The Great Jazz Guitarists: The Ultimate Guide

Being an enthusiastic fan of jazz guitar, especially as I get older and want to explore as much great music as possible, being the insatiable guitar player and music lover I am, I was interested in a book on the jazz greats, and this book is a great find. Scott Yanow is as knowledgable about his jazz as anybody alive, and has written other great books on this beautiful truly original American music. Even though his prologue is a bit abbreviated, he does briefly touch on the history of banjo and guitar in jazz, the earliest recordings and earliest performers, and includes some blues guitar history as the two forms were forming about the same time in our country's history. Jazz, it can be fairly assumed, started with ragtime, about 1899 and had its heyday through about 1915. With masters like Scott Joplin, who practically invented the form, hooks and beats became very popular and in the waning days of the Victorian age, no doubt was considered derisively by the white rich, who would prefer their classical music and stuffy opera. But in New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz music, ragtime would give way to the full blown jazz phenomenon, led by the likes of Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton. These bands featured mainly horns, although banjos would be part of the rhythm section at times because they were easier to hear than guitars. The earliest known solo jazzy guitar recording, according to Yanow, took place in 1922. The blues pioneers like Blind Lemon Jefferson would also record both on spindle and later, the acetate disc played on the first turntables. I wish the history would go on, but there are other books that address the early days of recording. The first lead jazz guitarist of note was the great Eddie Lang, who truly was a soloist par excellence, when given the opportunity. He did some bluesy recordings with the equally great and influential Lonnie Johnson in the very late 1920's that shows that at least on the acoustic, lead playing was already reaching advanced levels. The book itself is a reference style volume. Yanow carefully sent out questionnaires and really did his homework, covering all the greats, the obscure, and newer musicians keeping various genres of jazz alive. There are many we haven't heard of, and probably would have a terrible time tracking their scant recordings down, but all the legends from the earliest days to as recently as Russell Malone are here, and all are treated admirably and with obvious love and adoration. Yanow is truly a genius, and I would give anything to see some of his undoubtedly priceless artifacts. Unfortunately, as a retired letter carrier, I have to buy all my music, and don't have the means to get into serious collecting although my personal music collection that ranges from the classical music of Johann Strauss and Claude Debussy to Charlie Christian, Muddy Waters, Hendrix, Montgomery and classic rock to the pulverizing death metal of bands like Immolation, Vader and Suffocation is not a bad one as far as that goes. This book is probably better to read in bits and pieces, perhaps thumbing through the alphabetical order for your favorites first and then reading about the rest at a pace that will help you remember more details. The only "criticism" I have is a matter of opinion, and that is at the close of the forward, where Yanow lists his favorite 30 jazz guitar players ever, from early pioneers to the most recent. While his entry on Kenny Burrell is very nice and does the great man a service, he doesn't include Burrell on the Top 30 list. I suppose he had to make room for other entries, but for me, Burrell and Wes Montgomery are in a dead tie for my favorite jazz guitarist. Also, since the book was published, we lost the great Jim Hall and a few others, but that can't be helped. This is indeed THE ultimate jazz guitar guide.

8 books that have helped me explore Jazz, especially guitar, this century & the transition to it.1. Franck Bergerot, "Jazz", Chambers, 2005.2. Gary Burton, "Learning to Listen", Berlee, 2013.3. Nate Chinen, "Playing Changes: Jazz for the New Century", Vintage, 2019.4. Andy Hamilton, "Lee Konitz: Conversations on the Improviser's Art", Michigan, 2007.5. Joel Harrison, "Guitar Talk: Conversations with Visionary Players", Billboard, 1998.6. Bill Milkowski, "Rockers, Jazzbos & Visionaries", Billboard, 1998.7. Alex Skolnick, "Geek to Guitar Hero", Louder Education, 2012.8. Scott Yanow, "The Great Jazz Guitarists", Backbeat, 2013.

This book contains a short description of each of the 342 best guitarists, both past and present, according to Scott Yanow. There was a lot of research that went into writing this book. Many of the guitarists I had never heard of and the bio on several of them got me interested enough to buy their CDs (like Terrence Brewer, who plays a smooth modern-day style in the likes of Wes Montgomery). One big surprise, however, was Ted Greene did not make the list of the 342 best guitarists; he is only a footnote under other historic guitarists. I suspect that Ted Greene has been a huge influence on many of todays' jazz guitarists based on his solo CD, teaching, four published books and the numerous jazz and harmony videos found on his website. Overall, this book is worth purchasing, particularly to discover jazz guitarists you have never heard before.

I never know where Mr. Yanow finds the time to write as much as he does about one of my favorite subjects: jazz. I've been listening to jazz for longer than I like to admit and some of my favorite performers are Eddie Lang, Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian. Thank you Mr. Yanow for introducing me to a much broader horizon.The comments are always well thought out and interesting to read. It's a great book for continuous browsing and study with the expectation of being introduced to new needs.Don't get this book unless you are willing to expand your listening habits and purchases. He always makes me want to hear more.

This is an excellent way for musicians and Jazz Guitar fans to find more lesser known artists to research. Scott Yanow is also very fair and clear, in that he states that there really is not a clear difference between his top 325 and the other players listed in the other 150 or so. I also purchased his Vocalists book for my partner and girlfriend, and it is a hit as well.

The book was all that I expected it to be. Since we bought it because our son-in-law, Cary Denigris, is in it, we're delighted with it. But it is a great compendium and truly the ultimate guide on the subject.

Many of the guitarists are available through Spotify - I can hear recordings without having to buy the CD or LP. This has really expanded my knowledge of some lesser known guitarists. Great resource.

Rating is based on the outcome of extended use.I like the high standard of quality.I would highly recommend this product to one and all.

This is a great book. Good to dip into and can point you in the right direction to explore players unfamiliar to you. There are a few glaring omissions such as Susan Weinert and David Torn, but this compendium is not narrow minded and lists many diverse players from Derek Bailey to Howard Alden, Allan Holdsworth, Django, Nels Cline, Martin Taylor etc.It's great to see many female guitarists listed too. Recommended.

Very good book. Très bon livre pour faire des découvertes. Livraison extra rapide. Merci.

IT'S NICE TO SEE SUCH AN IN DEPTH GUIDE AND BIO'S ON THE GREAT JAZZ GUITARISTS IN NORTH AMERICAN. IT'S ONE OF A KIND BOOK THAT ANY JAZZ LOVERS WOULD LOVE TO HAVE.

Louis Stewart is one of my favourite Jazz Guitarists. Sometime known as the "Bebop Irish Man", A great Guy, as well as One of theBest Players,---long may He continue! Ed Hogg