TOP 100 Jazz Guitar Albums

[Caleb Cook]

Well I agree with a few of the original postings and, I have many of the same players as other people but some different albums.

Charlie Christian - The Original Guitar Hero
Wes Montgomery - Full House (ditto)
The Joe Pass Trio - Live at Donte's (Out of Print)
Grant Green - Standards
Johnny Smith - (I think the album is just self titled) Johnny Smith

****BONUS***
Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue
John Scofield - A Go Go (more of a groove funk album)

[DANTE PAEZ]

I don`t know if cuonts for the pourists but i like:
-Greg-Howe,Dennis-Chambers-"Extraction"
-Some of Allan Holdsworth work
-Norman Brown "After the Storm" (Take me there)
and my fav's are P.M. and Jhon Scofield but they are already on the list.

[Ismail]

1. Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire
2. Mahavishnu Orchestra - Inner Mounting flame
3. Jim Hall - Concierto
4. Geroge Benson - Beyond the Blue Horizon
5. Miles Davis - In A Silent Way
6. John McLaughlin - Electric Guitarist
   
7. Return To Forever - Romantic Warrior
8. Al Di Meola - Elegant Gypsy
9. Joe Pass - For Django
10. Paul Desmond - Pure Desmond
11. Grant Green - Idle Moments
12. Pat Metheny - Bright Size Life

[Passion4Blue]

With some artists I've been more of a collector because of their influence on my playing and so I've come close to owning practically everything they have ever recorded. This is mostly on the Fusion side, but I also own a lot of the classic Jazz CD's by Django, Wes, Burrell, Pass and many others.

Frank Gambale (in all his incarnations: Solo, GHS, Vital Information, Elektrik Band, and also as a guest on many artists CD's.

Scott Henderson (Same thing: Solo, Vital Tech tones, Tribal Tech)

Allan Holdsworth (Tony Williams Lifetime, Solo, UK)

John Scofield

Frank Zappa

[MelJohn]

How about

Martin Taylor - Solo

[SJM]

Tommy Tedesco! I haven't even heard that name mentioned in decades! Off topic, but does anybody remember the name of his book that I used to live out of for about two years when I in my teens. It was red, with a big photo of Tommy and it was filled with entertaining anecdotes and stories about his experiences in the studio, etc...

I think you might mean "For Guitar Players Only." It's an instruction book sprinkled with autobiographical anecdotes. It's been out of print for years. I bought a copy second hand but it was quite expensive. Brilliant book though.

If you enjoyed that you might also like TT's autobiography, "Confessions of a Guitar Player", which is still in print and very reasonably priced. He was quite a character, and what a player!

[milessound]

I would add these 10 to the ones I saw (although I did not read all of them, and I am sticking solely to guitar stuff here despite seeing things like Bitch's Brew and the Koln Concert included on earlier posts):

Pat Metheny - Bright Size Life
(this is his first and best in my opinion - with Jaco Pastorius on bass - beautiful melodies and chord progressions - a must have!!!)

Pat Metheny and John Scofield - I Can See Your House From Here
(great duet album with tons of chops and interesting experimental progressions)

Stanley Jordan - Stolen Moments
(chops galore on this incredible live album, and although the playing is a bit unnecessarily fast in some spots like on Stairway to Heaven, First Impressions and his version of Over the Rainbow are enough to put this album on my favorites list)

Alex Skolnick - Goodbye to Romance
(awesome reinterpretation of some rock favorites in jazz style - there is no other album like it that I know of and Skolnick is a beast in technique and in lyricism/expression)

Joe Pass and Herb Ellis (with Ray Brown) - Seven Come Eleven
(classic playing of classic standards)

Bill Frisell - Ghost Town
(Eerie and ethereal with a country feel, this album always relaxes me with Frisell's unmistakable sound. The Floratone album is also pretty incredible)

Metheny-Meldhau Quartet
(This album is ripe with brilliant guitar work but also includes some beautiful composition and gorgeous piano playing. Meldhau's classical influence shines through to prime a broad and textured canvass for Metheny to streak across.)

Jim Hall/Ron Carter - Alone Together
(Serene and sweet, this drumless duet sweetens the classic standards with Hall's straightforward and melodic style)

**warning - smooth jazz is not my favorite, but I will include these two:

Ronny Jordan - A Brighter Day
(incorporating some funkiness and even some hip hop style and rhythm, including an appearance from Mos Def, Jordan's style is technically spot on and his sound relaxes and grooves at the same time)

George Benson - Absolute Benson
(while corny at times, there is no mistaking Benson's talent. This showcases it well, although I have not heard most of his full records. I am sure there is some brilliant playing on there as well)

[Gaboatman]

There are many others, but here are a few:

Andre Previn, "After Hours"
Al Di Meola, "Anthology"
Antonion Carlos Jobim, "Antonio Carlos Jobim's Finest Hour"
Django Reinhardt, "Verve Jazz Masters 38"
Gato Barbieri, "Caliente!"
Joe Pass, "The Best of Joe Pass: Pacific Jazz Years"
Kenny Burrell, 75TH Birthday Bash Live!"
Larry Carlton, "Collection"
Pat Metheny Group, "Still Life (Talking)"
Stan Getz with Astrud Gilberto, "Getz Au Go Go Featuring Astrud Gilberto"
Tuck Andress, "Reckless Precision"
Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, Paco Delucia, "De Lucia, Di Meola,McLaughlin"

[tryin'2playjazz]

MY TOP TEN are:

1. Blue Benson-George Benson (out of print-don't even know if it's on CD)

2. Jim Hall Live!- Jim Hall

3. Smokin' at the Half Note-Wes Montgomery (unbelievable. Get the extended CD)

4. Don't Get Around Much Anymore- George Barnes (his last album. An unsung guitar hero)

5. Consciousness-Pat Martino

6. Barney Kessel- Poll Winners (the 1st one)

7. Seven Come Eleven-Herb Ellis and Joe Pass (a killer live album)

8. Swing '49- Django Reinhardt

9. Jazz at the Bistro- Russell Malone (w/Benny Green)

10. Grant Green's 1st album...very bluesy (not Idle Moments.Sorry I forgot the title).

Hey,..I am aware of Metheny, Sco and the rest. But the older stuff does it for me. Thanks!

[jordileft]

Robben Ford - Tiger Walk
Robben Ford - Blue moon
Larry Carlton - Deep into it

[tarus]

George Benson - Breezin'
Charlie Christian - Celestial Express
Joe Pass - Finally
John Abercrombie - Timeless
Djang Reinhardt - Le genie du jayy
Wes Montgomery - The Incredible Jazz Guitar

[CoffeeTime400]

Here is my list:

John Coltrane - Blue Train
John Coltrane - Giant Steps
George Benson - The Shape Of Things To Come
The Kenny Burrell Trio - A Night At The Vanguard
Charlie Parker - The Definitive [Ken Burns Jazz]
John McLaughlin - Thieves and Poets
Duke Ellington - Finest Hour
Tommy Emmanuel - Endless Road

Amoung others already mentioned and 'Best Of ' CD's, which I normally purchase.

[kdeanj]

I love the thread, you guys covered most of the great ones... But there are three more great guitar performances on non guitar albums you should hear.

Tiny Grimes on Colman Hawkins 'Hawk Eyes"
Grant Green on Hank Mobley's "Workout"

and my favorite Danny Gatton on "New Your Stories"

[bntville]

not that I couldn't play this game for hours and hours, but I thought of a few more that I didn't see on anyone's list, many still not available on CD...

Ryo Kawasaki - Prism & 8 Mile Road
Lenny Breau - The Velvet Touch of Lenny Breau
Cal Collins - Cincinnati to LA
Charlie Byrd - Crystal Silence
The Guitar Album - Live Concert from Guitar Player Mag w/ G. Barnes/B. Pizarelli/J. McLaughlin/Joe Beck/ & others (not the one w/Clapton et al.)
Tiny Grimes - Some Groovy Fours
Barney Kessel - Soaring
Joe Pass - Quadrant
Sal Salvador - Frivolous Sal
Chuck Wayne - Morning Mist
Vic Juris - Horizon Drive
Toto Blanke - Spiders Dance
Gary Boyle - The Dancer
L. Coryell/11th House - Level One
Jan Akkerman - Jan Akkerman
Jeff Beck - Blow By Blow
Toto Blanke and Rudolf Dasek
Kazumi Watanabi - Mobo I & II
Les Paul Trio

[noiradox]

Anybody who posted:
Tuck
Bickert
JHall w/Sonny--take a bow!

Jazz--sans guitar:

Bill Evans--@Vanguard, Waltz for Debby, Everybody Loves BE
Monk/Trane
Trane/Hartmann
Billie Holliday with Basie Band or Teddy Wilson (Prez and Freddie Green in attendance)
Miles--7 Steps to Heaven and the entire Classic Quintet Canon
Joe Henderson--the Billy Strayhorn and Miles collections, "Double Rainbow"
Getz/Gilberto--Jobim to die for

Guitar jazz: (off the beaten track, I hope)

• RTowner--Solo Concert ("Nardis" alone is worth it)
• JPass/John Pisano Duets--(how many other guitars can keep up with Joe besides HEllis?)
• BEvans--Quintessence (with KBurrell)
• JHall--Concierto (great line-up and the title cut is a 20' vacation)
• PMatheney--Missouri Sky (if you can stay with it despite CHaden's 'rubato' solos)
• Fats Waller--Ain't Misbehavin' ("Al Casey, get on your feet and earn yo' money!)

Cheers.

[bntville]

I found this thread considerably more interesting for the artists/albums that I wasn't aware of than those that I was (and my collection runs pretty deep). Also, kudos to all for just remembering many of the lesser appreciated players than the likes of Farlow, Montgomery, Pass, and Reinhardt... I assume that, like me, many of you are scrambling to add these to your collections.

Some honorable mentions (or in this case not mentioned), any of which deserve a spot in a top 100 list:

Oscar Aleman
David T. Walker
Phil Upchurch (Darkness, Darkness!!)
Cornell Dupree
Eric Gale
Don Latarski (great instructional books as well)
Joe Cinderella
Joe Puma
John Tropea
Ray Gomez(!!)
Mary Osborne
Billy Baur
Thornell Schwartz (w/Monk)
Oscar Moore (W/Nat King Cole)
Gabor Szabo (did get mentioned w/Chico)
Bela Flek (well it's almost a guitar)
Tony Rice w/ Grisman Quintet
Victor Lemonte Wooten (plays as though it had 6 strings)
King Sunny Ade (sounds like jazz to me)

etc, etc..

[CoffeeTime400]

Pat Matheny Group - On The Road To You
Eric Johnson - Ah Via Musicom
John Scofield - This Meets That
Robin Ford - Supernatural
Robin Trower - Day Of The Edge

[GodinFan]

Ed Bickert w/Don Thompson - At the Garden Party
Duke's Big 4 - Duke, Ray Brown, Louis Bellson, and Joe Pass!
Bucky Pizzarelli - One Morning in May - all 7 string solo guitar

[borsatti]

-of course almost all albums of Wes Montgomery
-George Benson-Giblet gravy: a particular attention to "what's new"
-John Abercrombie quartet 1979

[James R.]

John McLaughlin Trio - Live at the Royal Festival Hall
I saw them do this set at a small club in Indy. I've seen John twice before, but this was a small venue and he killed.

Robben Ford - The Inside Story,
Pat Matheny - The First Circle, Speaking of Now

[garryrenfro]

John Scofield - Grace Under Pressure
Pat Metheny and Charlie Haden - Beyond The Missouri Sky
I agree with "I Can See Your House From Here" - Scofield/Metheney

[Batkins64]

Rene Thomas: Guitar Groove, absolutely essential!
Kenny Burrell: Live at the Village Vangard, recorded when he was only 25!
Jim Hall: Live and also Jazz Guitar Jim Hall Trio, which was his first LP.
Jimmy Raney, Live in Paris and with Sonny Clark, two early Raney albums.
Joe Pass: Catch Me (first album) and For Djangod, both early Pass but the best; also Intercontinental is very good on MPS

Regards,

Byron Atkins

[Batkins64]

Also have few otheres: Ed Bickert and Lorne Lofsky "This is New"
Jim Hall "live" this one is essential.
Django Rheinhart with Stephan Grapelli anything
Charlie Christian anything with Benny Goodman Sextet.

Byron

[Innerurge1]

Kurt Rosenwinkel - The Remedy
Lionel Loueke - Karibu
Joe Pass - Joy Spring
Bill Evans & Jim Hall - Interplay
Jim Hall - Live!

[akubra]

Hi everybody, my first post

Wes Montgomery - Smokin' at the Half Note
Wes Montgomery - The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery
Django Reinhardt - Djangology (or any other with Grappelli)
Joe Pass - Intercontinental
Grant Green - Green Street
Kevin Eubanks - World Trio