Solo guitar

[Milestones]

Some recommendations would be nice.

I just found out Frisell has another solo record coming out soon.  I'm a big fan of his work, but somehow I don't look forward very much to solo work. In fact, it turns out that, despite loving jazz guitar in general, I don't go much for hardly anyone's  solo stuff.  I'd listen to most anything else by Joe Pass before I'd listen to the solo records.   Many greats had almost no inclination to solo guitar--Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, John Abercrombie.  I do like side 1 of McLaughlin's My Goals Beyond.

So persuade me that I'm missing out on something.  Who had done great solo material over the span of an album?

 

[mjzee]

Ralph Towner comes to mind.  Check out Solo Concert (ECM).

[Milestones]

I can see Towner being good at this. I need to be more familiar with his work.

It's intriguing that he plays two Abercrombie pieces from Timeless. 

Edited February 8, 2018 by Milestones

[mjzee]

Johnny Smith was pretty amazing.  Try to find The Man With The Blue Guitar (Roost; it's also on the Mosaic box).

[mjzee]

[Rooster_Ties]

There's a Jimmy Ponder live date, circa 1980 I want to say. Will have to look it up, but it's fantastic. Legit release, just came out in the last 15 years or so, CD only. Highest recommendation.

[mjzee]

Another two by Ralph Towner:

Edited February 8, 2018 by mjzee

[mikeweil]

Michael Howell did a solo guitar LP on Catalyst, and had the courage to attempt McCoy Tyner's Sama Layuca - I don't have it any more, sold it at some point as I'm not that much of a guitar freak. I love Howell's LP on Milestone, In The Silence, but that one is in a totally different bag. 

[ornette]

I've always liked Neshamah by Tim Sparks, on Tzadik.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neshamah-Tim-Sparks/dp/B00000JWLT/ref=sr_1_8?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1518090669&sr=1-8

 

Edited February 8, 2018 by ornette

[Rooster_Ties]

7 hours ago, Rooster_Ties said:

There's a Jimmy Ponder live date, circa 1980 I want to say. Will have to look it up, but it's fantastic. Legit release, just came out in the last 15 years or so, CD only. Highest recommendation.

Here's one of the best tracks from the album.

https://www.discogs.com/ja/Jimmy-Ponder-Live-At-The-Other-End/release/8636775

 

[Milestones]

I recall Stanley Jordan was famous for awhile for his solo work, though the vast majority of what I have by Jordan in group settings.  

I do find some solo guitar thoroughly compelling.  For example, Kenny Burrell has some real masterpieces.  But I find it hard to listen to solo guitar over a long period--even 30 straight minutes would be difficult.

 

[optatio]

DEREK BAILEY: IMPROVISATION. CRAMPS/GET BACK  GET 6202 [2000]

[Peter Friedman]

I too am not all that fond of most solo guitar. Among the exceptions are a few recordings by Gene Bertoncini.

[Milestones]

Sorry, but I find Derek Bailey to be unlistenable.  

[clifford_thornton]

+1 on Derek Bailey.

Also, Duck Baker, Eugene Chadbourne, Henry Kaiser, Joe Diorio, Hans Reichel, Masayuki Takayanagi...

[Milestones]

I have no clue.

[mjzee]

47 minutes ago, Milestones said:

Sorry, but I find Derek Bailey to be unlistenable.  

I'm with you.

[sgcim]

George Van Eps put out a few solo guitar LPs, Soliloquy, My Guitar. 

Harry Leahey made one, but it's hard to find.

Lenny Breau has two other than Cabin Fever, 5:00 Bells and Last Sessions.

There's a CD called 'Legends' that has both Johnny Smith and Geo. Van Eps doing solo performances, but JS plays Spanish classical guitar pieces with a pick.

Peter bernstein, Howard Alden and Jack Kreisman(?) have fairly recent solo guitar albums.

Pasquale Grasso just put one out that is pretty scary.

Bucky Pizzarelli made one a while ago.

Kenny Poole made a great one before he passed.

I think Cal Collins made one before he passed...

[sgcim]

Make that Jack Kreisberg, and the album is 'One', which is excellent. The Cal Collins album is 'By Myself'.

[Guy Berger]

I think it might be worth checking out some of the folk guitarists that influenced solo work by McLaughlin, Towner and others.  People like Davy Graham, Bert Jansch, John Renbourn...

[optatio]

JIMMY RANEY: SOLO. XANADU 140 [1978]

[Peter Friedman]

[jazztrain]

[sgcim]

12 hours ago, optatio said:

JIMMY RANEY: SOLO. XANADU 140 [1978]

I love Raney, but that LP is all double tracks.

[optatio]

18 minutes ago, sgcim said:

I love Raney, but that LP is all double tracks.

Indeed! Therefore I have scanned the back cover. Jimmy Raney on liner notes: „I finally decided to try to make the pieces as different from one another as possible, and also to make use of overdubbing. For this I used both the regular guitar and an F guitar which is pitched a fifth lower than usual.“