Jazz Guitarist Recommendations.

Staffan Harde's one and only 1972 LP was reissued by Corbett vs. Dempsey in 2019, and is worth listening to - a track like Cordial L shows the quartet at its best. It's good that this was rescued from total obscurity, and with a bit of luck there may be some other tapes that are reissued.

 

Another vote for Sonny Sharrock.

Also John McLaughlin; some of his work is fusion, but not all of it - the solo on Jack Johnson is just lovely.

 

It's a tradition on PFM jazz recommendation threads that someone posts Peter Brötzmann's late night smooth jazz classic Machine Gun.

Alas no guitars.

Thankfully Brötz Jr is on hand with his soothing guitar trio to set the mood for date night.

 

Given that both this and Sonny Sharrock have been posted, I’m guessing I’m allowed renowned UK sessioneer Ray Russell’s flirtation with free jazz featuring Harry Beckett and Gary Windo. He did a couple of studio albums and a live one with this group and they are all fantastic. More recently, he’s returned to this style and recorded on Cuneiform with Henry Kaiser, but these early records are something else and proper questing music.

 

Someone not yet mentioned is Johnny Smith who did some sessions with Stan Getz in the early 50s. It’s rather ‘smooth jazz’ but ‘Moonlight in Vermont’ and ‘Stars fell on Alabama’ are lovely. Apparently, widely available on juke boxes at the time.

 

I would strongly recommend and encourage you to listen to Emily Remler. She only released six albums with her as a leader and one with Larry Coryell (‘Together’). She also guested on several albums, mostly on the Concord label. My favourite is probably East to Wes, but I love them all. They’re getting more difficult to find these days, which is a shame, but there are many videos of her playing on YouTube. There was a website dedicated to her called Allthingsemily.com, but sadly that seems to have vanished. I think East to Wes and her first album, Firefly, might still be readily available.

 

I had this LP and foolishly sold it on when I was trying to make space. I've kind of regretted it since - great record. Very sad that she died so young.

 

Philip Catherine is worth a listen


And this thread needs more Tal Farlow.

 

And he wrote ‘Walk Don’t Run’ as made famous by the Ventures - linked up thread!

 

There's been only a fleeting mention of Charlie Christian by @Tumeni Notes. It's a bit like a thread on great sax players that doesn't mention Charlie Parker



Both recordings I've got by him are with Bennie Goodman - he died at 25 and nearly all the records of him are with one or other of Goodman's bands. This track is on The Genius of the Electric Guitar - A clarinet free jam while waiting for Goodman to arrive for a session.

 

Charlie Christian is one of my favourites. A early user of amplification that allowed him to work on equal terms with the sax or trumpet. There’s a great impromptu jam session called ‘Waiting for Benny’ with Christian developing a riff with other musicians practicing other music and gradually joining in. He was in on early bebop experiments with eg Dizzy Gillespie. ‘Swing to Bop’ is a great one of these.

 

Fair point - though it occurred to me recently there's very little mention of Charlie Parker on PFM either!

I guess it's the fate of musicians who largely predate the LP era.

 

Ha ha - I'd updated the music and comments in the post after playing through the Genius CD - must have changed it just as your post was published! Cootie Williams' trumpet is ace on this as well.