Just re-read the thread. I seem to be stumping for Grant Green. He’s good, dammit! ;)
I’m not that deep into jazz, but I know what I like. I had a phase where I was fascinated with jazz guitar and wanted to learn it but I just didn’t have it in me. I love Charlie Byrd.
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - Moanin’
Charlie Byrd, Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis - Great Guitars
Charlie Byrd, Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis - Great Guitars at Charlie’s Georgetown
Charlie Byrd - The Guitar Artistry of Charlie Byrd
Lenny Breau - Live at Bourbon Street
Joe Pass/Herb Ellis - Joe’s Blues
Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía - Friday Night in San Francisco
Ray Charles - The Great Ray Charles
Redneck Jazz Explosion (Danny Gatton) - Live at the Cellar Door
Charlie Christian - Genius of the Electric Guitar
Some good stuff. I used to listen to Charlie Byrd a lot some years ago, then tired of him. I don’t think Di Meola, McLaughlin and de Lucia are really jazz musicians in the traditional sense. They tend to do more fusion stuff (at least McLaughlin and Di Meola certainly do), with a definite Spanish classical influence (especially de Lucia, who is a nuevo flamenco player). I would put them in the same category with Ottmar Liebert as guitar overachievers and all are virtuoso players. I’ve been lucky enough to see Di Meola and de Lucia in concert; they’re unbelievably good.
[ul]
[li]Kind of Blue - Miles Davis[/li][li]Hot House - Arturo Sandoval[/li][li]The Gershwin Connection - Dave Grusin[/li][li]Go - Dexter Gordon[/li][li]Time Out - Dave Brubeck[/li][li]Sidewinder - Lee Morgan[/li][li]Getz/Gilberto - Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto[/li][/ul]
Enjoying the guitar focus. I love Charlie Christian’s work as part of Bennie Goodman’s sextet.
If you guys are interested in the earliest jazz guitar innovations - try a CD called Pioneers of Jazz Guitar, featuring Eddie Lang, Carl Kress and Dick McDonough. It is scratchy and some of the songs are old-fashioned with glimpses of jazz chording and harmony, but by the time you get to Picking My Way and Danzon you hear some really great, innovative stuff.
I have a gorgeous old Gibson archtop - I am beyond unworthy, but I love pulling it out and faking a few jazz chords and lead fills on it…
Don’t even want to try to pick, but do want to mention Wynton Marsalis’s In This House, On This Morning. Recently listened to it for the first time in years, and day-um.
Currently enjoying the heck out of an Oscar Peterson-Stephane Grappelli collaboration – not sure it belongs in top ten ever, but it’s been in the CD player (yeah, I’m old school) for about six months.
I don’t know what it is about Marsalis that is often off-putting for me. I certainly acknowledge his brilliance and technical skill, but something about his playing just misses the mark. I know he’s been slammed as not having any blues soul and that his music is more of a recitation than it is heartfelt. Perhaps that’s it, or maybe something else. I play his album In Gabriel’s Garden, which is classical baroque music, during Christmas season, but the other albums I have of his don’t get much play. But like all music, it’s all personal opinion.
Oscar Peterson, of course, was a genius. Glad I got to hear him in person.
Oscar Peterson’s "Night Train ", is like the soundtrack to my life!
(Also I saw Stephane Grappelli live once, it was awesome!)