Currently, Will is the Director of Jazz Studies and Professor of Saxophone at UNC Charlotte. Originally from North Carolina, Will has played saxophone since elementary school. Growing up in a musical household, Will’s earliest influences were the sounds of pop radio, but it was his brother, NYC guitarist Jeffrey Lee Campbell, that led him to explore jazz and other artistic forms of music. Bebop spoke to Will and started him on a life long love affair and pursuit.
After gigging throughout his high school years (everywhere from clubs to churches), Will enrolled in the prestigious jazz program at North Texas State University (now UNT). As a student of Jim Riggs at UNT, Will completed both his Bachelors degree (Jazz Studies) and his Masters degree (Saxophone Performance), and was a member of the world-renowned “One O’Clock Lab Band.” Will also directed the “Three O’Clock Lab Band.”
Between his undergraduate and Masters degree, Will spent over 3 years touring the world and recording with the Harry Connick, Jr. Orchestra. Highlights with Harry include a sold-out Broadway run, The Grammys at Radio City Music Hall, and performances at venues such as London’s Royal Albert Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, L.A.’s Pantages Theater, and The Olympia Theater in Paris. Recording credits include “Blue Light, Red Light,” “When My Heart Finds Christmas,” and “The New York Big Band Concert” (DVD).
Will has also performed with various artists including Marvin Stamm, Cornell Dupree, Aretha Franklin, Bobby Shew, Pete Christlieb, Frank Sinatra Jr., Vic Damone, Natalie Cole, Bernadette Peters, Doc Severinson, and Louie Bellson. Ensemble credits include The Glenn Miller Orchestra, The Nelson Riddle Orchestra, The Charlotte Symphony, The Charlotte Philharmonic, and The Tulsa Philharmonic.
Always striving, Will has completed his doctorate (Doctor of Musical Arts in Saxophone Performance and Literature) from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as a student of Debra Richtmeyer. In 1995, Will was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Fellowship Grant, which allowed him to study privately with renowned saxophonist Dick Oatts. These lessons later led to Will’s doctoral project, an in-depth study of Dick Oatts’ artistry, titled An Analysis of the Improvisational Style of Dick Oatts. Will also studied privately with the legendary Joe Henderson.
Since 1999, Will has been a faculty member of the North Texas Summer Jazz Workshop. He has performed at conferences for the North American Saxophone Alliance, Jazz Education Network, International Association for Jazz Education, and the World Saxophone Congress. Will has also published two articles in the Jazz Education Journal and was featured by the Saxophone Journal for two CD Masterclasses and articles titled “Jazz Articulation Techniques for the Maturing Saxophonist” and “There is No Finish Line.” His arrangements for jazz ensmebles are published through the University of Northern Colorado Jazz Press and are available for purchase through the Jazz Press (please see ARRANGEMENTS section for information). His saxophone quartet “One for Four” is available through Dorn Publications. Dr. Campbell is an Artist/Clinician for the Conn-Selmer Company and a Performing Artist for D’Addario Reedsand uses their products exclusively.
Will lives in Matthews, NC with his wife Nora, their children Madeleine and Ben, and their dogs, Phoebe, Milo, and Bernie.