# Acoustic guitar cd recommendations- **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 26, 2003, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-guitar-cd-recommendations/151060 "2003-01-26T17:07:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nevermind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/53a042/32.png) [@Nevermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nevermind)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2003, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-guitar-cd-recommendations/151060/1 "2003-01-26T17:07:16Z")
I am for music that features acoustic guitar–nothing too folksy, but kinda mellow. Maybe Spanish. I went to Boarders yesterday and listened w the headphones to some of the ones they had and the Latin stuff was just sounding too, I don’t know, “overproduced”. I’m looking for something simple, that makes you want to sing along or dance a little. ---
**Author:** ![Armilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19b73/32.png) [@Armilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Armilla)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2003, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-guitar-cd-recommendations/151060/2 "2003-01-26T19:10:25Z")
Some [Don Ross](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/artist/glance/-/177383/ref=m_art_dp/103-1084818-5428636) might hit the spot. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2003, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-guitar-cd-recommendations/151060/3 "2003-01-26T19:41:42Z")
Try _Acoustic Alchemy_ or _Gypsy Kings_. AA’s kinda jazzy, GK’s latin-ish ---
**Author:** ![moodtobestewed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@moodtobestewed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moodtobestewed)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2003, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-guitar-cd-recommendations/151060/4 "2003-01-26T22:37:46Z")
Hopefully you wont find any of these guys “too folksy” … they’re all incredible musicians, but have no doubt been influenced by folk/blues traditions of guitar playing. Some sang occasionally, but mostly instrumentalists: Leo Kottke - simply the best 12 string player ever John Fahey - eclectic and eccentric Stefan Grossman - bluesy, folksy stuff, try “Texas Lemon Flavor” John Renbourn - like Grossman, but influenced by British traditions Marcel Dadi - probably is too folksy/country for your taste, but you gotta love a French guy that could play country so well. Died on TWA 800. Chet Atkins - sometimes veered a little too close to “country easy listening” music for my taste, but probably the most influential acoustic guitarist As far as Spanish stuff, Ramon Montoya and Juan Serrano are excellent flamenco players, but I think you’ll hardly find them mellow. ---
**Author:** ![moodtobestewed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@moodtobestewed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moodtobestewed)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2003, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-guitar-cd-recommendations/151060/5 "2003-01-26T23:23:45Z")
Bah, clarifications from my previous post: 1. Although Ramon Montoya was a great flamenco player, I was thinking of his nephew, Carols Montoya, whose recordings are much more widely available. 2. I should have pointed out that Chet Atkins mostly played a hollow bodied electric, but his technique was tremendously influential to acoustic fingerstyle players ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-guitar-cd-recommendations/151060/6 "2003-01-26T23:29:06Z")
**moodtobestewed** just posted the two recommendations I was going to give, which were John Renbourn and Leo Kottke. Seconded. ---
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2003, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-guitar-cd-recommendations/151060/7 "2003-01-26T23:46:55Z")
Al Di Meola Jean-Luc Ponty John Mclaughlin Paco de Lucia Their solo work is great, but there are a bunch of phenomenal callaborative albums. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-guitar-cd-recommendations/151060/8 "2003-01-27T00:25:42Z")
I love Jean-Luc Ponty, but he’s a violinist. By a bizarre coincidence, I _just_ got a CD of DiMeoloa, McLaughlin, and de Lucia playing together. I’ve only listened to it once – and it was at work while I was in and out of my office – but it seems promising. Ditto on Leo Kottke. You might also want to check out Larry Coryell, who’s more jazz. ---
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-guitar-cd-recommendations/151060/9 "2003-01-27T00:44:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by twickster47 \* > **I love Jean-Luc Ponty, but he’s a violinist.** doh :smack: ---
**Author:** ![fizgig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f04885/32.png) [@fizgig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fizgig)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-guitar-cd-recommendations/151060/10 "2003-01-27T16:39:31Z")
Willy Porter - Falling Forward (his new CD is OK, but kind of cheesy, like he’s trying to get commercial) If you like him, you might also try Peter Mulvey - The Trouble With Poets (he’s more reliant on lyrics than picking, though) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2003, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-guitar-cd-recommendations/151060/11 "2003-01-28T01:48:36Z")
Michael Hedges - I think Aerial Boundaries is the name of the one I have. innovative, brilliant acoustic guitarist - plays very accessible stuff, but figured out how to make different sounds through different tunings, making sounds different ways off the guitar, using drone strings, the whole bit. He died in a car crash a few years ago - check it out. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2003, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-guitar-cd-recommendations/151060/12 "2003-01-28T04:19:55Z")
i second michael hedges ---
**Author:** ![Nevermind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/53a042/32.png) [@Nevermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nevermind)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-guitar-cd-recommendations/151060/13 "2003-01-30T04:04:40Z")
Awesome! I’ll be doing some serious cd shopping Saturday!1 Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-guitar-cd-recommendations/151060/14 "2003-01-30T04:48:07Z")
Third (or maybe fourth?) for Leo Kottke. He has an album called “One Guitar, No Vocals” that is outstanding; simple, no frills, tuneful and very nice to listen to. Believe it or not, Charo (she of the coochie-coochie fame) is quite an accomplished flamenco guitarist. For classical / Spanish, look for Andres Segovia. For general instrumental, electric but with a strong classical and jazz influence, Jean-Luc Ponty, Al diMeola and someone else whose name escapes me (help me out here, someone!) have done some good work together. ---
**Author:** ![j\_kat\_251](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71c47a/32.png) [@j\_kat\_251](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j_kat_251)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acoustic-guitar-cd-recommendations/151060/15 "2003-01-30T05:15:36Z")
Segovia? Who? Try a dude called Armik, I think is his name. That cool flamenco gypsy guitar style. Amazing.