Jazz Guitar Albums

My Top 5 + YOUR Favorite Recordings

Some legendary jazz guitarists have that universal sound that reaches and touches thousands of people. If you've ever been "grabbed" by the sound of one album, you know what I mean.

So, here's my own "Top 5 Jazz Guitar Albums" listing ... followed by comments and suggestions from visitors of this website. (bottom of page)

Keep in mind, this top-5 list is very personal. Those are the jazz guitar albums that resonated with me and touched me in a special way.

Other people from different generation and different backgrounds may completely dislike my top-5 list. I'm fine with it! (-:

Whatever *your* likes and dislikes are, please share your own "Top-5 Jazz Guitar Albums" at the bottom of this page...

My top-5 list is no particular order. Here we go!

Wes Montgomery : Smokin' at the Half-Note (1965)

In fact, it's a Winton Kelly trio album with Wes Montgomery as a guest soloist. All-star line-up, of course.

First time I was listening to it : "Oh, wo. Ok, nice..." then later "OH! Oh MY GOD! ... woah! This is AMAZING!" I couldn't believe it.

I know a lot of people like "The Incredible Guitar of..." from Wes, but this "live" one is still my favorite. So much energy!

And there's also the fact that the trio backing Wes was really, really tight at the time. So, virtually any decent soloist could sit in and sound good. And now : where talking about WES himself.

My cherished track is the first one. Just an F blues. I transcribed a good portion of the guitar solo.

Looking back, I believe it's Wes that showed me what was possible on straight-ahead blues. I now realize the impact of this single tune on my playing.

I hope you enjoy this album as much as I do!

Pat Metheny : Day Trip (2008)

The most recent recording of the list, this one has Pat in trio with Christian McBride and Antonio Sanchez.

I believe what I like the most about Day Trip is the maturity of the playing : Metheny has come a long way since his first "hit" (as a solo artist) on "Bright Size Life" in the late 70's. I think he sounds more like himself (playing wise and compositionally also) than on any other of his trio albums.

Once more, my tastes might differ from most jazz guitarists but I never really got into 80's and 90's Pat trio stuff. I don't know why. There's a lot of albums that I like, but none that would go in this top-5 list except "Day Trip".

I enjoy all the tracks on this album, and especially "When We Were Free", an epic 3/4 bass-vamp type of tune (with synth-guitar solo at the end). I also like "Dreaming Trees" where Metheny plays the accoustic guitar. I even learned the beginning of the latter...

More often than not, jazzers wanna learn Pat's improv on tunes. I personally prefer to learn his nice voicings and the way he plucks the chords on tunes such as "Dreaming Trees". There's something very authentic about it. No crazy solos, just chords placed in time (with a nice brush sound on the drumkit).

Ed Bickert with Don Thompson : At the Garden Party (1979)

This one has a very special place in my heart. It was my first introduction to Ed's playing. I got fond of it very, very fast! (-:

There's nothing like a warm guitar and bass duo playing good old standards ... especially when the musicians are of that caliber. It's a very different atmosphere without percussions.

While in school, I transcribed a few tracks from that recording. My teacher also happened to be a little "Bickert Freak" on the sides.

I did not know that at the time, but after graduating I wound up playing *a lot* (really) of duo gigs with bass players. I was glad to have that recording for reference in my mind. Playing a gig I would think : "What is this supposed to sound like? Well, think of Bickert on Alone Together!"

Finally, "at the Garden Party" was recorded live in Toronto. This delightful, chilled-out album even won a Juno award. (The Junos are the like the Canadian grammys.)

John Scofield : En Route (2004)

Yes, another one from the 2000's. I know there's a lot of sacred jazz guitar stuff from the 20th century... but I just can't help it.

This Scofield record hosts his working trio of the time : Steve Swallow on the fretless electric and Bill Stewart on drums. It was recorded live at the Blue Note club in New York, NY.

Lots of original tunes by Sco... and lots of blowing! Just the way I like it. (-: The opener "Wee" is that great Bb Rhythm Changes tune from 50 years ago. Great!

It's funny because this album is one that I never really thought about or discussed with people. I just like to put it on. Oh man!

Now that I'm thinking about it... It's groovy. It has a different kind of trio sound : it's not exactly mainstream, and not super fusion or "out" either. It lies somewhere in the grey zone (but the playing is fantastic). The electric bass adds something we are not used to hear in jazz trios. And what else? Let's see...

Ah! Well, it's John Scofield playing! That SCO sound is obviously omni-present. That "just-on-the-edge-of-screaming" guitar sound, the chorused thing and other effects. And then there's his playing of course : lots of legato, many crunches with odd intervals, bends, etc. He finds his way ...and you're kind of "WHAT?!", but it always works out in the end.

Pat Metheny Group : Letter From Home

Ok. Please don't swear at me. I know lots of people would approach me with a cross and some holy water here...

If you like jazz and never really gave a chance to the Pat Metheny Group (very different from Metheny's trio or quartet record), now's your chance!

It's a super well produced and somewhat "polished" recording that everyone (not just jazz fans) can appreciate. Plus, you get to hear brilliant improvisations (sometimes even on straigh-ahead blues forms!) but it's kind of dissimulated within the ensemble.

I always like to put it on and see my friends faces, and they say ... "Oh. It's in 7/4 and I didn't even notice!". I believe that's the beauty of it.

One of my favorite features of this album is the singing : a south-american singer (I forgot his name, sorry) does a wonderful job. No lyrics, except one track, and the voice is simply considered as another instrument of the larger ensemble. Great stuff.

I don't want to spoil it for you, so just go ahead and listen... and let me know what you think!

So, what are YOUR favorite Jazz Guitar Albums?
(or discuss my selections)

Share your thoughts about your fav recordings! Add your own Jazz Guitar Albums review or comment on my own Top-5 list (above).

Top Jazz Guitar Albums by other visitors (with comments)

Click on the links below to read Jazz Guitar Albums articles and comments that were all written by visitors to this page.

You can write or comment on them, too. Just scroll up a bit and write your own story. Or continue on and read what others have had to say about their favorite recordings. Enjoy...