So which Jazz guitarists do you listen to?

Yeah, Wes Montgomery is hard to beat. Joe Pass - "Virtuoso", Kenny Burrell - "Midnight Blue", Tuck Andress - "Reckless Precision", Lee Ritenour - "Wes Bound". There's a few great CD's that'll make you want to give up the guitar (as in "I could never play like that..."). Tbone, welcome back. Nice to see someone post something in the jazz forum. This used to be my own personal forum...

Bruce

I thought that since I've decided to start learning some Jazz it might be a good idea to start listening to some Jazz. I

All my life I've heard the names Joe Pass and Wes Montgomery mentioned. I'm somewhat familiar with them, but never really listened carefully. So, the 1 st thing I listened to was a duet of Joe Pass and trombone player JJ Johnson. I liked that. Very cool stuff and a nice rendition of "Blue Bossa" which I'm learning.

Then I listened to the critically acclaimed Joe Pass album "Virtuoso." I don't want to offend any Joe Pass fans, but that album gave me a headache. I was struggling and straining to hear a coherent melody. On the tunes I was familiar with like "How High the Moon" I could catch glimpses of familiar melody, but mostly it's a frenetic non-stop series of runs and this continues on every song. It was like trying to read a James Joyce novel or trying to find meaning in a Jackson Pollock painting. In other words, a frustrating, headache inducing struggle. I like Pass when he plays with other musicians and has to observe some boundaries, but without adult supervision the guy just runs a muck. Maybe Joe Pass is an acquired taste and I'm just not sophisticated enough to appreciate him.

After that I listened to some Wes Montgomery. Now that was something that I could relate to and enjoy. Wes actually plays melodies between his solos. I'll definitely be listening to more Wes and less Pass. I also like that clip of Kenny Burrell and will also check out Herb Ellis.

I've recently stumbled upon Spotify. That's the go to place to find just about any music you can think of. I even listened to some Charlie Parker and liked it a lot.

Bruce,

I said that I liked Joe Pass when he was constrained by other musicians. I like the album he did with trombonist JJ Johnson. So, no, I haven't written him off. He had abilities far beyond us mere mortals and needs to be paid attention to, but I'm just not crazy about his approach to songs. However, I do want to check out an album he did with Ella Fitzgerald.

I will definitely check it out.