D.C. Dallas Dinner Theater Galleria, Sun Valley, Idaho Various tours and performances in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, The Philippines, Morocco, England, France, Holland, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Princess Cruise Lines WANT TO KNOW MORE??? A dedicated student of music, Cami began her training with classical piano at the age of six. Both parents had musical backgrounds: her mother a pianist for their church; her father a professional drummer, bassist, and singer. At twelve the school band teacher exposed her to jazz, whetting her appetite for a lifelong love of this unique musical form. She continued to study music theory, composition, arranging and performance on piano, mallet instruments, percussion and especially voice throughout high school and college (University of Nevada-Reno), where she focused on jazz styling and improvisation, along with acting and theatrical performance. Between classes, rehearsals, concerts, and touring with various bands, Cami managed to capture leading roles in several musical productions, including JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (Mary Magdalene), MAME (Mame), SWEENEY TODD (Mrs. Lovett), CANDIDE, HAIR, FOLLIES (Sally), and BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS (Miss Mona). As a 7-year classical voice student, she was one of the youngest members of the Nevada Opera Company chorus under the direction of world renowned conductor Ted Puffer, who later cast her in several musical theatre productions of their own, including DESERT SONG (Susan), SHOWBOAT (Ellie Mae) with Toni Tenille, MAME (Agnes Gooch) again with Miss Tenille, and as Annie Oakley in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN with John Raitt, all to rave reviews. She also received wide-spread acclaim for her demanding role as "Rosalinda the Witch" in 2 productions of the opera "Hansel and Gretel". She has performed in productions throughout the U.S., Far East, and Europe. Audiences in Europe delighted for almost two years as Cami performed in night clubs, concerts and events such as the North Seas Jazz Festival in Holland, and France's Juan Les Pins Festival Du Jazz. Thanks for listening!