By Request by Cami Thompson

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)

She 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.

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 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.

"Cami Thompson is remarkable, a perfectly wonderful singer."

(Philip Elwood, San Francisco Chronicle)

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 some of these recordings.

"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.

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!

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