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Jazz guitarists are guitarists who play jazz using an approach to chords, melodies, and improvised solo lines which is called jazz guitar playing. The guitar has fulfilled the roles of accompanist (rhythm guitar) and soloist in small and large ensembles and also as an unaccompanied solo instrument.
Jazz guitarists integrate the basic building blocks of scales and arpeggio patterns into balanced rhythmic and melodic phrases that make up a cohesive solo. Jazz guitarists often try to imbue their melodic phrasing with the sense of natural breathing and legato phrasing used by horn players such as saxophone players.
- Wes Montgomery. Wes Montgomery (1923-1968) was a legendary jazz guitarist known for revolutionising the world of jazz guitar with his distinctive thumb-picking technique.
- Johnny Fourie. Johnny Fourie (1934-2007) was a South African jazz guitarist known for his exceptional talent and contributions to the world of jazz. Born in South Africa, Fourie started his musical journey as a saxophonist before transitioning to the guitar.
- John McLaughlin. John McLaughlin is a legendary British jazz and fusion guitarist renowned for his innovative approach to the instrument and pioneering contributions to the world of music.
- Jim Hall. Jim Hall, born in Buffalo, New York, in 1930, was an iconic American jazz guitarist renowned for his innovative approach and profound influence on the genre.
- John Pizzarelli
- Norman Brown
- Mary Osborne
- Russell Malone
- Emily Remler
- Charlie Hunter
- Kurt Rosenwinkel
- Julian Lage
- Earl Klugh
- James “Blood” Ulmer
Having a noted guitar-playing father (swing specialist Bucky Pizzarelli) no doubt accelerated this New Jersey fretboardist’s musical development; he found himself playing with the likes of Benny Goodman and Clark Terry while still a teenager. Pizzarelli’s tasteful guitar work has graced recordings by musicians as diverse as Stephane Grappelli, Rose...
Jimi Hendrix and The Isley Brothers were this Grammy-winning Kansas City-born guitarist’s first influences, but he changed direction after hearing Wes Montgomery. In the 90s, Brown began his solo career serving up a tasteful amalgam of George Benson-esque melodic lines over chugging, sensual smooth jazz grooves.
Female guitarists are rare in jazz, but this North Dakotan string-picker, whose musical roots intertwined ragtime and country music, could certainly more than hold her own against the male guitar-slingers. Osborne took New York by storm in the 40s but only made a few records under her own name.
Though in demand as a sideman (his credits include Jimmy Smith, Diana Krall, Roy Hargrove, Harry Connick Jr, and Sonny Rollins) this Georgia guitarist has a string of fine solo albums to his name. Malone takes a more traditional, straight-ahead, bop-tinged approach to jazz guitar, favoring a rich, mellow tone and combining Grant Green-esque horn-li...
A tragic heart attack robbed the world of this Manhattan-born guitarist’s talent, who began playing at the age of 10. Though indebted to her inspirations, Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass, Remler has earned her place among the best jazz guitarists in history thanks to the development of her own style, which combined a languid grace and emotional intelli...
Not content with the normal six-string guitar, Rhode Island native Hunter prefers to play on custom-built seven- and eight-string instruments on which he can play basslines and create contrapuntal patterns. A member of Michael Franti’s The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy in the early 90s, he established a solo career soon afterward, spending five y...
Not averse to using an array of effect pedals and guitar synthesizers – anathema to most straight-ahead jazz guitarists – this Philadelphia son also likes to take creative risks and experiment in diverse musical settings. He famously collaborated with hip-hop troupe A Tribe Called Quest and its leader, Q-Tip. An unpredictable player who always surp...
In the vanguard of the newest generation of jazz guitar stars, Lage hails from Santa Rosa, California, and was a child prodigy who went to work with vibraphone maestro Gary Burton while a teenager. Though he only has four solo albums to his name, Lage’s reputation is burgeoning, thanks to his skill, imagination, and creation of a sound that’s all h...
A disciple of the nylon-stringed Spanish guitar, Detroit-born Klugh was inspired to take up the instrument after seeing country star Chet Atkins on TV. Precociously talented, he was mentored by jazz great Yusef Lateef and then played with George Benson before establishing himself as a solo artist in the late 70s. A tasteful, sensitive musician whos...
Starting out as an orthodox rhythm’n’blues axe slinger, Ulmer radically transformed his style in the early 70s as he fell under the spell of free jazz maven Ornette Coleman and the latter’s revolutionary harmolodic concept (a unique system for collective improvisation). As a result, Ulmer created a discursive idiom defined by scratchy chords and ja...
- Charles Waring
Dec 10, 2020 · Guitarist and educator Corey Christiansen provides 10 jazz guitarists you should know more about – with some album listening homework. A big part of the mission of Jazz Guitar Today is to assist players who want to learn the “jazz language” get the tools they need to advance their skills, and indeed “art”.
Nov 7, 2023 · However, over time, the guitar has proved to be a versatile and exciting instrument in the genre, and some of the greatest jazz musicians have been guitarists. In this post, we’re going to explorer the lives and music of 20 of the most famous jazz guitar players of all time. Let’s get started.
In jazz, guitars are often used to provide both melodic and harmonic support. They may comp (provide chords), play rhythm, create walking basslines, or play melodic solos. Jazz guitarists tend to favor a clean, warm, rounded tone which often distinguishes it from the bright and twangy sound commonly associated with genres like rock or country.
