Who is the best\your favorite chord melody/solo jazz guitar player ever and why?

[mr. beaumont]

As a guy who plays a lot of solo guitar/chord melody, I don't listen to very much of it! Which I suppose some might find odd...

Nobody impresses me as much as Pass. He was completely next level. I wish there were more recordings of him playing solo on nylon string...

The player I enjoy listening to play solo the most is Frisell. You never know what might happen. He leaves lots of space too, which is nice. Guitar can get kind of monotonous by itself.

I suppose it's "jazz adjacent" but Yamandu Costa is a BEAST.

I tend to like acoustic tones or VERY electric tones for solo guitar. I'm not a huge fan of the standard "jazz guitar tone" for solo work for more than a song or two.

[John A.]

When I said that Joe P. was the only one who really holds my attention for an entire performance, I'd forgotten about this guy. In terms of the "holy s*hit, how does he do that?" factor, I think Francesco Buzzurro may be the all time champ. The thing that sets him apart from, say Van Eps, or even Pasquale Grasso is the way he can truly improvise intricate melody lines while keeping the counterpoint going, with pretty much any tune at any tempo.

And of course I should mention Mark Kleinhaut, who posts here often. He's a really interesting and creative solo player.

[pamosmusic]

I get the impression a lot of the time he's improvising it. I don't know that he is, but it comes across that way.

I like that - most other solo players sound like they've spend a lot of time working on arrangements. Nothing wrong with that, of course.

Some players improvise as well, but it's possible to detect a bit of a gear change once they finish the head and they move away from the more pre-arranged material. I don't get that feeling with Pete.

I get the same feeling. A lot of middle and lower voice movement that feels kind of discovered.

There aren’t a lot of ways that I would say Joe Pass and Peter Bernstein are similar, but their solo playing seems to kind of unspool in the same way.

[Christian Miller]

I get the same feeling. A lot of middle and lower voice movement that feels kind of discovered.

There aren’t a lot of ways that I would say Joe Pass and Peter Bernstein are similar, but their solo playing seems to kind of unspool in the same way.

Yeah I was just thinking that.

[2bornot2bop]

solo jazz and classical is my favorite personal setting to play in but...

...my all time favorite musician is keith jarrett. it's impossible to listen to him play solo and not think "maybe i chose the wrong instrument."

Keith? Absolutely! This the first tune I transcribed.

[jcbgtr]

ted greene
Joe pass
Johnny smith
ben monder
Jim Hall had some interesting solo guitar stuff too, although not a lot is out there.

[supersoul]

Jim Hall had some interesting solo guitar stuff too, although not a lot is out there.

just came across this solo Jim (maybe even on here):

[James W]

I like Julian Lage. Especially how he plays ATTYA.

[jameslovestal]

just came across this solo Jim (maybe even on here):

Yea, I posted this under What Are You Listening Too, a few days back.

(I just discovered it also. I looked it up based on the Jim Hall Guitar Player thread).

[Jimmy blue note]

I love all the traditionalists, Pass, Smith, Kenny Burrell, but it's the modern players that REALLY entrance me.
Starting with Ed Bikert for the way he created a pure musical vocabulary that was all his own, Mick Goodrick for his absolutely expansive use of harmony always in a magical lyricism, Lage Lund for his combination of innovative melody with just the right marriage of harmony, Ben Monder for creating the highest levels of harmony that no other human being can EVER figure out-and making it sound natural, Bill Frisell for discovering the poetry of guitar that frames silence, Jules Lage for breaking genre boundries with so much soul, John Scofield for bringing the history of jazz from Jay McShann to Jam Bands into his own mix of SOLO playing alchemy, Mark Kleinhaut for creating a new composition each time he picks up the guitar, Wolfgang Muthspiel for waking up the soul of Bach and composing the greatest music in the moment.

That's my short list.

Compositions of Sylvius Leopold Weiss are my constant inspiration though. There's the master.

[Cunamara]

What youse guys have all said. I'll just add Gene Bertoncini. His solo nylon string playing is just wonderful. And a nice, decent, generous and warm man to boot.

[PMB]

I love all the traditionalists, Pass, Smith, Kenny Burrell, but it's the modern players that REALLY entrance me.
Starting with Ed Bikert for the way he created a pure musical vocabulary that was all his own, Mick Goodrick for his absolutely expansive use of harmony always in a magical lyricism, Lage Lund for his combination of innovative melody with just the right marriage of harmony, Ben Monder for creating the highest levels of harmony that no other human being can EVER figure out-and making it sound natural, Bill Frisell for discovering the poetry of guitar that frames silence, Jules Lage for breaking genre boundries with so much soul, John Scofield for bringing the history of jazz from Jay McShann to Jam Bands into his own mix of SOLO playing alchemy, Mark Kleinhaut for creating a new composition each time he picks up the guitar, Wolfgang Muthspiel for waking up the soul of Bach and composing the greatest music in the moment.

That's my short list.

Compositions of Sylvius Leopold Weiss are my constant inspiration though. There's the master.

You'll probably love this:

[Mick-7]

Surprised no one has mentioned Lenny Breau.... I mean, how many guitarists can you name who can comp behind their own solos
like a piano player? (he's the only one I know of.)

[AllanAllen]

I love all the traditionalists, Pass, Smith, Kenny Burrell, but it's the modern players that REALLY entrance me.
Starting with Ed Bikert for the way he created a pure musical vocabulary that was all his own, Mick Goodrick for his absolutely expansive use of harmony always in a magical lyricism, Lage Lund for his combination of innovative melody with just the right marriage of harmony, Ben Monder for creating the highest levels of harmony that no other human being can EVER figure out-and making it sound natural, Bill Frisell for discovering the poetry of guitar that frames silence, Jules Lage for breaking genre boundries with so much soul, John Scofield for bringing the history of jazz from Jay McShann to Jam Bands into his own mix of SOLO playing alchemy, Mark Kleinhaut for creating a new composition each time he picks up the guitar, Wolfgang Muthspiel for waking up the soul of Bach and composing the greatest music in the moment.

That's my short list.

Compositions of Sylvius Leopold Weiss are my constant inspiration though. There's the master.

Is there a solo Ed Bickert album I don't know about?

[AndyV]

Laurindo Almeida played beautiful chord melody with a great sense of dynamics and texture. Not exactly jazz, but lone foot is in jazz and bossa nova harmony and rhythms and the other is traditional, non-swing diatonic harmony.

Joe Pass for all the reasons already noted. I don't think even he surpassed the feeling of freedom yet total control that he had on the first LP of the virtuoso series. Night and Day is one of my all-time favorite solos.

Ted Greene was positively orchestral in his best solo guitar playing. Old Man River on his LP was a tour de force of brilliant arranging and playing. He took what Van Eps was doing and to my ear, made it even hipper and wide ranging in terms of influence from jazz, gospel, broadway and film composers.

Barney Kessel for his wonderful muscular, guitaristic chord melody playing, delivered with such swing and especially, his use of open strings was really influential on me.

Johnny Smith for his incredible touch on the instrument and stately style of chord melody. I respect his playing but I don't seek it out often.

Tuck Andress - in small doses. I dig his version of Man in the Mirror but he's not exactly relaxing to listen to on most days.

Martin Taylor is a brilliant player. I took online lessons with him (they didn't take - all my fault). He's another player I marvel at but don't listen to very much. There's a conservatism there even in the improv that I can't quite put my finger on. He was a terrific teacher who knew exactly what he was doing in terms of breaking down his style its components.

[Jimmy blue note]

Is there a solo Ed Bickert album I don't know about?

No, regrettibly not that I know of either, but I include him because his chordal work especially in those intros and duos are so harmonically complete and melodic as to defy and re-define the role of the instrument. There is nothing lacking in his playing that needs another instrument, and when he does play with another player, it's as if I can't imagine those two instruments apart. It's something I heard and felt in Mick's playing too, that ability to be complete depending on the sound that exists.

[AllanAllen]

No, regrettibly not that I know of either, but I include him because his chordal work especially in those intros and duos are so harmonically complete and melodic as to defy and re-define the role of the instrument. There is nothing lacking in his playing that needs another instrument, and when he does play with another player, it's as if I can't imagine those two instruments apart. It's something I heard and felt in Mick's playing too, that ability to be complete depending on the sound that exists.

Rats, I was really hoping for a lost gem.

[Jimmy blue note]

Rats, I was really hoping for a lost gem.

You AND me. I'd like to know what other things Don Thompson had in his collection of on site recordings.

[P4guitar]

It seems we've all forgotten the great Earl Klugh!

[Mick-7]

It seems we've all forgotten the great Earl Klugh!

Oh yeah, I saw him when he was playing with George Benson, what a great duo they were! Never hear about him anymore, has he stopped performing/recording?

[Peter C]

Evangelina Mascardi would likely be most bemused by her inclusion in this thread. Listening to her sublime playing is like a meditation.

[AndyV]

I meant to mention Klugh. He plays some beautiful stuff.

[Skip Ellis]

Herb Ellis did some good chord melody stuff but you don't hear about it much. He did a great version of "Send In The Clowns".

[Mick-7]

Is there a solo Ed Bickert album I don't know about?

Well, has anyone heard all of these? May be a solo guitar album in the batch (I think some albums have never been released on CD).
Ed Bickert Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More ... | AllMusic

And there are his albums with only a bassist, like At the Garden Party, which could be considered chord melody.

[sgosnell]

I haven't heard all the guitar music ever played, so I'm not about to pontificate on the best ever. I will say that of current guitarists I have listened to, Andy Brown and Howard Alden are pretty much tied. Just because I love their playing.