Joe Pass Unforgettable and Virtuoso

[Sushi313]

Hello fellow jazz guitar fans,

I just started listening to JP this year! Always listening to Unforgettable and Virtuoso. Can you please recommend other solo jazz guitar albums that are similar? Just love the tones!

Rod

[Stringswinger]

I Remember Charlie Parker is a great one.

[pamosmusic]

Hello fellow jazz guitar fans,

I just started listening to JP this year! Always listening to Unforgettable and Virtuoso. Can you please recommend other solo jazz guitar albums that are similar? Just love the tones!

Rod

Not solo but my favorites are his duets with Ella. Take Love Easy, Easy Living, Speak Love, Joe and Ella Again.

[lawson-stone]

Hello fellow jazz guitar fans,

I just started listening to JP this year! Always listening to Unforgettable and Virtuoso. Can you please recommend other solo jazz guitar albums that are similar? Just love the tones!

Rod

My favorite Joe Pass solo guitar is "Blues for Fred." It's got tone to die for, Joe's chops and ideas are magnificent, and the recording itself is outstanding. It's one of my all-time favorites overall.

[Cunamara]

The Live at Akron recording by Joe is good.

[fep]

Not solo guitar but Joe Pass Intercontinental is a must listen. It's a trio album, bass, drums, guitar.

[AllanAllen]

[AndyV]

Not Joe but a classic solo guitar record with gorgeous tone and Johnny Smith's majestic playing.

[Sushi313]

Thank you so much for the replies! I am looking for other guitarists similar to Joe Pass' solo guitar. I've been listening to Jim Hall as well! Love it! Anymore suggestions?

[Cunamara]

The Johnny Smith/George Van Eps recording "Legends." JS on one side of the album, GVE on the other side (irrelevant on a CD, of course). Massive stuff. Monsters- genial monsters but monsters nonetheless. There are very few guitarists with their combination of skill, inventiveness and musicality.

Ted Greene. He did not record a lot, he mainly taught lots of top-flight guitarists of a generation or two in America at some point or another. As far as I know, there are two solo albums and quite a few YouTube videos.

Mick Goodrick. Also under-recorded, and, as far as I know, never recorded in a strictly solo setting. He taught all the rest of the top-flight guitarists of several generations in America. It seems like most of "modern" jazz guitar traces back to him.

Name a monster jazz guitarist under the age of 70 in the US and they probably studied with one of these two guys if not both.

Gene Bertoncini, a personal favorite: "Quiet Now," and "Body and Soul" as solo albums, "Someone to Light Up My Life" with very tasteful percussion. "Concerti" with a string quartet. Lots of wonderful duo records, especially with bassist Michael Moore. One of the most powerful jazz concerts I have ever heard was Gene, Ike Sturm on bass and Dane Richeson on percussion playing in a church in downtown Saint Paul MN, at least 10 years ago and maybe 15. They went through the building sound system so the music just surrounded the audience. It was stunning musicianship and communication between the three of them, going to such amazing places. I so wish that concert had been recorded. My jaw was on the floor most of the show. I got to study a little bit with Gene at a jazz camp several years running and he was a wonderful teacher, as well as a warm and generous human being. I don't know if he is still gigging or has retired; his website has gone away and I don't see him listed as doing any gigs in the New York area. I saw him 3-4 years ago when he came to MN for a show; age and health liabilities had taken a toll on his accuracy, but he remained wonderfully engaging with the audience and as adventurous as ever.

I wish I had seen Joe Pass. I had the opportunity when he was touring with Leo Kottke and John Williams; the gig wasn't on a convenient night due to my work schedule, and so I skipped it thinking that there would be another chance. And then there wasn't and he was gone. If you want to hear them, folks, go hear 'em whenever you have the chance because you just never know.

[grahambop]

Andy Brown - Soloist, and Alone Time.

Great solo guitar player based in Chicago (I believe).

[fep]

And let's not forget fellow forum member Tim Lerch. He also has wonderful educational material.

[mr. beaumont]

If you dig "Virtuoso," you'd probably like Jimmy Bruno's "Solo" reord.

[Sushi313]

Hello Fep,

Have you seen this video with Mr Lerch?

Rod

[Doctor Jeff]

All the albums with Joe are good. Except for the few clinkers in there. Can’t recall them off the top of my head, but the ones where he played pop songs of the mid-60’s (Beatles, Stones) are not well thought of. And I think there’s one where he actually uses distortion.

There are some great solo and trio albums by Lenny Breau and Larry Coryell among others. For a more modern take on solo guitar check out Tommy Emmanuel.

Here’s a nice list of solo jazz guitar recordings:

Solo Jazz Guitar Albums - Rate Your Music

Interestingly I’ve seen some great guitarists, but the only solo guitar concert of a major artist I can remember was Leo Kottke. He could make one guitar sound like an orchestra, of course.

[Doctor Jeff]

Maybe a little more off-topic and not what the OP was looking for, but there are some beautifully played and immaculately recorded Windham Hill guitar records.

WH’s founder Will Ackerman has some wonderful albums, also Alex DeGrassi and Michael Hedges.

If you want to see how old guys tuned their guitars back in the day, watch this, otherwise fast forward to about 3”.

He is playing (I think) with fingerpicks here, but Ackerman has said in interviews that he gave up trying to keep his own nails long and for quite awhile was having his nails done at a “Vietnamese nail salon.”

[unknownguitarplayer]

[Oscar67]

How about Martin Taylor?