Joplin & Sweeney Artists

Neil Hogan
started playing the guitar when he was 8 years old and has recorded five albums for the Joplin & Sweeney label. He plays solo acoustic guitar (an Ed Claxton creation, by the way), and enjoys creating intricate arrangements of popular melodies. His 1st album, A Christmas Collection, presents over 25 holiday melodies performed in medleys. A Beatles Collection showcases the tunes of Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison. Yesterdays News is a gentle trip through the heyday of American popular music–Ellington, Gershwin, Arlen... He has also written out many of his guitar arrangements in tablature and standard notation.

His latest releases, On The Horizon and Cobble Creek, consist exclusively of his original compositions. Read more about Neil (probably way more than you need to) on his autobio page.

He teaches guitar at Joplin & Sweeney Music in Los Gatos, California, and, along with partner Keith Holland operates the Los Gatos Guitar Gallery, a shop dedicated to carrying handcrafted and vintage guitars. He can be reached at neil@joplinandsweeney.com

Neil resides in Los Gatos with his wife, Nani, and their three children, Cory, Rebecca, and Elizabeth.

Hector Ivan Garcia
was born in Cuzco, Peru on April 20, 1960. Hector's father, Alberto introduced him to the musical classics at an early age. This influence, amidst the rich musical traditions of South America, served to create in Hector an appreciation of diverse musical styles.He would later embody these influences in his striking guitar technique.

He graduated first in his class from the Leandro Alvina Miranda Musical Institute of Cuzco in 1984, and later went on to teach there. He won the "General Latin American Arts Festival Competition" in 1984 and 1985 and performed in South America from 1982 until he came to the United States in 1987.

Hector is also an electrical engineer and a fine artist with pencil, brush or clay. He has recorded two albums for Joplin & Sweeney: A delightful collection of South American dances, Ecos del Ande, and a collection of romantic music from around the world, Ecos de Amor.

Jim Witzel
grew up in the Northern California town of San Rafael and took up the guitar at age 12. He started out playing folk and pop music, then rock and blues. His interest in jazz developed after hearing recordings by Kenny Burrell, Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery, and Jim Hall.

On "Give And Take" his intent was to present a personal musical statement by combining his playing and writing skills with the distinctive talents of his guest artists: Erine Watts, John Abercrombie, Russell Ferrante, Marc Johnson, Kim Stone, and Ralph Penland.