Your Favorite Jazz Guitarists

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 8 Mar 2011 6:41 am

There are 2 other "CDs" of Ted's playing that were available for free--one was a 1977 recording session with a trio that was available on the tedgreene.com site and the other was an Improv CD that was released and distributed freely with the permission of Barbara Franklin, his companion. If you search around the net enough you'll find them.

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 8 Mar 2011 6:48 am

A huge thanks for that info, Mike! I'm gonna start searchin' the 'net... NOW!

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 8 Mar 2011 11:35 am

Thanks, Glenn, but I have bought that already. I heard TG's 'Over The Rainbow' somewhere online and was instantly hooked!

Is there anything more joyful than discovering new and great music, even if it does serve as a reminder of how poorly I play myself by comparison?

Life is good!

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 9 Mar 2011 12:12 pm

Genius is a word bandied about way too much but in Ted's case it was apt. Ted was the gentle genius of chord melody jazz guitar. Here's the link Mike mentioned:

http://tedgreene.com/audio/TedGreene_Re ... sion77.asp

Mark Carlisle · Post by **Mark Carlisle** » 9 Mar 2011 3:58 pm

I would have to include Anthony Wilson on my list-first saw him with Kenny Burrell at Royce Hall/UCLA and he knocked me out. Guess Diana K thought he was OK too..

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 9 Mar 2011 6:35 pm

I'd like you to meet Jonathan Kreisberg:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xuZpDOXd_o

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 10 Mar 2011 4:01 am

A couple more under-the -radar players ...

Atilla Zoller - he's known for mainstream playing but his 60s free playing with (Don Freidman on piano) was exceptional

Oscar Moore - his recordings AFTER the Nat Cole trio years are really good. Very witty player with a gorgeous, velvet tone.

Gene Bertoncini. NY-based nylon string player. A master of classical technique on jazz and Brazilian stndards.

Scott Shewbridge · Post by **Scott Shewbridge** » 10 Mar 2011 8:17 pm

Ted Greene - OMG, what a monster.

I bought his 1971 copyrighted book in 1979, along with an Eagles easy sing-a-long song book, the day I bought my first guitar. Over the years, I've sung a lot of Eagles songs, but it's only in the last 5 years that I've been even close to learning from this master.

Mr. Greene epitomizes the unspoken treasures of this world and breathes hope in to those of us yet longing for unexpected magic.

Sorry to wax philosophical, but I dearly love what this man has put into the world. RIP

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 11 Mar 2011 4:35 am

Well said, Scott.

I have both of his books but have only scratched the surface of what lies within.

I love the guitar above all instruments (including steel) and Ted Greene affects me more than any other player. He died tragically young, too.

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 14 Mar 2011 7:09 am

Herb Ellis because I grew up with his music in our house..My Dad had a great collection,Then Jim Hall and now I can listen to George Benson all day...One of the biggest surprises I ever had was when Wally Murphy was in town playing with Nick Nixon at the Eastern states fair..He asked me if there were any Jazz clubs in town where he could sit in..I took him to a place (The stone Inn)where he sat in and blew everyones mind..You got to Imagine in walks a 6 foot 4 or so cat with a Steel under his arm and a big amp in the other wearing a big Cowboy hat..It took a little convincing because he was a stranger but after he took his first solo they woke up to the fact this cat was good..Better than good.How about great..

Susan Alcorn (deceased) · Post by **Susan Alcorn (deceased)** » 16 Mar 2011 5:37 pm

For "jazz", I've always liked Jim Hall.

Improvising guitarists I enjoy:

From the UK - Derek Bailey, John Russell, and George Burt

From Japan (hope they're OK) - Kazuo Imai who is one of the best musicians I have ever heard and Tetuzi Akiyama who, like Jim Hall, can hear paint peeling off the wall.

From France - Camel Zekri

And from the US - Don Minasi, Joe Morris, Killick Hinds, Elliot Sharp, and Anthony Pirog

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 16 Mar 2011 5:50 pm

impossible for me to pick a fav.

johnny smith jim hall kessell wes
pat martino so many greats sorry, i cant

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 16 Mar 2011 7:33 pm

I was fortunate to attend this concert on a lark at the last minute......

It was a rainy cold night as I recall and Birdland was only half full....I sat in the front at the little tables and unbeknownst to me at the time,.....I was sitting next to Gene Bertoncini....he was very nice and made some positive comments on John Pisano's guitar which had just entered the market...it was an Eastman from China.....nobody had a clue until the second set when Pisano let the cat out of the bag....

Only when John called Gene Bertoncini to the stage did I realize who he was, since he wasn't on the bill, matter of fact, he stuck me with his bill.... but what a beautiful player...

George Benson was also in the audience but he wouldn't get up to play even when he was called up several times by Pisano and some of the others.....he only wanted to hear Jimmy Bruno play....that was his response throughout the evening.....

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 25 Mar 2011 9:13 pm

I'm pretty much into the 50s-early 60s jazz guitar thing - Barney Kessel, Wes, Grant Green, Kenny Burrell, Jimmy Raney, Tal Farlow, Johnny Smith, Jim Hall, Herb Ellis, Les Paul, and so on. And of course George Benson and Pat Martino from just a bit later.

Some other very fine jazz guitarists that hadn't been mentioned when I looked at this a while ago - I got kinda busy at work - so some may have been now, but worth a mention anyway:

Cal Collins
Phil Upchurch
John Gray
George Barnes
Billy Butler
Cornell Dupree
Eric Gale
Mick Goodrick
Jimmy Gourley
Freddie Green
Tiny Grimes
Carl Kress
Mundell Lowe
Barry Galbraith
Jack Marshall
Oscar Moore
Emily Remler
Sal Salvador
Melvin Sparks
Jimmy Wyble
Toots Thielemans (yes, the jazz harmonica player, but a fine jazz guitar player also)
Rene Thomas
Joe Negri

and of course my friend Dave Klein, who's around Pittsburgh these days - scariest jazz guitar player that not enough people have heard of.

Amazing nobody mentioned Freddie Green right away - the king of jazz comping.

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 26 Mar 2011 7:55 am

Dave, odd that you would mention Jack Marshall but not Howard Roberts - or did I miss something?

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 26 Mar 2011 8:44 am

And in Gypsy jazz ....

Joscho Stephan
Fapy Lafertin
John Jorganson
Robin Nolan
Birelli Lagrene
Stochelo Rosenberg
Dorado Schmitt
Angelo Debarre
Silvain Luc
Gary Potter
Stefan Wremble

and a slew of of other throughout Europe and the US

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 26 Mar 2011 9:54 am

Andy... Django didn't make the cut with you?

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 26 Mar 2011 10:21 am

Aww, Jim, Django's a given ..... IMHO ... the 20th century's all-time best improvising guitarist. I suppose if you took a world-wide poll, it'd come out as Hendrix or Clapton but for my money, despite all the great Gypsy jazzers today Django's playing still has the magic of being first. An old Lp I had described his playing as diamonds thrown into sunlight ... pretty good analogy, I think.

Johan Jansen · Post by **Johan Jansen** » 26 Mar 2011 11:03 am

Joe Pass, Eef Albers

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 26 Mar 2011 1:13 pm

Dave, odd that you would mention Jack Marshall but not Howard Roberts - or did I miss something?

Yup:

Some other very fine jazz guitarists that hadn't been mentioned when I looked at this a while ago - I got kinda busy at work - so some may have been now, but worth a mention anyway:

Howard Roberts had already been mentioned. Definitely - HR was a fantastic player. Tons of other great players had already been mentioned - Ed Bickert is one of my personal favorites. Many of the players one that list aren't necessarily household names.

The thing is - if you're actually talking about a "real" jazz guitar player, it's a given that they're a fine guitar player, by any of the usual measures. So beyond that, it comes down to personal preferences.

Rich Paton · Post by **Rich Paton** » 1 Apr 2011 3:52 am

Barry Blackwood wrote:There may be some purists who won't agree, but Hank Garland. Leon Rhodes is another unlikely candidate who can get the job done as well. Howard Roberts might round it out for me …..

Unlikely? How about Gregg Galbraith then? He tears it up on Swing. And of course Howard Roberts. Check out what his son Jay has been up to also:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbPvHWf0 ... re=related

And Billy Butler. His cover of "The Thumb", playing hard beebop on a Fender Bass VI is a real ear-opener.

Rich Paton · Post by **Rich Paton** » 1 Apr 2011 7:18 am

Barry Blackwood wrote:There may be some purists who won't agree, but Hank Garland. Leon Rhodes is another unlikely candidate who can get the job done as well. Howard Roberts might round it out for me …..

Unlikely? How about Gregg Galbraith then? He tears it up on Swing. And of course Howard Roberts. Check out what his son Jay has been up to also:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbPvHWf0 ... re=related

And Billy Butler. His cover of "The Thumb", playing hard beebop on a Fender Bass VI is a real ear-opener.

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 9 Apr 2011 2:34 am

Ladi Geisler:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDPJqKWFlF4

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 9 Apr 2011 7:04 am

George Golla:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3B9m_MocQg