Your favorite jazz guitar albums?

[anders]

Which are your favorite jazz guitar albums?
Here are some of mine:

Jimmy Raney - Live In Tokyo
Johnny Smith - The Sound of the Johnny Smith Guitar
Herb Ellis/Remo Palmier - Windflower
Herb Ellis/Joe Pass - Seven Come Eleven
Charlie Christian - The Genius Of The Electric Guitar
Wes Montgomery - Boss Guitar
Jimmy Bruno - Midnight Blue

anders

[mahayana]

Hey, anders.

This is a good idea for a discussion. I'm not really "into" jazz guitar recordings as much as horns (always seem to judge the guitar parts as weak) but I'll take a listen to the ones you like.

Jazz to me is about mastery of your instrument, how the total composition affects people. I use the "goosebump" test on every song; if it makes the hairs on my forearms stand up, I'm going to play it again. Never have liked showoffy guitar parts, repetitive licks, riffs that don't say anything. But I'm a fool for melodic stuff, harmonizing, sustains and bends, the potential of the guitar to move you (if that makes any sense).

Any new albums to add to your list? (Of late, I mainly listen to Miles and Stanley Turrentine and Lionel Hampton . Only a few of the cuts have guitars in there).

[anders]

Hi, mahayana

I agree that jazz is about the total experience of the performance and composition. But since this is a jazz guitar forum I thought it would be interesting to know what everyone is listening to (if anything) in terms of guitar albums. I certainly listen to a lot of other jazz (and music in general) and it doesn't really matter to me what the instruments are as long as it's good music.

There are many albums I could add to the list. Here are some I've listened to lately:

The Poll Winners - Straight Ahead (with Barney Kessel who died recently)
Howard Alden & George Van Eps - 13 Strings
Bireli Lagrene - Standards
Sonny Rollins - The Bridge (with Jim Hall)
John Pisano - Conversation Pieces

Jazz albums not featuring guitar I've been enjoying the last few weeks:

Charlie Parker - Bird's Best
Booker Ervin - The Space Book
Erroll Garner - Concert by the Sea
Eric Dolphy - Out There
Miles Davis - Walkin' & Cookin'
McCoy Tyner - Echoes of a Friend

[mahayana]

Thanks for the current list, I'll check them out. I confess to being being new at the genre, haven't done enough listening to have real opinions. Like Barney Kessell, I read they call him "King of Beatnick Jazz" but I've never heard a take. Does he have an influential album that's still available, reissue CDs?

Do you get your jazz CDs from the internet? I've tried a couple of "clubs", but have been disappointed with their lack of completeness as far as what they offer. Suggestions?

[anders]

I get my jazz cd's from anywhere I find them, mostly at different internet stores. Another thing I do is downloading from eMusic and other legal sites. It's a great way to get to hear lots of music for a low price to find out what you like. Then I buy the albums I do like on cd (or vinyl) if I can find them.

It's fairly easy to find good Barney Kessel albums on the internet. Try any of the Poll Winners albums (trio recordings with Ray Brown and Shelly Manne), Some Like It Hot, Let's Cook! or Feeling Free. I think you'll find all of them at Amazon.

[anders]

Another Barney Kessel album recommendation: Hampton Hawes Four! This recording features some of the best playing I've ever heard from Kessel. The other musicians are Shelly Manne on drums, Red Mitchell on bass and of course Hampton Hawes on piano, all playing very well.

[jazzalta]

I finally bought all the Joe Pass solo albums (quite a few). Also I'd highly recommend any Lenny Breau you can get your hands on. Not sure of the names of them but I bought them before they went out of print (they're on vinyl, transferred to cassette).

I also listen to all kinds of jazz on our eclectic radio station (CKUA) You can get it on the net (ckua.com). I've learned from all kinds of sources (horns, piano, B3 organ, violin, etc. etc.). It's that whole process of creativity that I absolutely love.

[anders]

All the Joe Pass albums , jazzalta that's impressive Allmusic lists over 50 titles.

I agree that you have to listen to other sources then just guitar. You can also learn a lot from listening to other kinds of music then jazz. Maybe we should start a thread about our influences.

Here's some more recordings I enjoyed lately:

Keith Jarrett - Changeless
Oscar Peterson - At Zardi's
Art Tatum - Pure Genius
Doran/Studer/Wittwer - Red Twist & Tuned Arrow
Ulf Wakenius Quartet - Live
Paul Bley Trio - Closer
MJQ - Django

[jazzalta]

Anders, these are just the "solo" albums, and doesn't include compilations or "best of." But I think it's around 20 or so. I've been buying these over the years and will eventually get them all on disk.

To tell you the truth, I've been doing way more playing/practicing than listening. 'Course I'm 50 and retired so I have all the time in the world. I'm so glad I put the time in when I was younger. Even tho I'm still learning, a lot of my playing now is like the proverbial "icing on the cake." It's nice to able to finally play what I hear.

[kawe]

I just want to add one album that I recently "rediscovered" in my cd collection:

Fine Fretted Friend - Tommy Tedesco ***** (5 of 5 stars)

kawe

[allblues]

This is my personal top 10:

1. Smokin' at Half-Note (W. Montgomery)
2. Intercontinental (J. Pass Trio - I don't know why, but this album has been distributed only in Japan. In my opinion in this album Joe Pass is a giant. Simply fantastic)
3. El hombre (P. Martino)
4. The incredible jazz guitar of W. Montgomery
5. The Bridge (S. Rollins & J. Hall)
6. Jimmy Raney in Tokyo
7. Bright size life (P. Metheny)
8. Give me the night (G. Benson)
9. B. Kessell & J. Coltrane
10. Standard (B. Lagrene)

[jazzalta]

allblues, you mention Jimmy Raney. I bought his transcribed solos at the Jamey Aebersold site. There's some smoking playing in there. You may want to check it out. Good list too.
I also have Joe Pass' Intercontinental. One of my favs and actually the one that really improved my playing.

[allblues]

Hi jazzalta, of course I have the Raney' Aebersold but I have to tell you that when I decide to learn a new track I always use my hears. I perfectly know that this method it's not easy and when the guitar chorus is fast becames extremely difficult, but after many years I use it, believe me, it is absolutely perfect. Because after a long hear training you are able to immediately understand where is played on the guitar board those chorus, chords etc.

Concerning Pass' Intercontinental I agree with you: it's a must. I do not have great opinion about the Pass' Virtuoso albums, but guys, in Intercontinental Pass plays all the jazz alphabet in
a fantastic manner.

[ashaffer]

Some of my favorites:

Larry Coryell - Spaces
Jim Hall/Ron Carter - Alone Together
Gabor Szabo - Dreams
Wally Cirillo/Joe Diorio - Rapport
Stan Getz/Charlie Byrd - Jazz Samba
John Mclaughlin - My Goals Beyond
Jimmy Raney - Strings & Swings
Joe Pass - Virtuoso
Django - anything!
Pat Martino - the early Prestige records
Tal Farlow - almost anything (I met Tal at the King of France Tavern on my birthday while he was doing a duo gig with Steve Novecell on bass. He gave me a signed set list with his birthday wishes.)

[kiwijohn]

To the above lists I'd like to add most albums by John Pizzarelli.....(not the beatles covers album tho')...but I'll mention just "Twogether" and"The rare delight of You".John uses a seven string guitar....his comping is so smooth and sounds so effortless.. even though it's intricate, with chords changing every beat...there's lots of subtlety..and I like that