Jazz GUITAR poll

Django, but Grant Green is pretty great too.

Guitar is the Sharrock to have, but Ask the Ages is almost as good.

There's a Sharrock collection on eMusic that has a few Ask the Ages cuts. I think it's the one title they have of his, so it'll be easy to find.

Does anyone else think Joe Pass is just a flashy robot? I might've heard the wrong stuff...

I never cared much for Joe Pass - even the "Virtuoso" recordings everyone raves about. I think "robot" is harsh, but he's kind of like the Oscar Peterson of guitar.

"like the Oscar Peterson of guitar"

This is rather otm, but that's part of what I like about him.

He's a little too perfect and pleasant all the time.

I do like the Joe Pass/Herb Ellis stuff. Have you guys ever heard them do Seven Come Eleven live? Holy fuck!

Um, COUGH:
http://download.yousendit.com/A9BFCAFE5985EE88

Look what came out of my throat

Jim Hall for me

Jim Hall has the touch.

A lot of these guys are not really jazz (Sonny Sharrock is a rock/r&b guitarist for sure). Pat Metheny's playing with Ornette is probably my favorite jazz guitar but he's disqualified with the relentless tastelessness of his other stuff. I can't remember who I voted for already, either Jim Hall or Freddie Green.

For the most part, guitar solos in jazz are really boring.

"A lot of these guys are not really jazz"

lol dude you're a treat

Perhaps I worded that incorrectly. It is difficult for me to compare what Freddie Green did and what Sonny Sharrock did. Better?

Brandon Ross? Masujaa?
-- Oilyrags

Exactly!
Also - Richard Leo Johnson.

Django Reinhardt vote here

But for early jazz, you left out Eddie Lang and Lonnie Johnson too.

I do like Jim Hall, but I'm going with Derek Bailey.

I left out Pete Cosey because I think of him more as a rock guy who played on some fusion albums

fair enough. actually I have no idea what Cosey did besides those Miles albums, was he a session guy in Chicago R&B?

but Derek Bailey, who is great, seems only tangentially connected to jazz too. and Eliott Sharp couldn't swing w/a machine gun @ his nutz.

I don't think old Del Bailey would have been very chuffed to be described as a jazz guitarist

yeah Cosey did Chess Studios stuff but even before that he played in ex-Sun Ra sideman and AACM co-founder Phil Cohran's group Artistic Heritage Ensemble. so he comes from a jazz background.

Django.

I miss Cosey on this, another "rock guy who played on some fusion albums" and, like Cosey, did it very well-Tommy Bolin.

I'll go with McLaughlin for "Noonward Race" alone.

tommy bolin! he's much more of a rock guitarist than cosey -- a great one in my estimation -- and yeah his fusion stuff w/billy cobham and others is good. as is his fusion-y 1st album Teaser.

Charlie Christian is the best.

Confession: I've never heard note one from Derek Bailey.
Further confession: I used to have a coupla albums by Django and Wes, but in general (Philistine rockist that I am), the only jazz guitarists I've ever paid much attention to are the so-called fusioneers - the ones who turn the amplifiers UP. I've never cared much for that fairly bland tone that is standard for jazz guitar (or used to be.)

Of the ones above, the only ones I've listened to a lot are McLaughlin, Sharrock and Ulmer. And of those three, I've gotta say John McLaughlin, largely to counteract all the ILM hate he receives on occasion. And for "Noonward Race". (Magill OTM.)

McLaughlin is great on Mahvishnu stuff, Shakti, Miles records, etc., and deserves more credit than most just for that. But he's committed a long, seemingly unending string of jazz crimes. Also, fuck Friday Night in San Fransisco. That shit SUCKS

Ok, it doesn't really SUCK, but it's super corny

Is that the guitar trio stuff?

Yeah, Al DiMeola/Paco DeLucia/McLaughlin. Always gets repped by guitar doods.

ponytails + Steve Vai guitar w/handhold cutout

Jordan -- that's wot you'd like to vote for?

No, that = guitar doods.

Hmmm...now that you mention it, I believe I only have two McLaughlin "solo" albums in total, and I've heard almost nothing he's done from the 80s onward, which could indeed conceivably suck. But damn, how many classic albums did he play on during 1969-72 alone? A dozen?

"My Goals Beyond" totally kills.

Charlie Christian is the best

Sure enough, he plays like a guy with his hat tipped back.

Yeah, he's definitely on enough great albums to make up for even a lifetime's worth of lousy albums. No pun intended, as the Lifetime albums are really good.

Does Chet Atkins count? Or Danny Gatton?

I'm probably lame but I'm voting for John McLaughlin. His playing with Miles is off the friggin chain.

DJANGO. *secret door to speakeasy opens*

Pete Cosey is on Electric Mud.

I don't think jazz guitar has really hit its zenith, there are some great players but there are few of these guys which are as amazing as writers. I think partially because there was alot more money to be made by guitarists playing other music without as much hard work.

The 70s and 80s were really good for jazz guitar. During this time for the first time the guitar became a more acceptable instrument in music schools. I think this is another major reason jazz guitar has not had as many important players as other instruments. Well that and you don't get into marching band playing guitar or at least it didn't happen much in the 40s to 60s.

Ralph Towner and Terje Rypdal probably also deserve to be on a list such as this one. They both have made some good records and have a unique sound for a "jazz guitarist".

I wouldn't put Electric Mud on my resume! ;-)

I voted for Grant Green (am session completist nerd), but might have chosen Johnny Smith too if he had been listed (which he probably deserved).

I also really like Jimmy Bruno but he is just more of a tip to anyone who might care than that he should have been on the list.

Bruno's a great guitar teacher too.

I have a Jimmy Bruno CD somewhere - it's ok.

Is he the dog from The Triplets of Belleville? If not, I've never heard of him.

No Steve Carlton option?

OK I was riding the M11 bus up 10th ave in Manhattan this eve and a grey haired older black guy w/guitar got on board at 48th. I won't say he looked EXACTLY like the late Sonny Sharrock but the resemblence was strong enough to freak me out, esp. considering this thread. uncanny.

I have a Jimmy Bruno CD somewhere - it's ok.

Well, admittedly he's no Allan Holdsworth.

xpost - Do you mean Larry Carlton? I think Steve Carlton was a baseball player.

Grant Green, people! He could swing almost any tune he tried. Also, nice to see Tiny Grimes on the list. Everyone should hear "Marchin' Along" with Coleman Hawkins from the album Blues Groove (1958). Nearly 18 minutes long, Grimes solos for 8 minutes before Hawkins comes in.

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/pics/steve_carlton_autograph.jpg

=/=

http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/images/local/vmgartists/133b6a57-0f1c-4c64-8a1b-226ceca3edce.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-Nuqrw1G9w

Surprised by the zero votes for Metheny, only because the biggest jazz fanatic I knew in school (which is saying a lot because I knew quite a few who were dedicated fans, playing in bands, hosting a jazz radio show on the school's radio station, etc.) was also a guitarist who worshipped Metheny, and now that he's teaching somewhere I'm sure he's pushing him on to his students. I would never vote for him but despite my reservations I have grown to like him, he's a good sideman on a good number of albums I really like and I love the one he did with Ornette Coleman.

Having his name misspelled might not have helped his vote count.
I'm enthralled by about half the tracks on his debut, respect his outing with Ornette, and everything else I've heard completely escapes me. Especially when he plays that guitar synth sound that sound like my cat talking to the birds: "mew mew mew mew mew mew...mew mew mew mew mew".

More to the point, where's Terje Rypdal?!?

...who I see was mentioned once above. As was Lenny Breau, who deserves attention though I wouldn't have voted for him.

For people who never clicked with Metheny or have only heard his smoother side, check out his playing on Kenny Garrett's Pursuance record,it's fierce.

Having his name misspelled might not have helped his vote count.
I'm enthralled by about half the tracks on his debut, respect his outing with Ornette, and everything else I've heard completely escapes me. Especially when he plays that guitar synth sound that sound like my cat talking to the birds: "mew mew mew mew mew mew...mew mew mew mew mew".

More to the point, where's Terje Rypdal?!?

― Halfway there but for you, Tuesday, 12 September 2023 01:03 (one hour ago) link

This is how I feel about a lot of his music. His sound ranges from tolerable to awful on most records for me, and sound/tone is everything to me. He smokes on that Trio 99/00 album though and sounds better than usual as well.

Oh yeah Question and Answer is good too, forgot that one

And the Gary Burton album 'Like Minds' with Chick Corea and Roy Haynes, he's great on that.

Also he did this crazy rob-orchestra thing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VymAn8QJNQ

*robo