“Don’t Worry. Don’t Compare. Don’t Expect Too Fast. Be Kind to Yourself.” – Tomo Fujita
These are profound words of wisdom that define a humble man who found a deep passion in teaching and helping others after emigrating to the U.S. from Japan in his early 20s back in the late 1980s.
This special man, Tomo Fujita, would go on to become world-renowned guitarist John Mayer’s personally selected guitar teacher at the famous Berklee College of Music in Boston in the late 90s.
Although his original goal was to become a touring and recording musician, Fujita carved out a special niche in the guitar teaching space after being hired as an associate professor by his alma mater soon after graduating Berklee.
Fujita deeply cares for his students – so much so that in addition to becoming a cherished institution of Berklee’s guitar curriculum, now for over 30 years. He also created his own YouTube channel @TomoFujitaMusic which has become an invaluable source for guitar players, no matter what level of expertise. It recently passed 600K subscribers.
Emerging Media: Fujita’s YouTube Channel
With Fujita’s uncanny knack of presenting arcane concepts to students in simple ways that produce immeasurable results, it is an invaluable resource that gives amazing free video lessons on guitar. He also offers a premium service called “Guitar Wisdom” for those overachievers who want to take a deeper dive on a subscription basis for $20 per month.
Fujita is a rare YouTuber who answers almost all of the comments on his channel. His subscribers are real devoted guitar players and dedicated enthusiasts, not just hollow numbers.
Perhaps both reasons are why Fujita was voted by Guitar World magazine as one of the “15 Greatest All-Star Guitar Teachers” in 2020. Fortunately, his penchant for pedagogy has never denied Fujita the opportunity to perform and record as a guitarist and composer with some of the world’s best musicians
Best-Selling Books and Meeting John Mayer
After securing the teaching job, he would later go on to write and publish several successful selling guitar instruction books and DVDs in the mid-1990s for the Japan market.
Ironically, through his best-selling books and years of establishing an ascending reputation as a top guitar professor at Berklee, Fujita would realize his dreams of playing and recording with some of the very best – a Who’s Who list of amazing acclaimed world-class musicians such as Steve Gadd, Phil Collins, John Mayer, Bernard Purdie, Pino Palladino, Will Lee, Oz Noy, and Shawn Pelton.
Fujita met Mayer in 1997 when the 19-year old future pop star and renowned guitarist enrolled in Berklee. According to Fujita, back then Mayer “played much differently.” He was very fast but his alternate picking needed work. Fujita insisted that John break down his playing. Although resistant at first, Mayer applied Fuita’s concepts.
Never would Fujita imagine at the time he would personally become the instructor of the man blues guitar legend Eric Clapton would later call “…an extremely gifted Master with phenomenal facility.” He gave one-on-one lessons for one semester. It can be said that Fujita’s teachings helped develop the talent that manifested as the Mayer we know today. By the year 2000, Fujita serendipitously would meet up again with Mayer who had been recently signed to a record deal. Over the years, the two would continue to have a close bond.
Performance at The Bitter End
Fujita remarked midway through the set, “Blues is simple but really deep.” This happened the night I watched the Tomo Fujita Band featuring an All-Star lineup with Fujita on guitar, Oz Noy on guitar, Will Lee on bass (David Letterman), and Shawn Pelton on drums (Saturday Night Live) performing Fujita’s original material and select covers at the Bitter End on April 26th.
I can say this was one of the best sounding “clean” shows I’ve ever heard at the Bitter End. This pure instrumental performance showcased predominantly slow blues, jazzy blues, sprinkled in with Fujita’s trademark clean tones and insane funky chops!
There were many delightful surprises! Such as Fujita’s composition “Kyoto,” reminiscent of the 1977 double live Santana album Moonflower with a blues Latin fusion vibe. The pure blues funk of “Crossings,” and a reggae-inspired version of the Hendrix cover “Little Wing.”
One can clearly hear a strong Larry Carlton-vibe in Fujita’s playing (whom he credits as an influence) but with only a “touch” of gain – over the years Fujita has become the clean tone Master. He even played three different unique single-pickup guitars!
Noy expertly played a White Custom Strat, weaving long improvisations with highly nuanced bluesy jazz chromatic solos embodying both a ferocity yet a sophistication. Lee was indeed simply Uncle Will Lee. He laid down irresistible grooves, playing some of the tastiest and funkiest lines imaginable. The band ended the night with Fujita’s signature song, the energetic “Just Funky” with drummer Pelton playing an amazing solo!
Definitely check out Tomo Fujita the next time his band is in town!