Greatest jazz guitar player in LA

[mr. beaumont]

OK.

Well the next time you get the squirts from a restaurant meal, make certain that you remain silent. After all, you're not a gourmet chef of international note, so your critical opinion matters not.

Opinions themselves don't bother me. It's people who use the warm blanket of Internet anonymity to say things they'd never say otherwise that do.

[Jazzstdnt]

I didn't really have a opinion but I just listened to the singer. She's OK. Sounds like a lot of small time jazz singers. She'd be fine in an LA lounge any day of the week.

[Toddep]

I’m the greatest guitarist in my living room

[snoskier63]

I’m the greatest guitarist in my living room

Not me, and I’m the only guitarist here at the moment.

[mrcee]

Lots of pickers in LA, fo sho. But how many regularly gigging (playing out) - and playing jazz, jazz, jazz - in LA though?

Not zero, but not growing either.

True or false?

I haven't lived in LA for years but since the heyday of the Lighthouse I wasn't aware of much in the way of straight ahead jazz performers (like Joe Henderson just as one example) being featured at clubs. Or elsewhere. Not obviously anyway. Better for fusion though. Miles played an afternoon weekend gig in the 80s on the Queen Mary docked permanently in Long Beach. SF on the other hand has always had lots of jazz. I saw tons of big names there at places like Yoshi's, Milestone and Keystone Korner.

[rlrhett]

He lives in Carmel Valley.

Poor bastard. Probably thinks he is living in Camazotz.

[wolflen]

yeah.."the best" of anything can be replaced at moments notice .. its a silly way to look at things..the world champ is the best until the next guy "knocks em out" and on and on...

I have been very impressed watching/listening to two guys on a park bench playing a "jazz blues" and at that moment they were the "best" .. of course after that I may go to a concert -- Al di Meola and John McLauglin and revise my "Best list"

[lawson-stone]

I can't find in the video where she says he's "the best" in LA. She says "He is one of the best, if not the best" player in LA. That's a really different thing from straight-up claiming he's the best. She's got a right to her opinion, and as someone who seems to be making a living playing jazz, and as someone who also plays with guitarists quite often, judging from her website, I think her opinion is worth a bit more than what I paid for it.

[pcsanwald]

I'm not going to get into "best", but two of my favorite players that haven't been mentioned yet are Graham Dechter and Jacques Lesure. Last time I was in LA I saw Jacques playing his regular tuesday gig in hollywood with Eric Revis on bass. It did not disappoint!

[Jazzstdnt]

I saw Graham with the Jeff Hamilton Trio in Newport Beach. Very fine player indeed.

Is he still in Cali or did he return to the east?

[rmpmcdermott]

A few more, Robben Ford, Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour... lot's of good ones in L.A.

As an aside Lee Ritenour's house burned down in the recent L.A. fires, including his studio and a bunch of gear.

I don't think Robben lives in L.A. anymore.

And for those mentioning Bruce Forman, I think he's in L.A. a few days a week for teaching and gigs (might even have an apartment in Burbank, but it's correct that Carmel Valley is his home base.

[Robertkoa]

'Best ' is far too vague a word in addition to other problems.

'One of the best ever at Solo Guitar playing Standards to Modern stuff '.

'One of the best ever at super grooving over Standards and R&B in a kind of Benson meets McLaughlin Style.'

'One of the best at truly improvising Melodies with a groove kinda like Wes.'

'Best' is too vague...probably hyperbolic too cause it's a big World .

As a Jazz influenced ( increasingly ) Guitarist- I really appreciate guys like Mike Moreno and Jon Kriesburg who can also hypnotize with just a Guitar playing Solo.

So I prefer a little bit of description to know what the Player excels at .