Recommendations for albums by Jazz Guitarists

Listen to everything Sharrock recorded prior to Ask the Ages, and you'll realize you are incorrect about him being "different".

Facts are fine. This is not fact:

I strongly dislike the playing on some of the albums listed, which strike me more as vehicles for showing off chops that for tasteful playing.

 

most of your picks are fusion ,this one isn't Jazz but who cares

 

The Swinging Guitar of Tal Farlow

 

I only said Sharrock is offering something tasteful that is different from that chops focused playing on Ask The Ages. He has issued lots of stuff I don't care for as well, though I tend to take issue less with him being a chops showoff than with him making stuff that deals more with sound textures than with notes.

This thread is all about opinions, not facts. Asking for recommendations is asking for opinons.

I am recommending that certain stuff be listened to only if he likes to hear people showing off fast chops rather than improvising melodically, which is what interest me.

 

Maybe these have been mentioned already:

 

The Guitar Sounds of Lenny Breau from 1968 is an eclectic display of finger picking virtuosity. Breau grew up in the Merle Travis/Chet Atkins mode but quickly outgrew traditional country music's confines; he was really a jazz player.

 

Ok, bottom line (and this is my last word on the subject): if one opens up one's ears enough to cease thinking about things (music, in this case) in terms of THIS or THAT, one's world increases in size greatly. Sometimes I like the "fast" playing, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I want a mellow Kenny Burrell album, other times they're an unmitigated "snoozefest". See how that works? Things are not static, especially as far as individual listeners are concerned.

What I found most offensive about your remark is that none of these guys died or will die rich. So, it follows that NONE of them noodled for noodling's sake. They merely followed their own muses with conviction. If they wanted to go the "commercial" route, any of them could have pandered.

 

One of my favorite jazz guitarists is Peter Bernstein. He has a few excellent recording on the Criss Cross label, such as "Earth Tones", "Brain Dance" and "Somethin's Burnin'". He's also recorded on a few organist Melvin Rhyne sessions such as "Classmasters" and "Boss Organ", also on Criss Cross.

John Abercrombie has already been mentioned. I love his great jazz fusion album, "Timeless".

 

It's a great LP. A real Coltrane vibe to it, too, with Pharoah Sander and Elvin Jones on board.

 

Check out Peter Bernstein

 

Check out the Jim Hall & Pat Metheny album. Two genuine masters at work I'd say.

 

I'd also throw in some Jim Hall LPs. I love the stuff he did with Jimmy Guiffre and Sonny Rollins. "Alone Together" with Ron Carter is a gem, as is "Concierto."

 

I was mostly trying to pick guitarists than had not been mentioned earlier.

 

A favorite.

 

How could i forget Sco ? He was fantastic with Phol and Friends a few months ago. Made want to check out some of his jazz stuff. That one is a good'un

 

All I am offering is my opinion, as well as some additional information about some of the playing on some of the albums which is probably more useful than simply listing albums with no description, given that "jazz guitar" ranges from bebop to fusion shredding to distorted dissonance. Feel free to offer your own opinions or descriptions of some albums. Personally I have listened to enough ultra speedy playing, whether it be from Al Dimeola or Eddie Van Halen to know that I find it uninteresting. Some fols like it, and they should check out that Mahavishnu and Return to Forever stuff, and if they only like that sort of playing, they should probably skip the albums I suggested.

And I don't think just because one is very talented means one could have necessarily been a massive commercial success either. That has as much to do with luck, image and connections as it has to do with talent and even willingness to sell out, unfortunately.

 

Eddie Fisher. An Amazon reviewer says "What an album, Wes Montgomorey meets The Jimi Hendrix Experience... from start to end, a unique (almost perfect) blend of jazz, soul, funk and psychedelic rock."

 

oh yeah...who posted the Boogaloo Joe Jones? awesome stuff, I love his playing

 

It was me!

 

Boogaloo Jones was a master!

 

Another favorite.