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Jim Hall Licks

Top guitarist like Pat Metheny and Bill Frisell regularly drop the name 'Jim Hall' as their greatest influence, and not without a reason.
If your looking for speed then Jim Hall's not your man. In his own words : 'I don't really play fast, speed has never come easily for me. Little by little I pared down my playing to suit my personality'. Jim Hall's playing is very advanced harmonically, what compensates his lack of speed.
His guitar tone is very intimate and subtle, a good match for cool jazz players like Lee Konitz and Paul Desmond with whom he both played. On the other hand he also played with Sonny Rollins and Ella Fitzgerald.
Jim Hall's playing also works very good in duo situations like 'Jim Hall & Basses' and 'Jim Hall & Pat Metheny'.

Recommended listening : 'Undercurrent'

1) This lick was transcribed from the song 'Where or When' from the excellent Jim Hall & Tom Harrell album 'These rooms' (which is unfortunately hard to find).
The licks works over an F pedal bass note and is basically a simple 6th interval pattern transposed down the scale, a typical Jim Hall technique that also inspired Pat Metheny, who uses similar kind of ideas.