Regardless if you’re a beginning student of Jazz Guitar or an established player, we all have at least five albums that we cannot be without! With that said, Jazz Guitar Life has asked 7 String Jazz Guitarist Ron Jackson what his five would be (assuming that he knew before hand that he was going to be stuck on a desert island and that said island had electricity and a full component stereo system) 🙂
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1) Wes Montgomery – The Incredible Jazz Guitar of: A masterpiece of virtuoso jazz guitar! I heard this at Berklee and it is still influential to my playing. Wes’ feel, technique and command of the jazz language is timeless. I especially love the way Wes builds his solo on “Gone With The Wind”…from single lines, octaves to chord melody. I’m still studying this album. I’m always inspired by Wes, as should all jazz guitarists.
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2) John McLaughlin, Paco DeLucia, Al DiMeola – Friday Night in San Francisco: I saw this band in high school. They were ridiculous! Especially Paco De Lucia. Paco had flawless technique and had a beautiful feel. I had been listening to Al DiMeola in Chick Corea’s Return to Forever at 19 years old and was amazed at his picking technique. Also, I had seen John Mclauglin in concert as well. The true master of guitar. Now these guys were all together playing acoustic guitar as a trio was truly innovative at the time. These gentlemen are the main reasons why I play acoustic Guitar.
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3) George Benson – White Rabbit: I don’t know why, but this album by Benson is one that really inspired me in my younger years trying to learn jazz guitar. All the different styles, obscure tunes, arrangements with horns and strings and pianist Herbie Hancock’s performance. George had some fantastic solos. My favorite solo on this album was on the tune “Little Train”. George really had recorded some amazing albums before he made it “BIG”!
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4) Joe Pass – Virtuoso: I was always into solo guitar playing and this album is one for the classics! His amazing technique and innovative arrangements blew me away. Highlights for me are “How High The Moon”. His arrangement using pedal tones and reharms were mind blowing. “Cherokee” is another where Joe’s single line solo timing was so precise and swinging. Also, I attended a clinic with Joe at Berklee which was Unforgettable! One thing that he said that I could never forget: “There are over 100 guitarists here…. there must be at least 1 or 2 good ones…it’s the LAW of averages…” LOL.
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5) Mike Stern – Standards (And Other Songs): I love this album! I’ve been a Mike Stern fan since I saw him in high school with Miles Davis. Miles band at the time was killing! He had Mike on guitar, Al Foster, Marcus Miller, and Bill Evans on Sax. The thing that got me was Pat Metheny was the warm-up band…LOL I really love Mike’s version of Nardis, where he combines elements of rock, blues and his amazing jazz guitar lines. Anyway Mike’s playing on the album reminds me of myself growing up playing rock and never losing the jazz feeling. Mike, no matter what, still retains being a master of the jazz language.
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(Bonus Choice) Pat Metheny Group – “The White Album”: Pat Metheny was one of the first jazz bands I heard live. Also this was one of the first jazz albums that I ever heard. This album was so modern at the time. One of my favorite tunes was “Phase Dance” where he plays both acoustic and electric guitar. I love the way this composition uses modal interchange and Pat’s lyrical playing. Pat’s originality and honesty on the guitar transcended anyone who listened.
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If you would like to support all the work I do on Jazz Guitar Life, please consider buying me a coffee or visiting the Jazz Guitar Life sponsors. Thank you and your patronage is greatly appreciated regardless if you buy me a coffee or not 🙂
gotta love the selections included here–bravo, ron!
Thanks so much Wayne. These greats really shaped my playing!