Great Jazz Guitar Solos

[Timo Virta]

Ok! I replied earlier today to this... (was maybe deleted By moderator?)

Scott Henderson: Chelsea Bridge
Brent Mason: Real Bad Blues
Scott Henderson and some others: Footprints


It seems that it is not approriate to mention those names in chain like this

[healthy_scratch]

Whether these are the best or not I do not know, but they are my undisputed favorites in no particular order

Kenny Burrell - My Favorite Things (Have Yourself a Soulful Christmas)

Wes Montgomery - Impressions (Smokin At The Half Note/Impressions The Verve Sides)

Pat Metheny - Slings and Arrows (Michael Brecker's Tales From The Hudson)

- HS

[johnmissell]

Wes Montgomery with the Miles Davis Quartet - Full House on the Album - Full House

Larry Carlton on Steely Dan's Kid Charlemagne

Frank Gambale's work and diverse good taste on Chic Corea's Electric Band Eye of the Beholder

[Telebob]

Pat Martino - How Insensitive from the Footprints album

[Groyniad]

Wes - D Natural Blues/No Blues/Full House/Round Midnight (e.g. with Harold Maybern on Youtube)
Jim Hall - I've Got You Under My Skin - with Bill Evans
Joe Pass - Cavalerie / Django (from For Django)

[eventide]

Feel so good ,chuck mangione
grant geissman

[stevey]

Charlie Christians never ending jam on Stompin at the Savoy

[Rsilver]

I totally agree on the Jim Hall solo on I've Got You Under My Skin. It's like he improvisd an alternate melody to the tune that's as good as the original melody. Mind blowingly good!

[cahoonzie]

JOE PASS - "ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE"

WES MONTGOMERY - "DEARLY BELOVED"

TAL FARLOW - "MISTY"

I realize my choices are not entirely solo guitar but they are my best choices for arrangements on which to play solo guitar. Will post Utube results when I have the time. .

PS - Cool question Dirk!

Vince

[johnmissell]

since I already answered the original question I want to add this:

Emily Remler and John Scofield at the Berklee Peformance Hall - 1988.

Somehow I lost interest after the late 80's or maybe it ended an incredible period of invention starting with Charlie Christian and ending with the best of the jazz fusion - Metheny, Scofield, Gambale etc. A short explosive period when you think about it.

[Dom1281]

Love this one from Robben Ford - 2nd solo. 1st solo is from Joe Diorio also nice.


Am-Pm from the Minor Elegance CD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0qepC2ozU8

[EpiJazz]

Aaaaargh can't decide. Off the top of my head, though, some of my favorites (in no particular order):

Pat Metheny, Bright Size Life

Wes, Four on Six (Smokin' At the Half Note version)

Joe Pass, The Song is You (because Banksia requested it!)

[Kirneh Ness]

Impossible, but fun, task!

Three picks off my head - no particularly order. I probably also let the compostition/arrangement sneak into the choice. In any case I will hopefully change my mind afterwards:

Pat Metheny: Bright Size Life (from album of same name)
Wes Montgomery: Besame Mucho (from Boss Guitar, take one)
Grant Green: I Wish You Love (from Street of Dreams)

[JoeJ]

Wes playing Round Midnight - one of my favorite versions of this classic. Articulate, bluesy, and swinging all at the same time. Genius!

[MarkRhodes]

My next favorite is from another Texas Jazz guitarist Clint Strong who studied with my dad when he was around 9 years old and my dad taught him Satin Doll lick and gave him the assignment to learn Ed's Place by Hank Garland (which he did), a year or so later he then went on to study with jazz guitar legend Howard Roberts...

I agree, Clint is an amazing player. Bert Ligon (-who teaches at the University of South Carolina) has four transcriptions of solos by Clint on his (Bert's ) website.

USC JAZZ STUDIES (Scroll down the page until you see "jazz transcriptions" and click on that.)

[Ray175]

If we extended the selection to blues, then apart from the historic masters I would place Duane Allman in the top 3. But back to the subject....

So many possibilities from the late Joe Pass - one that always moves me is his recording of "Corcovado", simple, aposite and deeply sensitive to the true soul of Bossa

Pat Metheny : "Are you going with me" from Off Ramp - the build-up and climb-down is structurally and melodically one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard, the sounds he pulls out of the GR-300 are a perfect match to the soul of the piece. For me it conjours visions of a bird with a damaged wing trying to fly away, not making it despite heroic efforts, despairing, than accepting its fate and acquiescing into death.

Django has to get a mention - there are so many solos that blow your mind away by pure virtuosity, but the "simple" melodic variations presented on "Nuages" always leave me with a sense of fulfilment and resolution

Don't ask me to place them in order of preference - impossible !

[dlorusso]

I have to say the solo in Midnight At The Oasis, and any Joe Pass Solo./

[blackrg]

Some great choices here - has anyone mentioned Lenny Breau, or, is he just way too masterful to even be considered?

[lantalooon]

Robbie Krieger - Riders On The Storm

Jim Hall - Concierto

Gabor Szabo - Mizrab

Links to follow

Lantalooon

[jbernstein91]

It is really impossible to pick the three "best" jazz guitar solos, but here are three of my favorites -- off the top of my head, in no particular order:


Peter Bernstein's solo on "I'll Take Romance," played with Jack Wilkins at a workshop (solo begins at 24:40):

Sylvain Luc playing "Infant Eyes" in concert with Trio Sud (he comes in following the drum intro at 1:01):

Allan Holdsworth on the Brecker Brothers' tune “Bathsheba,” from the Mark Varney Project’s “Truth in Shedding” album (solo starting at 48:02):

[[email protected]]

for me its impossible to answer the question truthfully for
everyone is so different I I do like this guy for sure

[Doctor Jeff]

Funny how many people mention the Wes album at the Half Note but pick different songs. That must mean it's a great record!

I'll throw a few more out, in no particular order:

Jon Scofield Busted from That's What I Say

John McLaughlin (plus Carlos Santana) Friendship from JM, Electric Guitarist

John McLaughlin playing Cherokee with the Tonight Show Orchestra on YouTube--blows me away every time!

Joe Pass--Cherokee and Night and Day from Virtuoso

Jim Hall Blue Bossa

George Benson Breezin'--his live version of Danny Boy on YouTube also blows me away.

I think the key to a great solo is that is builds up and has direction. Great players like these guys and Larry Carlton, among many others, know how to structure a solo. It's not just aimless noodling.

[robertoart]

I've seen Clint Strong on youtube do some hot versions of Grant Green's Miss Anne's Tempo. He is a really great player. And I also seen some film of an incredible Larry Young inspired organ combo he was in. Authentic and awesome. I think it was this band!

[plasticpigeon]

I love the solo on "Take the A train" by Wes on one of the latest bootleg recordings called "Echoes of Indiana Avenue"

Also this solo on "So what" by George Benson is phenomenal. It's not on an album as far as know, but is worth watching.

[MarkRhodes]

This is one of my favorite Herb Ellis outings, "Royal Garden Blues." It's an old tune, one early jazzers played, and I think Herb does a great job of showing his roots, working well with the band he's in, and finding fresh fire in his solo.