Top 10 JAZZ Guitarists (Part 1)

[@fostexfan160]

Wes Montgomery was cool....had a real 'silent' style about him

[@johnwilson1997]

lol

[@ddscott12]

Nah mate, it’s just his cover of Miles’ “In A Silent Way”

[@TheGhostfaceKLR]

Such smooth tone...heh

[@RichardBPOliver]

Not jut me then !

[@aaronservice86]

sick cover of 4'33

[@AllThingmac]

Wes Montgomery -- a pioneer in silent music.

[@rosco9048]

Didn't Jim Hall say that Wes played silence better than most people played notes? Oh no, that was Miles Davis.

[@sitarnut]

My brother and I bought nearly all of Wes Montgomery's LP's new..we say no one's cut him yet.. so much more appreciated than all the un-melodic machine gun noters. Just an opinion. Genil Castro is also phenomenal. Can't hear hear the Wes solo?? Know it by heart anyway.

[@rjw8631]

that's why he was so hot during the silent film era. he was out of luck once the talkies came into being

[@hanspeterhagblom8484]

haha now I get it :) just reached the wes montgomery part. Master of muting alright

[@TommySprocket]

The first Mime Guitarist Mr. Montgomery.

[@teodelfuego]

Wes Montgomery's mastery of the volume knob is incomparable.

[@giorgoszamanis6654]

Master Volume of the whole studio recording that is..

[@ThinkGarza]

Hahaha

[@AllThingmac]

😆

[@videosdehumor2175]

Your sister is incomparable

[@tubwaiyan6776]

@@videosdehumor2175 Your mom is incomparable

[@user-eb8mi3xi5f]

Django had wounded fingers, yet his playing was so great. Wes is my forever favorite jazz guitarist and he is my whole mento. I learned from him so much, his tone, his control, his fingering, his chord progression. Superb.

[@petershekeryk1430]

Hiis version of See You In My Dreams us still one if my favorite pieces of music. Jim Mullins has a beautiful smooth sound . Thanks

[@F0XxX98]

@@petershekeryk1430 Thanks for recomendid I'll See You In My Dreams, it is now my new favourite song

[@stevesilverman5296]

It's been about 50 years since Barney Kessel famously said this: "No one plays better than Johnny Smith. They may play differently, but no one plays better." His quote went on from there along the same lines. I took him to mean that no one navigated the instrument with Smith's precision, possessed his command of dynamics or his ability to elicit such a beautiful tone from the instrument. Simply put, no one else displayed that kind of virtuosity. No one did then, and no one has since. Seville with a pick? Golden Earrings? Many have tried to repeat his efforts on here with that one and my hat's off to them. They'll tell you, as if they have a choice, they didn't match it. Wes said "I don't think I could ever play as perfectly as Johnny Smith." Pat Martino summed it up rather succinctly with "He had no impediments." Most players are of their time and that was true for Johnny as well. His contribution to the advancement of the instrument was his formidable use of closed voicings, the fact that he reset the bar with regard to what was technically possible and he was the first to bring a classical musician's sensibilities with regard to tone production to jazz guitar playing. Not surprisingly, he cited Segovia & Django as his influences. Putting Alan Holdsworth on a list with Charlie & Django doesn't make sense to me unless you're making a list of the players who were the most influential in their time. Further, Jim Hall belongs on anyone's top 10 list. If you don't think so, just listen to more Jim Hall or ask Pat Metheny or anyone still alive on your list. Alan Holdsworth invented his own language on the instrument and if that's not an accomplishment, I don't know what is. But has anyone heard his interpretation of Stella by Starlight or his unaccompanied arrangement of All the Things You Are? No, and they never will. That's apples & oranges. No one's list is going to align perfectly with anyone else's nor should it. But you need more stringent guidelines than the "none at all" approach displayed here. Best player: Johnny Smith. Best overall: Wes Montgomery. Best now: George Benson, hands down, game over, next question. Guitar players to watch: Julian Lage, Pasquale Grasso and first and foremost, Antoine Boyer.

[@zenith8868]

Steve Silverman , We are on the same planet, Grasso is an atomic weapon

[@TheBuddyShowWorldwide]

@@zenith8868 Two years later and another vote Pasquale.

[@Geotubest]

I agree in great part with your comments. But what´s the difference between ¨Best Player¨ and ¨Best Overall¨ ? In my mind that's not much of a distinction. And yes, GB is the best now. He's a genius and always has been.

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

@@zenith8868 - OK, I'll bite: Who is Pasquale Grasso? And for that matter, Antoine Boyer? Why should a jazz fan care about them? Or for that matter, a music fan? What makes them special?

[@ExtraLivesMusic]

Wes Montgomery made such GREAT use of space in his music. Thanks for highlighting this little-appreciated aspect of his playing.

[@barakados]

Love them all. I got to mention Ed Bickert, one of the most underrated guitar player

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

Criminally-underrated talent on jazz guitar.... that's Ed Bickert.

[@jacqueslinko4003]

Yess yess yes

[@freddymclain]

I'm with you.

[@walterhayley7252]

Even if you did a “Top 100”, someone deserving would be omitted. Appreciate the effort, thx!

[@AntonioQuel]

Walter Hayley 100000000% agree!

[@sergiogarciafontse6772]

well, jim hall, kenny burrell??

[@johnguilbert1349]

I totally agree, there are well over 100 top 10 jazz guitarists out there. One of my favorite is Barney Kessel, and he rendition of "Here's that Rainy Day" is superb.

[@ejtonefan]

@@sergiogarciafontse6772 To exclude the master jazz guitarist Jim Hall and include two rock-tinged "jazz" guitarists is just plain lacking in a depth of understanding of jazz guitar

[@patriciodasilva7902]

Lenny breau, Johnny Smith, what's the matter with you guys

[@ssnoc]

I love it when Joe Pass gets out all his frustrations .... and then nails it perfectly to the end - what a pro. 👏

[@chadrew6]

He didn't nail anything in that moment; it was embarrassing.

[@ssnoc]

@@chadrew6 - Not at all, he was just being human and the audience respected that.

[@mesajam4894]

@@chadrew6 It wasn't embarrassing at all, he was just having fun, Joe Pass can play anything and can play for hours long alone without being annoying , without repeating a line twice, he is absolute genius and monster, it's just a fun moment. Check the full version

[@keithdano]

He didn't mess up. He was making fun of modern jazz guitar players that think playing fast makes you good

[@motorcitysmitty]

Wes and his thumb still blow me away to this day. What a genius.

[@ivankelsall3162]

When you reach such levels of Guitar mastery as any of these guys & the ones mentioned in the comments - there is NO best - only opinion !.

[@ejtonefan]

Any "Best Of" list is just a reflection of one's depth of experience in the genre.

[@GeorgicAvanesian]

I agree...when you are a jazz artist regardless of what instrument you play...you are above them all...even classical musicians.

[@kuhnhan]

As stated in the beginning of this video.

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

If you speak to the top musicians on any instrument, they often speak of other players - great ones - being known for certain things that they do really well, or for which they became famous. Lots and lots of jazz guitarists will simply pick Wes Montgomery as their pick for the all-time best ever, but others will say "Oh yeah, when I think of Wes, I think of his lovely tone, or his hip jazz waltzes...." Danny Gatton had it right when he got asked if he was the best, "There are a lot of leaves at the top of the tree..." In the end, all any artist can do is be the best version of him or herself possible. You can't - in the end - be anyone else; you have to find a way to be yourself. That said, everyone has influences, and virtually everyone copied something from someone who came before them. Wes Montgomery paid homage to Charlie Christian. Stevie Ray Vaughn to Albert King, Otis Rush and Jimi Hendrix. Ray Charles imitated Charles Brown and Nat King Cole before finding his own style. Later Joe Cocker imitated Brother Ray before finding his groove, and so down the line.....

[@Icasegnagitarrist]

The "Are you going with me?" clip gave me goosebumps. Pat is such an inspiration as well as all of these guys! Great compilation man!

[@1000lino]

"Competitions are for horses not artists" - Béla Bartók Nice video though

[@ministryoftruth8523]

Well said, brother...

[@daveteixeira3099]

You missed Johnny Smith

[@clacclackerson3678]

It's a good video because there is no ranking, just a person giving his opinion.

[@pabloperez4063]

Agree...but most people spend their lives only comparing comparing comparing.............

[@jessemontano6399]

Bela Bartok is a good friend of Adam Neely's channel . Lol. Wes and Joe are my personal favorite. But it's really hard to say who's best

Nice list! Thank you! I missed Barney Kessel, Kenny Burrell, Heraldo do Monte and Toninho Horta

[@jimwoolley53]

The master of jazz guitar...LENNY BREAU.....YOU MISSED THIS GENIUS OF JAZZ GUITAR..

[@JonesTonesGuitar]

Jim Woolley ......Lenny is definitely the greatest of all time....I bet lots of these guys (who are legends too) would agree

[@williamhedrick5950]

@@JonesTonesGuitar He certainly belonged on the list, as did Jim Hall. Not sure Scofield is ready for this list, though.

[@stevesilverman5296]

@@JonesTonesGuitarThere is no greatest guitarist, certainly not in a scenario such as this where no boundaries were set in terms of style or approach, time period or anything else. Even with parameters such as one tune, one tempo, one take, the same number of choruses, all occurring on same day and assessed by a panel of the same, seasoned judges - impossible considering most are no longer with us - and unnecessary because it's not a competition. Beauty is in the ear of the beholder and too much rests upon what's passed through that ear before and how much was actually understood. There are names being bandied about on here that don't belong on a top 100 list. Most knowledgeable guitar players would agree Lenny was a one off. A special guy, an innovator, a musical genius. He was born with perfect pitch, worked hard to develop a number of disparate techniques and managed to incorporate them into an immediately identifiable sound. A great artist as well as a unique one, no question. But at times, an unfocused, tragic figure who came to a most untimely and unfortunate end. Comparisons are inevitable, sometimes fun, rarely enlightening but very much a part of human nature. Whether it's ballplayers, politicians, beer or steakhouses, everyone's got their favorites. If we must hand out ribbons however, the Blue one would have to go to Wes. The least contrived, the most lyrical, the least reliant upon set licks or runs, his playing was always focused and his swing was unerring. His knack for developing a solo over many choruses while maintaining continuity from single notes to octaves and finally, four part harmony, hasn't been matched. There are more modern, sophisticated players playing more challenging music, but better? I haven't heard it.. Any fan of Lenny's (I certainly count myself among them), would appreciate Antoine Boyer, 24, and of course, Ted Greene should you not know who he was.

[@CVC509]

@@stevesilverman5296 : Very well said !

[@stevesilverman5296]

@@CVC509 Thank you sir!

[@josephmazzara3931]

Nice compilation - I saw Grant Green at Baker's Keyboard Lounge in Detroit. I'm glad you included him on your list!

[@juanvillafuerte7797]

MY FAVORITE JOE PASS AND GEORGE BENSON....

[@Y105066]

And here's my list of the top 10 vegetables - potatoes, carrots, brocolli, turnips, leeks, onions, cabbage, celery, peas, spinach.

[@blossomsquirrel]

I think your comment pretty much sums it up, John.

[@zenith8868]

Funny guy

[@pabloperez4063]

You forgot Green onions

[@duffypratt]

Beets

[@gavinreid5387]

Beans

[@peteryyz43]

Wes Montgomery was so good and had such an amazing tone ..that only dogs could hear him play.

[@jimbob624]

I'm glad some folks mentioned George Van Eps and Howard Roberts, George pioneered the 7 string and played chords where most folks just played notes.

[@Tomatohater64]

Montgomery and Pass were the best I ever heard.

[@skygorider]

I hear you on JP but I couldn’t hear Wes!

[@Tomatohater64]

@@skygorider Wes' best was from 1959-1963 when he recorded for Riverside. I enjoyed the music from his last 5 years before his passing, but I liked his Riverside music much, much more. Just my preference.

[@gordonwalthall8695]

Nice list. I never tire of Lenny Breau, Django & Johnny Smith

[@timm9769]

Good list! I would have included Kenny Burrell and Barney Kessel.

[@bartolomeusenna2257]

Com toda certeza esses têm que estar na lista assim como Johnny Smith, Joe Diório, Jim Hall 3 J Master.

[@chuangtsu]

Those are the two I was thinking of as well. If the list was longer, Tal Farlow and Sal Salvador.

[@marcropper]

Same! Both are in my top 5.

[@alphascorpii185]

That's the problem with those "top ten", always missing something, those two are definitely missing here...

[@ryanlyle9201]

Tim M my very first thought upon clicking this video was “Barney Kessel better fucking be on here.”

[@jamesdrynan]

Common observation of non- playing aficionados is how easy these guys make it look. For me, Joe Pass always looked like he was enjoying what his hands were doing as if he had nothing to do with them!

[@Hexspa]

Unconscious competence. In a sense, you’re right.

[@douglashazelrigg4377]

Love this. I would have somehow snuck in Burrell and Hall

[@donnyoh]

Thanks for your post; excellent selection of artists. You reminded that Jim Hall and Howard Roberts were two of my musical influences.

[@WesJR06]

What about Jim hall 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@kamganjer]

Pépé Tito Del’alhambra superb

[@reggaefan2700]

Mickey Baker was better than most of these people.

[@ronkopald]

Reggae Fan he was pretty good

[@joelkunreuther8061]

Yep -

[@CharlesK441]

Smiled through watching this. So many could have made your list. Glad to see some of my favourites

[@eflatguy]

Very good list. Been listening to Bucky Pizzarelli, you could add him?

[@spacelooper]

Hard to have a "Top Jazz Guitarist" anything without Lenny Breau on the list.

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

Lenny Breau accomplished some things in fingerstyle jazz guitar which were path-breaking and unique, but he was also his own worst enemy in that his drug habit cost him what could - maybe should - have been a brilliant career. Maybe there needs to be a separate list for solo fingerstyle jazz guitar performers, he'd definitely merit inclusion to that. But even though he played in a few traditional settings early in his career - it is hard to measure his career versus someone like Pat Martino or Kenny Burrell, because what they did and what Lenny did were so different.

[@sdzielinski]

Having watched Pts. 1 and 2, I missed these guitarists: Mimi Fox Larry Coryell Ted Green Pasquale Grasso James Ulmer Lenny Breau Mimi Fox for her combination of technique and inventiveness. Larry Coryell for contributing in to the emergence of fusion as well as his many stylistic explorations. Ted Green for his work an educator. It's a shame he did not record more often. One could imagine him as the Bill Evans of the guitar. Pasquale Grasso for combining awesome technique with melodic sense. James Blood Ulmer for creating a space for the guitar in Ornette Coleman's world and for his distinctive style. Lenny Breau. Like Joe Pass, Django Reinhardt, Wes Montgomery and Charlie Christian, Breau was a transcendent player. This group deserves a special category -- the outliers. Players who were that good, original and infuential that they provide the standard used to evaluate others.

[@terryhayward7905]

You should ad Al DIMeola to that list.

[@mononoaware1960]

Any jazz list without Lenny is a crime!! What an under appreciated genius

[@nickcharles1241]

I was happy to see Grant Green and kept saying where's Wes Montgomery? Glad he showed up at the end. I would have included John McLaughlin and Kenny Burrell, but I haven't seen your part two yet. Thanks for posting.

[@simondavies6544]

A most entertaining and well-chosen list.The other guitarists mentioned in the comments such as John McLaughlin,Barney Kessel,Tal Farlow perhaps also merit inclusion,not to mention Lee Ritenour,a personal favourite.Then too,perhaps we could spare a thought for the late,great Emily Remler .Thanks for doing it anyway! xx

[@chriskelly922]

Aahhh the late, great Emily. Once heard, never forgotten.

[@liljimitwofeatherz9735]

Couldn't remember lee name ...I was digging Emily family restoration of her guitar

[@kayepalmer-dilworth668]

Love Grant Green, Wes Montgomery, & Joe Pass. Thanks for sharing !

[@TheRoiderien]

How about Jim Hall and Larry Coryell?

[@rodrigoassuncao1749]

Roiderien barney kessel, herbie hellis, George Van... much shit

[@Ana_crusis]

He put Jim hall in the video

[@rwjazz1299]

love that special effect with Wes Montgomery. makes everyone with a brain immediately look for him on You Tube.

[@56davidwright]

Such a revelation to hear Wes play live. I had heard the legend that he developed his style in the tenements of NY where he had to learn to play quietly.. but I had no idea.

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

@56davidwright - Wes and his brothers were born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it is where Wes was discovered in 1959 by Cannonball Adderley, who was passing through town with his own band and happened to catch Wes' show in a local nightclub after-hours. Cannonball was so blown away by what he heard that he called the owner of Riverside Records - Orrin Keepnews - which was Cannonball's label, and awakened him in the middle of the night to enthusiastically recommend that the label sign him.... and the rest is history. The story goes that Wes played and practiced with his famous RH thumb because his guitar was keeping his wife, Serene, awake at night, and that with his thumb he could control the volume and attack so much easier. Well, that's part of it, surely, but he could have used his amp's volume or the one on the guitar... and Wes later said in interviews that he tried to play with a pick but just couldn't hack it that way. Too well-established with his thumb, I guess, to change. But who'd want to use a pick if they could sound that good without one, anyway? Interesting trivia note: Monk Montgomery, Wes' older brother and a well-known bassist on acoustic and electric, played electric bass using his thumb! Family tradition? The thing about playing with your thumb is that you can get horn-like phrasing so much easier than with a pick, that is if you go about it properly. Wes could play not only down-strokes, but up-strokes as well. Added to his formidable aarray of R and L-handed slurs, glisses, slides, hammers-on, pull-offs, mutes/ghost notes and sweeps, that's where that popping Clifford Brown-type articulation comes from, that so-hard-to-get but so sought after sound (Clifford Brown being the world-famous jazz trumpet great active back then until his untimely death in a car accident). Wes often complained about not being able to play with a pick, but I think he was putting us on... because there's not a whole lot on the instrument that he couldn't do within the style of music he played. He was the complete package. And the man had ears like you wouldn't believe.... he was just a genius.

[@eppietimisela7118]

What about Lee Ritenour, Larry Carlton or Kenny Burrell?

[@wmdoux2108]

I’d throw Ted Greene and Lenny Breau in there to make it an even dozen.

[@davebritton7648]

I thought the excerpt from Wes Montgomery's jazz interpretation of John Cage's 4'33" was particularly interesting.

[@gerriepieters9033]

Barney Kessel, Ed Bickert,Jimmy Rainy,René Thomas,Jim Hall,Joe Diorio....

[@jeffbell6692]

There are so many greats, it is hard to choose just 10. Overall, you hit 6 out of 10 of my favorites. I love your list. Thanks for sharing.

[@drummondrick7]

Yes, these choices much respected, however the body of work of Kenny Burrell as a side man and leader must be included, he's still with us and has influenced generations of guitarists.... also worthy of mention in my opinion is the often overlooked Jimmy Ponder, he emerged from Pittsburgh around the time of George Benson. Ponder was definitely influenced by Wes Montgomery, but established his own sound as a master soloist with a seemingly endless vocabulary.

[@axxessmundi]

Ranking favorites limits musical expansion. Keep expanding your list.

[@boreed5734]

Once I heard Bireli Lagrene and Sylvain Luc it changed how I viewed this particular top 10.

[@CurtisNunley]

Dude, this is a very good list and it's yours. Don't worry about the haters. I think Barney Kessel and Kenny Burrell are top 10 but that's just me. John McLaughlin, Lee Ritenour, Chuck Loeb, and Norman Brown, were NOT omissions IMHO.

[@johnhguitar]

What was interesting was hearing them one-after-another and trying to make a comparison. I would say we need to separate them and not put ALL of them together. The more traditional in one category, others in modern fusion, etc. I can't put Pass and Holdsworth in the same group. You could say they play guitar but musically they're in two different dimensions in my opinion. Thanks for making the video.

[@CVC509]

@John Heussenstamm : I Totally agree !

[@normanndaba8823]

…that’s why Herb Ellis/Kenny Burrell should be on the list if we talking jazz

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

Agreed. I just can't make it work musically in my head to include fusion/nontraditional guys like Holdsworth or John Scofield in the same category as straight-ahead jazzmen like Montgomery, Pass, Benson, Burrell, etc. Break the list out by subcategories within jazz. After all, this music has been around for over a century, and there has been a lot of different and fascinating things done, not all of which make sense grouped or categorized together. Then there is the fact that the guitar itself is so different in its many forms: A guy playing an acoustic or classic instrument is having a very different experience than someone playing a solid-body electric guitar with slinky strings, distortion and a loud amp, which is again different from someone playing an arch-top electric guitar with flat-wound strings at moderate volume. Apples to Oranges to something else....

[@ejtonefan]

Does anyone remember who Wes Montgomery said was the greatest jazz guitarist? "If he comes to the US, it's all over" - Nelson Symonds. Check out the video clip

[@fishenelmar]

Yeah! "He could play chords as fast as lines" or something like that... I think the problem with Symonds is there is no that too much of him recorded...

[@ejtonefan]

@@fishenelmar one solo album and two by Dave Turner

[@alnico983]

I think I would have included Al Di Meola, better known as a drummer these days, but in the eighties he was the man.Jeff Beck definitely deserves a mention for pushing the boundaries, Les Paul - with out whom there would have been no modern music industry, virtuoso player, inventor of solid body guitars, multi-track recording, close miking technique, harmonica racks, analogue and digital sampling.Lets not forget the ladies - Mary Ford was a very fine Guitarist in her own right, as was Mary Kaye, noted Jazz Guitarist and singer and legendary session muso of the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's.There are more that are note worthy, but those are my picks : ]

[@IBDman]

Great list, you had some of my favorites on there, nice job!

[@orqsilva]

Best and most innovative jazz guitarist everybody leaves out: Lenny Breau

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

Lenny Breau realized certain pianistic ideas on guitar that few others in jazz had done up to that time, but his recording output was quite uneven and in parts, even difficult to listen to. Why? His heroin habit. One is left with a sensation of "what if.." when looking at his life and career. It's nothing short of tragic how many talented and gifted performers have fallen over the years to their drug habits. Sadly, Lenny's name is on that list. That's my take on it, anyway.

[@rintintin8446]

REAL jazz? Kenny Burrell!

[@Guitarraeficaztutorialesytabs]

@@rintintin8446 And Jimmy Bruno. Although Pat and Allan are my top guys. Lenny Breau and Ted Greene as well, but all of these guys are a must listen, I love them all.

[@rintintin8446]

@@Guitarraeficaztutorialesytabs My favorite? Well, I've seen Benson a couple of times and his is absolutely electrifying! BTW. I said that to Bucky Pizzarelli (sp?) and he agreed.

[@bobshields3713]

Ed Bickert, Lenny Breau, Reg Schaefer.

[@Prof.ArnonPalty]

Vic Juris

[@musicplaylists59]

My favorite jazz guitarists are Joe Pass, Emily Remler, Wes Montgomery and Grant Green.

[@guyonguitar]

I think these are all spot on but I think Herb Ellis, Danny Gatton, Lenny Breau, Jim Hall, Tal Farlow, Hank Garland, Jimmy Bruno and Stanley Jordan Just to name a few more should be in the conversation. Thanks for the Video

[@thinkpad20]

As long as it’s got Django, Wes and Charlie it’s ok in my book👍 hah

[@kenfehr6738]

You should include Martin Taylor

[@sonusancti]

Artistry and skill are just the first test. If he also happens to be a great composer then that significantly narrows the field to a handful. Actually I can only think of one - Pat Metheny - the Mozart of jazz composers who happens to be a great guitar player.

[@henrikduende]

Swing top bop with Christian is my ”ultimate” solo. Soooo groovy❤️

[@AxmihaMeuSaco]

It's a good list. I would just question the word "jazz" as it has been used. It seems to be meaning "instrumental" more than jazz. Of the list, I would say 4 are jazz, the others are fusion or some other thing (however good). And you forgot Herb Ellis, I think. And Jim Hall. And Kenny Burrell.

[@philsarkol6443]

Sadly the sound was off...when Wes was seen on this footage. Excellent choice of great jazz guitarists..and different in musical styles..great!!

[@LouieShelton]

Johnny Smith and Wes both #1, I bet you guys would like French guitarist Sylvain Luc.

[@cricri8022]

Oh thank you.. Sylvain is such a genius

[@djangorheinhardt]

Just been watching you on KZbin! What a lovely style you have and what a contribution you must have made to all those Wrecking Crew sessions.And I bet you had some laughs as well amongst all those great musicians.!Gonna watch you some more !....now!

[@jjmatashi]

And Bireli Lagrene...

[@luisfinortizland5822]

if possible, kindly let me know the link so I can see the whole playing of Joe Pass, this guy was great!

[@harpothehealer]

Interesting list but Jim Hall and kenny Burrel for me would be are mendatory. However all art is subjective, we all hear things in different ways. Anyway enjoyed your upload thanks

[@nicolapipan7090]

Pretty impressed. I don't usually give credit to these kind of lists but I believe this one is accurate. Even from an "historical" point of view. If only the list was longer I'd have added Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis, Bireli Lagrene (no one on the comments seems to mention the last I mentioned which I find kinda weird).

[@RickDanner]

you got my 2 best in there Django and Wes - to me they are the greatest . When it comes to Alan Holdsworth he is a whole other category of what is that he is playing just brilliant

[@mrfudd13]

Yes my list differs. Nice to see the live performances, and good to know some of the artists who recorded easy listening thier whole career could play actual jazz if they wanted to. The problem with the juvenile "Top ###" what are you rating them on albums sold? You don't have Jim Hall or Kenny Burell, and I think some in your list are easy listening (Montgomery), too stylized (Rhinehardt) or just don't measure up.

[@joshuasaltzman2403]

Totally a defensible list. I probably would have swapped in Jim Hall and Kenny Burrell and John McLaughlin for Holdsworth, Scofield and Metheney, but it's really a matter of taste at that point.

[@harpothehealer]

Yes just read your comment after making mine.Very well said totally agree with your choice but as is the case with all Art it is 100% subjective.

[@jamesfreeman9993]

I agree with your swap choices and would swap Howard Roberts for Grant Green

[@paulvox3943]

For me , grant green embodies everything that I aspire to be as a guitar player....knowing full well that I will never come close . Nothing but love

[@mbahbielwirosableng7178]

Les Paul..Bucky Pizzarelli..& John Pizzarelli..??

[@lwmson]

Nah, maybe as a guitar inventor, but not as a player.

[@ttngeo7494]

Strong list my friend. May I strongly suggest Ichika Nito to you and whomever else for todays top guitarist in music

[@ElvisBeat62]

Johnny Smith would be on my short list.

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

Johnny Smith was a phenomenal musician, and not just on guitar. He majored in music with an emphasis on trumpet, which he could play fluently. He could compose, sight-read, and arrange. Not many guitarists are top-level readers, but Smith could sight-read as well as any of the cats - and on guitar, that's a b*tch, no lie. Smith pioneered the use of those difficult-to-reach close voiced chords, and was famous for being a masterful player of classical repertiore, despite using only a plectrum and not fingerstyle. In the 1960s, Smith, at the top of his game and universally-respected in the jazz world, suddenly quit the life and moved back to Colorado. Why? His spouse had died unexpectedly and he had a child to raise. Smith opened a music store and led a quiet life for years before returning to music late in life, his skills and artistry intact and still wonderful. Great musician and a great man...

[@louisasmo5020]

@@GeorgiaBoy1961 I love guitar and played professionally during college. Johnny Smith was The Best guitar player I have ever heard play the instrument. There may be many other stylists I prefer to hear but when talking about the best..only one...Johnny Smith!!! PS I owned a hand made Gibson Johnny Smith model guitar in 1964. I should have kept it...I paid $1500 and it is worth $39,000 today!!!

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

@@louisasmo5020 - Johnny Smith is one of the all-time great jazz guitarists. Apart from his own legendary achievements on the instrument, he was an important influence on other players, including a young George Benson. Fantastic and well-rounded musician, too. He played trumpet and was an excellent sight reader on that instrument as well as on guitar. He could write, arrange, and orchestrate. Technically, one of the cleanest and fastest players ever - when he chose to be. He also set the bar quite high in terms of realizing/performing multipart fingerstyle classical guitar pieces on electric archtop guitar with the use only of a plectrum. Great great player.

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

@@louisasmo5020 - Lou, man alive.... to have had an original Gibson Johnny Smith, and not held on to it - all I can say is "Ouch!" Not just because of 39K, but because of how nice those guitars were! I own a high-end archtop myself - it is a custom-made L5 knock-off - and it is an amazingly beautiful and beautiful-sounding instrument. Unless I'm reduced to total penury, I'll never sell it. Getting back to Johnny Smith, not only was he an amazing musician, he was a great man, too. At the height of his success (this was the late 1950s/early1960s), his wife passed away suddenly, leaving him alone to raise his children. Johnny didn't hesitate; he "retired" from the NYC jazz scene and moved to Colorado to open a music store and raise his family. He eventually resumed his jazz career after a fashion as an elder statesman of the guitar, decades later. But to me that speaks volumes about his integrity as a human being, a man and a father -putting his family first that way. I,too, love Smith's work. I own a boxed set of CDs with all of his most-famous recordings on it, and always enjoy playing it.

[@alexnunes5186]

Pretty much I agree. I don’t listen to these guys anymore, but still like them.

[@JohnDoe-gk7ok]

A guy nobody ever mentions in this pantheon is Johnny Smith. He was incredible and very versatile.

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

@ John Doe: Re: "A guy nobody ever mentions in this pantheon is Johnny Smith. He was incredible and very versatile." I'll mention Johnny Smith, it would be my pleasure in fact. Johnny Smith (1922-2013) was not only one of the greatest jazz guitarists of all time, but a complete musician in a way that very few individuals are. He could do it all. Although he is best-known for his mastery of guitar, Smith learned cornet on the fly within a few weeks in order to play with a band in the military, and became proficient-enough to double on it. He could sight-read, compose, arrange, orchestrate, and lead a band. He was equally at home in an orchestra pit playing with classical musicians or jamming in a club with the jazz cats. He was also an in-demand studio musician. Smith's career helped launch that of all-time great tenor man Stan Getz, who played on Smith's hit "Moonlight in Vermont," and throughout the 1950s, Johnny Smith gained acclaim as one of the finest jazz guitarists working. He was noted for being able to grab closed-voice harmonies and chord voicings which are extremely-challenging for most guitarists, and for the near-perfection of his technique. Smith could harmonize any single-note in line chord fragments, chords, intervals, you name it and his single-note soloing was inventive as well as blindingly fast and clean. Johnny Smith sought out difficult classical pieces and adapted them to the guitar, using only his plectrum to play multi-part pieces in stunning fashion. Using just his pick and his amazing command of the musical vocabulary, Smith playing solo was able to conjure the illusion of 2 or even 3 players playing at once. Johnny Smith was a vital influence on a young George Benson, as well as on many other players. As fine a musician as Johnny Smith was, he was an even better man. After losing his wife unexpectedly and suddenly in 1957, Smith gave up his career as a big-name jazz performer and the bright lights of NY City to return home to Colorado and open a music store so he could raise his family. Years later, he made a comeback to the delight of his fans, and showed that time had not dimmed his amazing talents.

[@mesajam4894]

Thanks dude !!! I love Johnny Smith so much, he made me fall in love with jazz guitar, pure delight and incredible guitarist !!

[@phazyme]

Correct me if I am wrong but that film clip of Django is the only existing footage of him with several of his fingers having been burned off. The film clip ownership created a law suit.

[@augustineriley5582]

Apart from the "Big Four" historically - who were also innovators and ground breaking in that they added a new dimension to the instrument, i.e. Django, Christian, Pass and Wes, it's pretty obvious you prefer more contemporary rock influenced guys, - good vid though, Peace.

[@jimtakahashi4638]

_ Yeah, most of them (except George Benson, Stanley Jordan and John Scofield), unable to swing or groove much, sound more like practicing scales and can't really play JAZZ. "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"

[@augustineriley5582]

@@jimtakahashi4638 Yep, agreed! Peace

[@johnbogusz8090]

Great list, and remember, don't take it too seriously--it's (for me anyway) about fun and entertainment. It does, however, raise certain questions. What does it actually mean to be "the best"? What is a "jazz guitarist". What sbout the hundreds (maybe more?) of "local heros" in different areas of the world who are great, but unknown beyond their immediate geographic boundaries (I'm sure that some of you know of someone like that). Not to mention all of the other great players who could arguably be on the list--Hank Garland (who inspired George Benson to play jazz guitar)? At any rate, lists like these inspire me to revisit the work some of these grest players, and to check out that of those unknown to me.

[@rogerblack3519]

You got most of them. Hard to beat "the Gypsey" one can only imagine how he would have been with all his fingers

[@jeanjcaron]

First, happy that Pat Metheny made this list and that the piece chosen to illustrate his talent is ‘are you going with me?’ That is to me his greatest piece. :-)

[@grantoniang7535]

John McLaughlin should be in there

[@lwmson]

McLaughlin is great but not a pure jazz guitarist.

[@carlosmnsoares]

I agree 100%. Great musician, also Aldi Meola should join this list

[@lwmson]

@@carlosmnsoares DiMeola sucks. All he ever did was run up and down scales and modes without saying anything..

[@jazzman1954]

Nah!

[@NATJANOFF22]

Agreed.

[@robertcervantes9843]

Just an exquisite performance. 😊

[@harrymarks2004]

I just went down the list, and unless I missed it, for me, one guy stands out above the rest......Ed Bickert from Toronto. Plays softly, speaks volumes. search him out. he retired a few years ago.....but......yeah!

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

Ed Bickert is a wonderful player.... he doesn't get enough credit for his artistry, either. Got to love a man who plays jazz on a Telecaster with round-wound strings, too.

[@norcoauctions]

so glad you put Holdsworth there..especially when he played with The new Tony Williams Lifetime Believe It

[@StupidLoveActually]

Earl Klugh, Ai Di Meola , Kenny Burell ?

[@sylvesterwarbringer8397]

Not pure jazz.. fusion stuff

[@milesofentertainment]

Can't make a hard argument against anybody on your list but Larry Coryell is one of our favorite guitar players, on a short list with Jeff Beck, Duane Allman, Hendrix, Tommy Emmanuel, SRV but for jazz guys we love Larry Carlton, John McLaughlin, Pat Matheny, John Scofield and Pat Martino among others. Some guys most people might not think of but Chet Atkins, Duane Allman and Steve Lukather can lay down some serious jazz. We have a great jazz playlist that features over 60 videos of superb guitar from the best and your video has given us some more guys to add.

[@kylechitiyo6776]

Egberto Gismonti and Ralph Towner?Both hugely influential guitarist/composers- right up there with the best

[@Wally-H]

Difficult to fault the list. Not necessarily top ten but some more favourites of mine would be Jonathan Kreisberg, Ronny Jordan and a guitarist who would have achieved so much had he not met an untimely death - Zachary Breaux

[@giampierospina4261]

Jim Hall? John Abercrombie? Jimmy and Doug Raney, Barney Kassel,and many others :-)

[@FinnBjerke]

dude I totally loved this. Thx.

[@jarbasgoulartdecastro9104]

Impossible to name only ten,I presume.Think about Jim Hall,Ted Greene,Jimmy Raney...

[@billvill61]

Very good list. I might have swapped out Green or Holdsworth for Larry Carlton and Al Di Meola . Though I do think that Holdsworth's work with Jean-Luc Ponty, especially on Enigmatic Ocean, was amazing.

[@duncanpeterson9531]

There is no sound on the clip of Wes Montgomery.

[@clacclackerson3678]

Unacceptable!

[@g.belanger8302]

Probably threatened with blocking, so had to remove it. Too bad. Effing blockers.

[@grahmnash1]

Great list...I would switch Wes and Joe in the order, personal preference.

[@russellparratt9859]

Not having Django Reinhardt at the top of a list like this is like not having Jimmy Hendrix at the top of a rock guitarists list, or Julian Bream at the top of the classical guitarists list.

[@sitarnut]

I can dig it Russell..especially the Julian Bream bit, my favorite, and normally Wes is number one for us, but what about LENNY Breau, TED Greene and ED Bickert???? Love Django as well... and no sound here on Wes...sad.

[@russellparratt9859]

@@sitarnut I'm not that up with the jazz guitar scene, so can't really comment, but apart from Django, I really like Tal Farlow and Sonny Sharrock. But, as you can see, rock, classical and jazz guitar all have something for me.

[@sitarnut]

@@russellparratt9859 Right on, Bro. .... Santana recalled that Sonny told him, "As musicians, they were in the business of piercing the heart." Always remembered that....

[@margauxjones1485]

My horse, pictured, named after Django Reinhardt!

[@russellparratt9859]

@@margauxjones1485 Nice. So, your horse is named Django, or Reinhardt, or Django Reinhardt?

[@SaxmanJones-sr1il]

Yeah; only the pure in heart can hear Wes. He’s playing “Windy”

[@ericking8402]

“This is my opinion and it may not match with yours!!!” All of you fighting skipped that intro

[@garyguitar]

Amazing list. I even agree with a lot of your choices. Benson, Wes, Christian, Django, Martino, Pass. I don't know who to displace to stick Howard Roberts, Barney Kessell, Herb Ellis, Kenny Burrell, Berelli Lagrene....then there's...? Of course just a matter of opinion, but a great list. Tal Farlow, John McLaughlin, Al DiMeola...?

[@michaelgismondi9861]

While I understand no top ten list like this will avoid conflict ,to pick John Scofield over say Larry Coryell is beyond me.

[@michaelgismondi9861]

I agree....Larry was the GOAT!

[@JustinG1962]

Everyone would have a slightly different preference...but would agree with your no.1. Many thanks.

[@cartnhorse]

What surprised me was the relatively short lifespan of many of these great players!

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

The jazz life can cut you down, no question. Not just the smoking, drugs, alcohol, and unhealthy diet, but the hours spent on the road. And the road itself - too many greats lost in car accidents and the like.

[@memphisMusicGermany]

wonderful video !!! all we sologuitar players are on the same way , here are the best... great