The Judges
Texas Toast Guitars and The Great American Guitar Building Challenge reserves the right to change or add judges
01
Brian Nutter
Professional guitarist for nearly 25 years. Spent time in Los Angeles in the 90's as a session musician and, since 2000, in Nashville touring and playing sessions with many of the top country artists (Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Dierks Bentley, and Lonestar to name a few...)
As his playing career took off, he was also honing skills as a luthier. He's built, modified, and repaired guitars for many top players in the music industry. Along the way, making improvements in techniques and developing his own individual and unique way of doing things.
02
Jim Jamm Jimmy
As a professional musician for thirty five years, Jimmy Kolodziej of Jim Jamm Jimmy has long entertained and engaged fans with his high energy Rockabilly stylings. Throughout the years, opening for such acts as The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Wanda Jackson, Link Wray, Dave Alvin and the Guilty Men, The B-52's, The Legendary Shack Shakers and Jason Ringenberg to name a few, Jimmy has played an intense Upright Slap Bass that keeps fans wanting more. Today, Jimmy has infused the best of these experiences and combined them with his own unique performance to bring you a soulful, energetic Rockabilly style that's all his own.
03
Jeff LaQuatra
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Jeff LaQuatra has been described as “a guitarist of enormous talent, both musically and technically” (Classical Guitar Magazine). In 1996, Jeff was awarded first prize in the Oswald Rantucci Guitar Competition in Buffalo, New York. He has also won top prize in competitions sponsored by The Fortnightly Music
Club of Cleveland and The Three Arts Club of Lakewood (Ohio).
An avid chamber musician, Jeff has performed as a member of Denver’s Mountain Chamber Music Society and has appeared with the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra and Colorado’s Central City Opera. Jeff maintains a busy concert schedule as a member of the flute and guitar duo, Quatra Duo with flutist Michelle Stanley.
In 2002, Iznaola Guitar Works released Jeff’s debut solo recording entitled Twilight: Guitar Music at the End of the Century, which includes world-premiere recordings of works by Ricardo Iznaola, James McGuire and ŠtÄ›pán Rak. In a review of Twilight, Classical Guitar Magazine’s Steve Marsh stated, “his technical abilities [are] strong enough for him to control every nuance and phrase to perfection. This is a first-class debut album and a name to watch out for.” In 2014, Twilight was included in Enrique Robichaud’s publication, Guitar’s Top 100 – A Guide to Classical Guitar’s Most Recorded Music.
Jeff has earned degrees from The Cleveland Institute of Music (BM) and The University of Denver (MM) where he served as a graduate teaching assistant. His primary teachers were Mary Lou Roberts, John Holmquist and Ricardo Iznaola. Jeff resides in Fort Collins, Colorado and directs the newly-developed guitar program at Colorado State University.
04
Bryan Duncan
You know him...you love him. He's a player, a builder and now a sponsor. Currently playing with his bank Rattletrap, and one of our most frequent workshop attendees, Bryan knows his way around all things guitar.
