The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Every now and then I get into the mood to play some blues. I think my current favorite is Luther Allison, who was a master singer and guitarist, imo. Blues guitar can get very repetitive at times, but Luther kept things interesting.

    Thoughts on your favorite blues players? I know there was a recent thread on bluesy jazz players, but I'm thinking more directly about the blues.

    Jay

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  3. #2

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    I love T-Bone Walker's early stuff - wow that dude could play and is sort of unsung these days. I'm also way into Buddy Guy's older recordings. But probably my favorite Chicago dude is Otis Rush. He absolutely kills!

  4. #3

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    cant name just one

    robert wilkins
    blind willie johnson
    lonnie johnson
    rev. gary davis
    charlie patton
    r.l. burnside
    hubbie jenkins (currently plays in carolina chocolate drops but also does heaps of blues both solo and in combos)
    t model ford
    willie brown
    mississippi john hurt
    washington phillips (tho he didnt play guitar but check him out, nobody is really sure what he played, how he tuned it or how he played it)
    sam chatmon
    john jackson

  5. #4

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    Janepaints- that's a good list man, some guys I have not dived into yet!

  6. #5

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    B.B. King

  7. #6
    Check out Roy Buchanhan, he is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  8. #7

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    Albert Collins !

  9. #8

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    Hubert Sumlin

  10. #9

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    Many favorites up here are players from 40 or 50 years ago or longer. Nostalgia for a happier time? Seems to be a recurring theme up here. Robert Cray is my answer.

    Last edited by richb2; 03-11-2014 at 08:21 AM.

  11. #10

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    oops! forgot albert king...who i appreciate in part because he played the way i do--lefty-playing-righty strung...i think otis rush was another 'upside down and backawards' guitarist.

  12. #11

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    oooh how did i forget blind willie mctell..thanks for the reminder...AND fer freddie king--who i was fortunate to see once, about 1975 in a tiny club in connecticut...we were like ten feet away from the itsy-bitsy maybe-8"-tall stage..WOW! it was like hearing him in a living room....jaw dropping player with an ace band....no fooling around or noodling, grooves within grooves within grooves within grooves.

  13. #12

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    Calhoun Tubbs could distill the essence of the blues into 4 bars...


  14. #13

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    My favourite for a long time has been Michael Bloomfield.

  15. #14

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    Not so much old school for me:
    Stevie Ray Vaughn
    Gary Moore
    Robben Ford
    Robert Cray
    Joe Bonamassa

  16. #15

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    @Franklearns - +1. The same list for me.

  17. #16

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    Duke Robillard
    Last edited by zigzag; 03-12-2014 at 10:48 AM.

  18. #17

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    Perhaps a sub question to the OP's question might be "favorite blues guitar style" . . because there are so many of them and it seems that most or all have been mentioned herein. But, with that not withstanding, my all time favorite blues guitarist is Eric Clapton. EC seemed to have found a way of tastefully incorporating something from almost all styles . . and then melding it all into . . . "Clapton". Hell man, look at what he did with the iconic Robert Johnson's tunes. He does it on a Strat, on a Les Paul, on a 335, on a gut string Martin. Eric Clapton may not be the best guitarist in the world . . or even close to it. But, he's a student of the blues guitar and of the blues culture. He can hang, and has hung with all the top notch players and more than held his own; the 3 Kings, SRV, Robert Cray, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, and on and on and on . . . . EC, is a blues man . . through and through . . and for that reason, he's my all time favorite.

  19. #18

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    Even though he played other styles, Gary Moore has always been my favorite blues guitarist, and is always in my top 5 or favorites regardless of genre.


  20. #19

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    Most of the list has already been covered, but anyway:-

    T-Bone

    Muddy Waters/Jimmy Rogers

    BB

    and, always.....Peter Green.

  21. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by Patrick2
    Perhaps a sub question to the OP's question might be "favorite blues guitar style" . . because there are so many of them and it seems that most or all have been mentioned herein. But, with that not withstanding, my all time favorite blues guitarist is Eric Clapton. EC seemed to have found a way of tastefully incorporating something from almost all styles . . and then melding it all into . . . "Clapton". Hell man, look at what he did with the iconic Robert Johnson's tunes. He does it on a Strat, on a Les Paul, on a 335, on a gut string Martin. Eric Clapton may not be the best guitarist in the world . . or even close to it. But, he's a student of the blues guitar and of the blues culture. He can hang, and has hung with all the top notch players and more than held his own; the 3 Kings, SRV, Robert Cray, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, and on and on and on . . . . EC, is a blues man . . through and through . . and for that reason, he's my all time favorite.
    Well said. I have to agree. Clapton Sometimes gets overlooked by hardcore guitar guys because so much of his music is so poppy, but Clapton has the best phrasing of any blues guitar player in my opinion. The problem with blues is that it is SO repetitive that a guy like SRV can sound totally meaningless to me. Yeah, cool licks, but cool licks get old if you just play them mindlessly and feverishly over the same 3 chords for 9 minutes. Clapton plays melodically and sparingly. There is a maxim among blues players that the most important tool is knowing when NOT to play. Where to put the space. I think Clapton does that best.

    Clapton is also a guy who plays very nice fingerstyle delta blues as well. Many blues guitarists on this list have neglected that all together.

  22. #21

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    Singing the blue note language - Derek Trucks.


  23. #22

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    Clapton is one of the musicians who inspired me to pick guitar back up after a ten year layoff back in the early '70s. These days, almost all of the old bluesmen sound staid and predictable to me, including Clapton. I still love them and listen to them occasionally, and I love a refreshing new lick, but I prefer players who play blues influenced jazz.
    Last edited by zigzag; 03-12-2014 at 08:27 PM.

  24. #23

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    I bet there's a bunch of ex blues players of here !

    Learning the Jazz thing ........

    I really dug that Derek and the Trucks video , never heard him before
    good music

    widening it out from that even
    how about
    Carlos Santana ......... favorite guitar player of all time for playing a single line

    to break your heart !

  25. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by Patrick2
    Perhaps a sub question to the OP's question might be "favorite blues guitar style" . . because there are so many of them and it seems that most or all have been mentioned herein. But, with that not withstanding, my all time favorite blues guitarist is Eric Clapton. EC seemed to have found a way of tastefully incorporating something from almost all styles . . and then melding it all into . . . "Clapton". Hell man, look at what he did with the iconic Robert Johnson's tunes. He does it on a Strat, on a Les Paul, on a 335, on a gut string Martin. Eric Clapton may not be the best guitarist in the world . . or even close to it. But, he's a student of the blues guitar and of the blues culture. He can hang, and has hung with all the top notch players and more than held his own; the 3 Kings, SRV, Robert Cray, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, and on and on and on . . . . EC, is a blues man . . through and through . . and for that reason, he's my all time favorite.
    John Scofield is also a student of the blues guitar.
    I saw him with Dr.John.
    but to play three chords blues progression of all time - may be for him is to easy...

  26. #25

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    Clapton got me chased through the streets of Cardiff by skinheads for a Rock Against Racism t-shirt when I was a student.

    Old news for some, think what you like for others, but that's not going away for me.