Guitar players, whom do you, listen to?

[Hardbopjazz]

Do any of the other guitar players here listen to mostly other guitar players, or do you find yourself listening to other instruments? I find I listen to more horn players then guitar players. It also effected my playing by listening to horn players.

Edited April 19, 2004 by Hardbopjazz

[Herb]

I tend to listen to other guitar players, B-3 players, and piano players. I like the small combo swing stuff, early Nat King Cole with Oscar Moore kinda thing. I oughta listen more to horn players, but I'm just not a big horn fan. That sound ain't my style.

[Sundog]

I've done the requisite guitar player listening. I don't find myself listening to guitar players very often for new musical ideas. No slam intended, just a statement of fact. There are exceptions, guys like Pat Martino, Charlie Christian, Jim Hall, Kenny Burrell, and Cornell Dupree still really hold my interest.

I'm much more likely to cop licks from Dexter, Sonny, Joe Henderson, or Stephane Grappelli these days. I guess it's just a natural evolution for most musicians to listen to their instrument of choice, and then brach out at some point. McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock also constantly amaze me. I'm sure it's only a matter of time until I revert back to a more guitar-centric mode of study. Change is good!

[Jim R]

First of all, I listen to all instruments, always have. From the very beginning of my interest in jazz, I was collecting saxophonists, trumpeters, pianists (etc etc) as well as guitarists. BUT... it was listening to guitar players that always intrigued me the most, and listening closely to determine which tones I liked the best, as a means of inspiring my quest for a good sound. The reason I play amplified archtops is because that is one of my favorite sounds in music, and I've always loved to hear that sound on LP's, CD's, etc. So, I have collected a LOT of recordings by guitarists. I don't listen to them to the exclusion of other instrumentalists, but I have focused on guitarists pretty heavily.

As I've posted here and elsewhere before, for me there are some "quintessential" sounds in jazz guitar history, and it's not just a matter of naming a player, because some players have used different instruments and gotten different sounds (Kenny Burrell being a great example- I love both his early 60's L5 w/Charlie Christian pickup sound; as well as his mid-60's D'Angelico New Yorker with a Dearmond 1100 sound; not that I don't like every other sound he's ever gotten! B) ).

[Sundog]

...not that I don't like every other sound he's ever gotten!  B) ).

Kenny would sound good on a Sears and Roebuck painted plywood special! B)

[zizala]

I listen to music and musicians and don't tend to get centered around guitar players. Possibly if I'd played the guitar early on maybe things would be different.

A good way of putting it might be that I don't listen to Monk because he's a piano player in spite of the fact that I do enjoy the piano as an instrument. But the two are inseparable. I listen to Monk. The same goes for other musicians whose music reaches me somehow.

Since I'm learning the vocabulary of the guitar however...there are times that I can't help but be a but more analytical as to what guitarists might be doing, but I don't tend to buy discs by guitarists for the sake of figuring it out.

What I do find however is that the more I get into playing and improving the less time I spend listening to discs....there's only so much time in a day and I'm on the downside as far as chronology goes!

[Joe G]

I love guitar music. That occupies most of my listening time. But then there's...

piano

drums

violin

sarod

cello

voice

brass

saxamaphone

harmonica

and onward....

As far as adapting music originally played on other instruments; absolutely. Jim just bought Grant Green's Goin West, and there's a solo by Herbie that I really want to dig into. It's so clear, and just a wealth of ideas. Instruments kind of force the players to think along certain lines sometimes, so it's a very good idea to cross-pollenate.

Sundog: Some Cornell Dupree recommendations would be much appreciated!!! That's a baaaad man.

[Sundog]

I'm no Cornell expert but I do know what I like, so here are a couple of quick suggestions that are Cornell led sessions on Kokopelli. Not sure if these are still in print.

Bop n' Blues

Uncle Funky (Joe, I think this one is right up your alley)

Check out his work with Aretha Franklin and Stuff. Also, make sure you listen to Brook Benton's Rainy Night In Georgia. One of the most soulful songs ever written. Due in no small part to Cornell's beautiful "ornamental" playing.

P.S. I know what I'm listening to during my ride into work today! B)

[Joe G]

Thanks, friend!

[casanovas347]

Music .....yeah, 8 of 10 from my favs are guitarists....well ....Jim Hall, Dave Stryker, Will Bernard, Peter Bernstein, Wayne Krantz, Karl Ratzer, Kenny Burell, Jimmy Raney, Charlie Christian, Bucky Pizzarelli, Ross Martin, etc etc.......

i love organ-players........i really love this instrument...so that means i listen to a big bunch of organists....

well i love trumpet players.....Tom Harell for example (great record with Jim Hall together..."these Rooms")...Blue Mitchell, Freddie Hubard....Clifford Brown.....

singers....well, Frank Sinatra always sounds great and Anita O day....(she is a killer)

i always try to get that kind of swing into the music...to celebrate a melodie

[Jad]

Guitarists: Nels Cline, Hendrix, Sonic Youth, Huskers, Neil Young

Not Guitarists: Lee Morgan, Bill Evans, Miles, Trane, ahh, the list goes on.

I'm not much of a jazz player, but listening to it has had an effect on how I play. Osmosis, or something like it.

Edited April 24, 2004 by Jad

[GregK]

Guitarists: Nels Cline, Hendrix, Sonic Youth, Huskers, Neil Young

what do you think of Neil's soloing on Change Your Mind? Nice long extended solos with his messy distortion-I love it!

[Joe G]

Speaking of guitar players, has anyone heard from jmjk lately? His last post was in December.

[Shawn]

I listen to all the instruments and in jazz I usually find myself leaning towards the tenor sax, followed closely by piano. I'm a huge Burrell fan, but when I listen to Midnight Blue or Freedom I'm paying just as much attention to Turrentine as I am Burrell. No real reason for that, it's just where my ear tends to lead me. That's not to mean I don't focus on the guitar as well, I just like to listen for the overall ensemble sound.

Rock guitarists are a different animal of course since it's the primary instrument in the music. There I tend to lean towards the players that have the most interesting sounds, not just chops. Some rock faves would be: David Gilmour, Tony Iommi, Brian May, Steve Morse, Ty Tabor, Ritchie Blackmore, Jeff Beck, Josh Homme.

[Uncle Skid]

I love listening to piano players, especially for comping ideas. I'm obsessed by Cedar Walton -- and I'm usually thinking "WWCD?" while comping. His voicings always sound great, but it's the rhythmic placement and use of space that always makes my ears perk up.

[jmjk]

Speaking of guitar players, has anyone heard from jmjk lately? His last post was in December.

You rang...?

Hi Joe. Thanks for remembering me!

I've been out of the loop lately, and I mainly lurk these days. I check the board here once every week or two, but very rarely post anything. I'll try to improve my participation!

As for guitar players, I enjoy guitarists who play for the song...always melodic and supportive of what else is going on with the other instruments, and then when it comes time to solo...BAM!!

Lately, I've been digging Terry Kath's playing on the old Chicago albums and Peter Green's work with early Fleetwood Mac (not to take anything away from Lindsay Buckingham, who, years later in FM, proved himself a fascinating guitarist too!). Matter of fact, F Mac has always had good guitar players (Welch, Kirwan)...

With jazzers, I listen for tone just like many of you guys. I really like Emily Remler (rest her junkie soul), Jim Hall, Grant, Kenny Burrell. I like Joe Pass and John McLaughlin as players, but I don't dig their tone.

And of course, any rock/pop guitarist who plays textures with a healthy amount of chorus and digital delay gets my vote for MVPs of the century. I KNOW you guys out there realize how DIFFICULT it is for a guitarist to lay back and keep his mouth shut (guitaristically speaking).