Great Jazz Guitar Solos

[Dirk]

Update: I compiled the results of this poll in a blog post (+ 10 transcribed licks):

TOP 10 Best Jazz Guitar Solos That Will Inspire You (+ 10 Licks)


I know this is a difficult question, but I'm going to ask it anyway:

Which is the greatest jazz guitar solo ever recorded in your opinion?

Better yet, can you give a top 3 of the jazz guitar solos you like the most and if possible with a Youtube link.

[grahambop]

I can give you the two which I consider to be among the best ever:

Charlie Christian - Swing to Bop
Wes Montgomery - Unit 7

I can't access youtube links at the moment (restricted office desktop!)

Here they are:

[rkwestcoast]

Charlie Christian Stardust and Wes Montgomery Impressions

[MarkRhodes]

Wes Montgomery, "No Blues" from the album "Smokin' at the Half Note." I reserve the right to add one or two more choices later ;o)

[AlsoRan]

For me, it has got to be Pat Martino's solo on "Lazybird" from his "East!" album.

[Preston Safeway]

1. Django Reinhardt - Fleche D'or

2. Wes Montgomery - Jingles - Live in Paris 65

3. John Abercrombie - How's Never

[ronjazz]

Wes: 4 On 6 from Live at 1/2 note
Jim Hall: Stompin' at the Savoy on Live at 1/2 Note, Art Farmer Quartet
Ed Bickert: Squeeze Me, Pure Desmond
Barney Kessel, On A Clear Day

[nrubel]

Charlie CHRISTIAN Flying Home
Wes MONTGOMERY Besame Mucho
Tal FARLOW Swedish Pastry ( in Red Norvo Trio)

[MarkRhodes]

[QUOTE=nrubel;565484]Charlie CHRISTIAN Flying Home QUOTE]

That's one of my favorites too.

[balthazar]

Hi,

George Benson on "Leaving West" - CTI All Stars - California Concert - The Hollywood Palladium 1972

[MarkRhodes]

This electric version of Mingus' "Better Git Hit In Your Soul" blew me away when young. It still makes me smile all over. (Not a classic jazz tone, I know, but....)

[Multiac]

Pat Metheny : Phase Dance
Jim Hall : both soli on Concierto de Aranjuez
Wes Montgomery : West Coast Blues - Maybe not is greatest solo ever but it hooked me to jazz 30 years ago.

[Multiac]

Love the Besame Mucho soli take one and two.

[eddy b.]

Ed Bickert "Have You Met Miss Jones", from Out of the Past. Wes "No Blues", from Smoking at the Half Note. Benson's version of Breezin'. Pat Martino "Just Friends", from Strings(I think). I don't know if they are the best, but they are some of my favourites.

[grahambop]

Oh yeah, Pat Martino - Just Friends, how the hell could I forget that one!

It's on 'El Hombre':

[dolphinstreet]

City Nights by Allan Holdsworth

[bluewaterpig]

Wes Montgomery - 4 on 6
Pat Martino - Just Friends
Charlie Christian - Rose Room

[57classic]

My votes go to:

Pat Martino - Just Friends
Django Reinhardt - Honeysuckle Rose
George Barnes - When Sunny gets Blue

For the first see above. The third is not on youtube, but a nice version can be found on Spotify.
The second:

This is gonna be a great thread!

[pubylakeg]

A fun thread topic to participate in, but as for "greatest ever", I couldn't even begin to make a choice.

But for fun's sake, these are 3 favourites that I've listened to for decades, and never tire of hearing. They all have one of the greats going "real deep" on a ballad. They all have great tone. They all have really great support from the rhythm section. They all seem to have that connection of players who grew up listening to Charlie Christian, but whose influence you can immediately here in today's most contemporary players like P.Bernstein, J.Van Ruller, Kurt Rosenwinkel,etc.

Hope you're not doing anything for the next half hour, cause these guys are gonna take you on a trip......

[Comeau]

Gene Ludwig Pat Martino Trio
Mr.PC

[mqbernardo]

Hi all, new member here. I just registered so I could give my expert opinion on this most profound and poignant of topics. Anyway, just out of my undecided mind and in no particular order:

wes montgomery: gone with the wind on the incredible jazz guitar (this is my personal fave, amazing flow of ideas, melodic inventiveness, drive, all done with coherence and touch - and a smile on the face' but I could be making this last one up)
wes Montgomery: caribe on full house (such bravado, such swing)
wes Montgomery : here's that rainy day on a live date with Harold mabern, which name I can't remember (I just have a soft spot for this one, he was on such an amazing form)

jim hall : my funny valentine from undercurrent (?) with Bill evans - would this count as a solo? Anyway, makes me speechless

django: I'll see you in my dreams - such a beautiful melody, such a spark

ok, thanks all.

[mesadeco]

Going with something a bit fusion and a bit modern, but nonetheless falling into the Jazz/blues genre, if not in a category of its own: Steely Dan, don't take me alive intro.

[kofblz]

Who knows what "greatest" means, but this is in there somewhere.

Django - I'll See You In My Dreams

[anabrin06]

1. George Benson "6 to 4":

[halfironman]

I'm going to go with Wes Montgomery "Bumpin." He goes from single notes to octaves to chords and weaves nicely around the string section. I also like George Benson on a live version of "It's Too Late". It's an additional track on Johnny Hammond's "Breakout." I also like Gabor Szabo's "Evil Eye" and for a fourth solo Grant Green "My Favorite Things" from Matador.