The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary

View Poll Results: Favourite Guitarist

Voters
1242. You may not vote on this poll
  • John Scofield

    131 10.55%
  • Bill Frisell

    91 7.33%
  • Django Reinhardt

    155 12.48%
  • Wes Montgomery

    347 27.94%
  • Jim Hall

    167 13.45%
  • Joe Pass

    278 22.38%
  • Pat Metheny

    160 12.88%
  • Kurt Rosenwinkel

    79 6.36%
  • John Mclaughlin

    66 5.31%
  • John Abercrombie

    28 2.25%
  • Lee Ritenour

    26 2.09%
  • Pat Martino

    106 8.53%
  • Tal Farlow

    64 5.15%
  • Barney Kessel

    94 7.57%
  • Allan Holdsworth

    60 4.83%
  • George Benson

    147 11.84%
  • Grant Green

    123 9.90%
  • Jimmy Raney

    51 4.11%
  • Charlie Christian

    76 6.12%
  • Kenny Burrell

    163 13.12%
Multiple Choice Poll.
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Posts 201 to 225 of 336
  1. #201

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    For me there was no choice at all. SCOFIELD is simply the man. Noone else come even close. His unique beautyful sound, his peculiar original lines, his bluesy passionate fell, everything :P

    He is literally the reason I play guitar / jazz today. I was playing rock, blues, funk, etc. when I was young and being pretty serious about it. At some point I completely lost interest and stopped playing for 14 years!! It was by listening to Scofield that old yearning in the fingers came back again

    It was interesting to see what you other guys think. I knew that jazz listeners / players are a conservative bunch indeed (NOT saying that's a bad thing!) so it didn't surprise me that Wes would take the cake. I like him too and he would definately make my top 5 any day.

    But it did surprise me the popularity of players like Benson, Hall, Pass and Burell. I like Hall and Pass too I just don't think they're that original / special.

    Django even more so. To me he sounds sooo mechanical. Like one of those machines that make music when you turn a handle (don't know their name in english). Can't stand it.

    Another thing.. If I was to try to make a more objective assessment based on skill level and teqnique etc. I would have to say Metheny. Unfortunately I think he has very bad taste (like Stern) and I don't like his music. I really tried though, but I always find myself fastforwarding to his solos and skipping everything else.

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  3. #202

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    I would have thought Holdsworth would score much higher.

    Of course when asked how he would rank himself, Miles said, "Rank? You mean like an athlete? When you say best, you can't say best in any form of the arts. There's no best dancer, no best actor. You know, PR is 98% of it. But Dizzy would say that I'm one of the best."

  4. #203

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    Jim Hall, tone
    Pat Martino, comforting
    John Mclaughlin, the best guitarist/composer alive

  5. #204

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    I cheated and voted for three. Wes, Kenny Burrell and Pat Martino. It's the best I could do. Jim Hall is a very close second for me.

  6. #205

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    Wes Montgomery, I just love the guy.

  7. #206

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    This week it's been Kenny Burrell. One of the 7 or 8 that alternates as a favorite of mine.

  8. #207

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    I find it interesting that the results of this poll so closely mirror my own sentiments. I'm old school in many ways but it would appear that I am far from alone in my tastes.

    I also need to put in a word for Johnny Smith. My concept of technique came from him and his arpeggios are amazing.

  9. #208

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    Where does Howard Roberts rank?

  10. #209

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    Benson got my vote but I was tempted to vote for Burrell, Pass or Wes. I don't think anyone mentioned Emily Remler who didn't have the chops of most Jazz guitarists, but she is one of my favorites to listen to, and would be on my list of favorites.

    It's interesting to hear opinions and of unsung players that can be investigated. Favorite artists is subjective, but for some reason there's a temptation to argue about it. We could attempt to vote on which player is that fastest, has the best technique, most innovative, plays with the most emotion, is truly the best, but that would create a huge argument.

    And nobody mentioned Herb Ellis either!
    Last edited by bobby d; 02-13-2012 at 07:56 PM.

  11. #210

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    How right or correct you are, Bobby D. Emily Remler, included, died 5/4/90. 50 years ago the poll, probably, would be easy. In 50 years, a bunch of old farts created magic. It's a tribute to them and the folks that CREATED what followed and follows. Let's hope that the NEW CREATIONS are of the same merit as of the old masters. Writing standards need to be corrected and improved. (e.g. m6, m7b5, dom9's, same change, written most always, incorrectly... In full or smaller jazz bands, piano and guitar parts are quite lackluster and abysmal.) Let's look and hope for something really new and different, not the same old suit material.

  12. #211

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    Every top jazz guitarist has its bad side. Pat Metheny's great as a sideman but I don't think he's there yet with regards to compositions. Maybe he will shine with a couple of tunes but big deal. John McLaughlin's great when he plays his thing but as sideman he could be a dud. Listen or watch when he plays with Corea. There were nothing much. Most jazz guitarist were like that. They re-used a certain style to death.

  13. #212

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    John Abercrombie is very interesting. Check out his stint with Gil Evans in New York during early days. Lenny Breau's great, especially with harmonics but we don't get to hear from him much. Howard Robert's a good studio session man but despite all this, jazz guitarist should listen to piano player like Bill Evans or even go back to early Clark Terry, Charlie Parker or Louis Armstrong. Howard Elden did that and he came out tops.
    Last edited by jeffy; 02-26-2012 at 02:48 AM.

  14. #213

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    Why must younger jazz player keeps on doing old standards to get jazz approval? I think we must do away with it. I can relate to the Beatles, Zappa, Stones and many more, but you won't catch me playing 'Round Midnight' or 'My Funny Valentine" because it's not honesty.
    A few years ago I saw John Scofield and Joe Lovano at the York Jazz Festival in Western Australia and he broke into a riff of 'Who Do You Love' by Quicksilver Messenger Service. That's my man.

  15. #214

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    Guitar Player: If you could go back in time, are there any musicians you’d like to jam with?

    Garcia: Oh, yeah. I’d follow around Django Reinhardt, the Gypsy guitarist. I have every single one of his records. Most of what he plays is hard to understand, no matter how much I’ve listened to it. Either he’s got fingers a half a mile long or — I just don’t know how he’s doing it. And he played all this with a messed-up left hand. His technique is awesome. Even as good as players are today, nobody has come up to the state that he was playing at—that whole fullness of expression, the combination of having incredible speed and giving every note a specific personality. The other guy I’d like to hear live is Charlie Christian, who had an incredible mind, just a relentless flow of ideas. He was the first guy who played through he changes the way horn players would. He had that sense of where everything goes harmonically. He had an incredible intensity and a hip tone. To my ears, his playing still sounds very modern.

  16. #215

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    Pat Metheny is without a doubt my favorite. Pat Martino and Wes are tied at second, and Grant Green and Jim Hall are tied at third.

  17. #216

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    I voted for Pat Martino but my real favorite is Ed Bickert I know they have dissimilar styles but I think they are both true to themselves and very honest artists that speak to my soul.

  18. #217

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    thanks for bringing up Ed Bickert fellas. Never heard of him, yet I'm digging him on youtube. Melodic Jazz guitar is beautiful.

  19. #218

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    Evelyn60
    "Yes, that's a tough choice. Pat Metheny used to be my favorite player for many years, but if I have to choose now it's Wes Montgomery."

    A very interesting comment, only because I attended a Pat seminar. An audience member asked Metheny about octaves. Pat said, roughly, "I play octaves only when I have the whim, Wes Montomery is is the master. Listen and learn from him." And abruptly, the conversation went to another topic.

    Just in passing, since I play in a big band, I've discovered an exact opposite of Freddie Green and really quite good. Irving Ashby. A virtual unknown, great guitar player. This gets more interesting. FUN...

  20. #219
    You left out Johnny Smith, Jimmy Bruno and Elek Bacsik, maybe Cal Collins, George Barnes and Hank Garland; Oscar Moore, Ted Greene and Mikey Baker ? Don't remember if I saw Les Paul, George Van Epps or Eddie Lang. Regardless, picking only one is like eating only one potato chip - or maybe more aptly, playing with only one string.

  21. #220

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gillman Royce
    You left out Johnny Smith, Jimmy Bruno and Elek Bacsik, maybe Cal Collins, George Barnes and Hank Garland; Oscar Moore, Ted Greene and Mikey Baker ? Don't remember if I saw Les Paul, George Van Epps or Eddie Lang. Regardless, picking only one is like eating only one potato chip - or maybe more aptly, playing with only one string.
    Hey, no doubt those guys you mentioned were great but somehow they still don't have the 'ooomps' like Wes, who was kind of swinging free feel where one don't know if he's going to gives us bum notes or masterpiece. Still, those guys you pointed out were great but it's like listening to classical music. Just techniques. It's about feel, my man and Wes's the best. He's swinging in heaven.

  22. #221

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    I'm glad to see some votes for John Abercrombie. I was going to ask why he doesn't get more love around here.

  23. #222

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    Quote Originally Posted by jster
    I'm glad to see some votes for John Abercrombie. I was going to ask why he doesn't get more love around here.
    It's his sound/tone I think. Most folks don't dig this heavy chorus thing. I know I don't. In the case of Abercrombie it's a shame acutually cause his playing is just awesome and unique. I just can't listen to it that much because of the chorus.

  24. #223

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    Quote Originally Posted by aniss1001
    It's his sound/tone I think. Most folks don't dig this heavy chorus thing. I know I don't. In the case of Abercrombie it's a shame acutually cause his playing is just awesome and unique. I just can't listen to it that much because of the chorus.
    Interesting. I would never have guessed that.

  25. #224

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    Quote Originally Posted by aniss1001
    It's his sound/tone I think. Most folks don't dig this heavy chorus thing. I know I don't. In the case of Abercrombie it's a shame acutually cause his playing is just awesome and unique. I just can't listen to it that much because of the chorus.
    You need to check out more of Abercrombie's work. There are plenty of recordings where he does not use chorus.

  26. #225

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gillman Royce
    You left out Johnny Smith, Jimmy Bruno and Elek Bacsik, maybe Cal Collins, George Barnes and Hank Garland; Oscar Moore, Ted Greene and Mikey Baker ? Don't remember if I saw Les Paul, George Van Epps or Eddie Lang. Regardless, picking only one is like eating only one potato chip - or maybe more aptly, playing with only one string.
    WOW and thanks. I'd forgotten some players, especially Cal Collins. Have another chip... Country to jazz... have another chip... Earl, the master just passed. There are so many great players. One would be really surprised to find out their influences. Just have to listen.