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 Taylor Roberts 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) John Coltrane – A Love Supreme: For me, and countless others, this album was like a religious experience the first time I heard it. It was all I listened to for the following two weeks. I wasn’t really even a Jazz fan at the time. That’s one of many things that makes it great, and it’d be my first recommendation to anyone wanting a proper introduction to the music. Rhythmically, harmonically, melodically, soulfully, spiritually—it’s ALL there.
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2) Wes Montgomery and the Wynton Kelly Trio – Smokin’ at the Half Note: My Jazz Guitar Holy Grail! Not only does it have my absolute favorite guitarist playing some of my favorite music, it proves that guitarists and pianists can get along wonderfully! Also the amount of listening and rhythmic/harmonic interaction between Wes and the rhythm section is unparalleled.
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3) Tuck Andress – Reckless Precision: While not specifically a Jazz album, this one opened my mind and basically wrote the book on what I do today. A Jazz guitar player can play tunes like Louie Louie and Man in the Mirror, and make them his own while retaining the integrity of each song and adding some harmonic/rhythmic/melodic brilliance to an already well-crafted composition.
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4) Benny Green/Russell Malone – Jazz at the Bistro: While there are a few different approaches to piano/guitar duos, this one became a study guide, so to speak, for Frank Sullivan and myself. The interplay is incredible, and the sound of the two instruments playing unison bebop heads together is pure sonic bliss to my ears. Also, the fact that they traded a few times playing tunes by themselves. Truly a remarkable and rather unsung record.
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5) Kenny Garrett – Songbook: I keep coming back to this one. Kenny created an entirely new language on the saxophone that made him instantly recognizable. The quartet, in my opinion, took the Coltrane concept to a different level. From the first track to the last, there isn’t a single dud. And each melody is beautiful and memorable.
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Thank you Taylor for your interesting Desert Island Picks! If you would like to let the world know which five albums you couldn’t stand being away from, drop us a line at info@thejazzguitarlife.com
Taylor Roberts is a Jacksonville working Jazz Guitarist who mostly favours a 7-String Benedetto Bravo when playing solo, which he does a lot of much to the pleasure of audiences everywhere!
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