Top 10 JAZZ Guitarists (Part 2)

[@brianlehrer6700]

A lot of fun. Thanks. Actually Al DiMeola used to work out at a gym I went to after college. Got a chance to meet him and he was just a really nice guy - willing to chat music with someone who is not a musician, just a fan.

[@tomfischer5789]

Lenny Breau is missing. He's certainly one of the top 10.

[@skipneumann1]

Lenny was a genius! Is there anything more fun to play then the harmonics?

[@liamfitzgerald7528]

After watching your two lists and a few other rock ones, I’ve finally figured it out. I don’t like technical players focus on technique to show how many notes they can fit in that still somewhat work over a chord change. In rock they’re called shredders. It just doesn’t grab my attention. Sounds like noise. Give me Barney Kessell or Charlie Christian any day. I want to hear them play with melody. The places they take a song really pull me in and keep me listening. I can’t imagine being at a shredder show. I’d go nuts and want out after the first ten minute note explosion.

[@freshlumpia8202]

Who cares bout what u think? Technical players r the best no contest

[@goral705]

Agree .

[@shaalis]

@@freshlumpia8202 you cared enough to post a response. You must tap alot.

[@olatunbosunadewunmi4276]

You are so right in your comment, they are not playing anything like music to me they are just shredding

[@marcgrossman980]

Agree 100%. The shredders sound terrible. Can you imagine a great vocalist, say Whitney Houston or Barbra Streisand, trying to sing as fast as she can? How would that sound? The other thing is these shreeders can even play a song by themselves that sounds good. They can just play fast notes.

[@ChristianCziurlock]

Wes Montgomery and Django Reinhardt taught half the list how play

[@cricri8022]

For me they're the 2 real god of the guitare jazz. Period. Today I would say, George benson and pat metheny

[@cricri8022]

Ahhh and I forgot some others like Joe Pass etc.. 😉

[@baroqueguitarist5673]

And Charlie Christian

[@willbarrow8271]

There was a guy out've Milwaukee who recorded a couple lps, did a year with Buddy Rich and played in a downtown Jazz club owned by his brothers.(George Pritchet) Some guys have the talent but for many reasons don't have the fame

[@emjaybee63]

It's all subjective. If you love speed you're naturally going to pick Ritenour and Mclaughlan. I prefer to hear a tune not 64 notes to a bar. I would personally pick players who have created individual styles like Django, Joe Pass and Lenny Breau. Les Paul should be up there as well.

[@scottsterry8119]

If I could give you a hundred thumbs up for your comment, I would!

[@Ben_La_Gratte]

Django and joe pass are in part 1.

[@gergelybodi3728]

It's not McLaughlin's fault you're slow.

[@kojam1]

Man! I forgot that Jordan had that hair! Bet you he wishes the whole world could forget too. 😂

[@hanspeterhagblom8484]

I completely agree with you Mike, on top of that some of the runs Mc Lauglan does sound a bit sloppy to me.

[@jxnasp3920]

Ted Greene was a master of the instrument. He should have been on one of the lists.

[@onourpath]

Parts 1 and 2 make a great top 20. The most glaring omission is Ed Bickert. A little heavy on the fusion players. A nod to George Van Eps would have been nice.

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

Ed Bickert was a phenomenal player! Very underrated among mainstream jazz fans. The cats - the real pros - knew what a bad dude he was, though. Who says you can't play great jazz on Telecaster w/ flat-wound strings? He worked a lot with the rhythm section of Terry Clarke & Don Thompson, whose playing I really like a lot. I first heard them behind the late Emily Remler, but later on with Ed Bickert, too. George Van Eps is a curious case. He didn't record much as a leader, and he is known today as much for his innovations in chordal harmony and seven or eight string guitars, as any of his recorded output. I'm no expert on his playing, though: What do you recommend? I agree that fusion was over-represented. Maybe I am a heretic, but I'd be hard-pressed to consider a lot of it jazz. It is improvised, yes, but is all improvised music jazz? And in any case, players whose performances showcase technique at the expense of musical content aren't my think. After being interesting for a few minutes, it rapidly becomes boring and about as compelling as watching paint dry or grass grow. IMHO, that is....

[@larrydevaughn74]

Earl Klugh , Wes Montgomery , George Benson , Johnathan Butler ,

[@russellhowardjr.9894]

This list is clearly flawed. These 4 guys are amazing...love Earl Klugh.

[@yannreis3991]

Just two names! Frank Gambale Larry Carlton! Great list BTW my friend!

[@mytelecasterworld3336]

larry corryell and martin taylor....

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

In no particular order, here are some worthy names.... 1. Wes Montgomery 2. Joe Pass 3. Charlie Christian 4. Django Reinhart 5. Grant Green 6. Kenny Burrell 7. Emily Remler 8. Herb Ellis 9. Tal Farlow 10. George Benson 11. Hank Garland 12. Johnny Smith 13. Howard Roberts 14. Galbraith, Barry 15. Martino, Pat 16. Kessel, Barney 17. Rainey, Jimmy 18. Hall, Jim 19. Bickert, Ed 20. Van Epps, George 21. Breau, Lenny 22. Greene, Ted 23. Dupree, Cornell 24. Rodgers, Billy 25. Coryell, Larry 26. Robillard, Duke 27. Smith, Richard 28. Van Duser, Guy No fusion guys on the list for me... don't know that style well-enough.

[@christloen4077]

Yes but Kessel should be placed higher

[@jossua7524]

30. Billy Bauer

[@juangenesyjazz]

Creo que todos son muy buenos, Wes, george Benson, joe Pass , Barney etc la lista es muy larga pero se trata de la interpretacion de cada tema y eso es Unico , y cada uno aporta lo suyo !!

[@alexruiz8134]

I personally think Joe Pass is the best jazz guitar player by far

[@TheBuddyShowWorldwide]

Check out Pasquale Grasso

[@bafattvahetere]

@@TheBuddyShowWorldwide Ulf Wakenius! John Scofield!

[@philliphyde4130]

All wonderful. I would have loved to see Stochelo Rosenberg, Joscho Stephan and Lenny Breaux on this list!

[@seelannaidoo7079]

Also include Wes Montgomery, Aldi Meola, John McLaughlin

[@ronalda.saname396]

My favorite is Al DiMeola.

[@alward5678]

I love to hear Barney Kessell play. So unpolished and spontaneous, yet Beautiful and swinging.

[@obiem9319]

It should've been named the best modern jazz guitarist.

[@drummondrick7]

Not as widely known, but Jimmy Ponder's body of work as sideman and leader puts him in the conversation.. I've actually never seen him on lists like these but I certainly think is worthy of mention..

[@bossanova8354]

You can easily make a part 3 , don't forget to include Emily Remler ,Jimmy Bruno, Silvain Luc

[@rintintin8446]

And me!

[@jeanschiano6949]

yes for a part 3 Sylvain Luc is a great missing, also Chet Atkins and Baden Powel!

[@milesofentertainment]

Same comment as Part 1-can be no argument against any other than order, but we would have Larry Coryell ranked very high not only for his technical ability but his influence on jazz-rock fusion with his band Eleventh House and his forays into classical music, a prolific artist with dozens of albums and performed live up until his death. He played with every major jazz artist from his era on albums or live. The band on his groundbreaking "Spaces" album was John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Miroslav Vitous and Billy Cobham. Not bad.

[@mathman43]

Johnny Smith and Howard Roberts should also be in there.

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

Howard Roberts has - had - the distinction of being one of Wes Montgomery's favorite jazz guitarists. When asked about the guitar players he listened to, Wes would often reply with one of the players on the list of - Joe Pass, Howard Roberts, Barney Kessel, and of course his main influence, Charlie Christian. He'd also give a shout-out to his proteges, George Benson and Pat Martino. It is a real tragedy that Roberts did not get to record more jazz with his early-mid-1960s group of Burkley Kendrix or Paul Bryant on organ, Chuck Berghofer on bass, and Earl Palmer on drums, which recorded for Capitol Records. His two albums from 1963 are classics, not just for their playing - which by Roberts and the group is stellar - but for their tonal quality from that wonderful acoustic studio at Capitol in Hollywood, one of the best-sounding "rooms" in the business. Smith was a giant and deserves to be a top-ten artist in any listing of the best jazz guitarists. He was equally at home improvising or playing a written score by a leading composer, playing live or in the studio. He could lead a band or play as a sideman for someone else. He could compose or play material written by others. He not only penned some acknowledged jazz classics and standards, he did the pop hit "Walk, Don't Run" and did it himself and then watched the Ventures hit big with it. Smith's innovations as a guitarist are many. Possessed of large strong and dexterous fingers and hands, he could grab widely-spaced chord voicings out of the reach of many guitarists, including the lush closed-voice chords heard in standards like "Moonlight in Vermont." Although he played with a plectrum, his commanding technique was such that he could play perfect renditions of classical fingerstyle repertoire w/o using fingerstyle technique. He successfully recorded "Maid with the Flaxen Hair" and other short classical pieces - as solo numbers, and they have endured as some of the prototypical examples of just how good solo chord-style guitar can sound. Smith could also jam with the finest of them, and his picking hand was legendary for its accuracy, tone, and speed. Johnny Smith also played trumpet and cornet at a very high level. He learned them in the army. He'd joined hoping to become a fighter pilot, but when that didn't work out he found himself in a musical unit, but they needed a horn player, not a guitarist. Smith got some trumpet and cornet books and learned enough in just two weeks to win the spot. Just an amazing musician....

[@colinpadley1897]

Great selection, some of my favourites here.

[@mathewreichardt3832]

John Abercrombie, Mike Stern, Atilla Zoller, Bill Frissel are all missing

[@jassingh6943]

Atilla zoller 100%

[@dwill123]

Larry Coryell and Frank Gambale (I already saw someone mentioned Chuck Loeb)

[@harrymarks2004]

Ed Bickert.....then there's Ed Bickert...and...oh, did I mention Ed Bickert??

[@JackTheSkunk]

Speed does not equal greatness in my humble little opinion.

[@diasspeed]

Who said it does?

[@wizardofoz1937]

A cliche I think. I enjoy some speedy players as well as some not as speedy players. I don’t think I have ever enjoyed someone because they are speedy. All great players on this list. Of course it is missing a few favorites.

[@jadipeperzak4034]

but the greats can play fast

[@abcrx32j]

Nobody said they were great because they were fast

[@stevedifidio]

@@jadipeperzak4034 It depends on what you're referring to with "play fast". Wes Montgomery could play fast, but not as fast as Pat Martino. But I gotta say I'd listen to Wes for hours, and I can't say the same for Martino

[@farshimelt]

Strange that Anthony Wilson doesn't show up on any lists. He's one of the few guitarists who doesn't play all the standard guitar cliches and rarely goes where your conditioned ear tells you he's going. Monk, Willie Nelson, Sonny Rollins Elvin Jones & Gustav Mahler do the same.

[@Andrewkafp]

I suppose you can't name them all but I like Larry Carlton Denny Dias Frank Gambale as well as most on your list

[@bossjazzguitarplayer3052]

Your missing so many more. Mark Whitfield, George Benson, Ronny Jordan, Chuck Loeb, Rodney Jones, Norman Brown, Jeffery Smith, Johnny Smith,Wes Montgomery! How can forget or not even Mention these guys. And many others. Please there many more that I will mention and never forget.

[@donaldweir2403]

This is the 'Top 10 #2'. The first 'Top 10' has Wes and George B. at least. Larry's Coryell and Carlton still miss out on being in the '20', though. R.I.P. Chuck Loeb.

[@musicwaves8980]

Top 10 JAZZ Guitarists kzbin.info/www/bejne/pX27lJiwlrakoqM

[@Tonysmithmusic]

jimmy rosenberg

[@53puffin]

Johnny Smith, the best of the best !!! True Jazz guitar requires complex chord melodies in addition to lightning speed !!! Speed alone is achieved every day by masses of great rock and rollers !!! Great Jazz requires more than raw speed and endless riffs to nowhere !!!

[@suebevell4347]

A lot of these guitarists, though masters, could not swing if they tried. They played fast, but were mere technicians. Burrell, Kessel, Ellis, Farlow, Pass, Montgomery, Martino, and Hall definitely swung. Ritenour, McLaughlin, Benson, Metheny, Carlton, and Scofield were showboats who messed up the feeling on any standard they attempted. They are more akin to rock guitarists in their approach. Django and Christian were ahead of their time, and probably are not fairly compared to the rest. Jazz has to have a lilt and sensitivity, which some of these players probably never learned. Thanks for the video.- Charles Bevell Bloomington, IN

[@JSanduBrus]

it so pleasant to listen to such outstanding guitar playing ! I love it

[@josesanchez-os7zr]

In the two videos (where those who need to be are there) I fundamentally miss three great guitarists. Jimmy Raney, Gábor Szabó and René Thomas.

[@oizopoisson]

John Scofield ? Mike Stern ? Sylvain Luc ?

[@mhiraldo]

My preferred guitarist has to be Jim Hall...hands down the most creative, original and influential of the modernists

[@gerriepieters9033]

BARNEY KESSEL, JOE PASS,ALLAN HOLDSWORTH, EDDIE VAN HALEN, ED BICKET,JOHN SCOFIELD, PAT MARTINO, WIM OVERGAAUW,

[@BenoitMardon]

George Benson ? Larry Carlton? Wes Montgomery?!!!!

[@musicwaves8980]

Top 10 JAZZ Guitarists kzbin.info/www/bejne/pX27lJiwlrakoqM

[@wackenthaljef]

Thats ten guitarists that he likes!

[@musicomanodeley6176]

Larry Coryel????

[@bsharporbflat8378]

Read the title (top 10....#2) , the ones you are looking for are on the vid preceding this one

[@markrenfro6152]

All of them great, maybe kessel and ellis, but only ten is hard. If it was rock guitar you would have another hard choice.

[@earthianfriendly5708]

THEY ONLY DO WHAT THEY LOVE MOST AND ENJOY

[@kevinkinnu341]

Awesome list! Really enjoyed it

[@frankbueti5510]

Jimmy Bruno

[@nikolaosmosxakis3395]

very very good...........................................................

[@TheSubconsciousness]

May I have missed it? Skipped a lot of those I know well enough... But where's Frank Gambale??? One of the greatest guitar players ever!

[@rdisalvo5544]

Great stuff- thanks for posting!

[@Deweycheatumnhowe]

Jim Mullen, Laurinda Almeida, Stochelo Rosenberg, Jimmy Rosenberg and Charlie Byrd may replace some of the more modern players for my personal taste, but basically I can go along with your list to enjoy during a lockdown. 😀

[@ronalda.saname396]

My favorite is Al DiMeola.

[@lamprostus]

Waiting for part Three with FRANK GAMBALE , MIKE STERN; GREG HOWE, ROBBEN FORD; ULF WAKENIUS and so on

[@davebowman8407]

Barny Kessell, Herb Ellis, Kenny Burrell, Jim Hall !!!

[@paulchambers5553]

Nicely curated and very broadband. Bravo!

[@allenwood3805]

Charlie Christian , Wes Montgomery, Earl Klugh

[@Geotubest]

FYI, Di Meola was born in 1954.

[@kensdiary858]

No.11 Earl Klugh

[@alankeish6420]

Listen to jimmy Bruno who in my opinion is the best , he has a you tube channel

[@bossanova8354]

So underated

[@JontCarr]

Great choices, nice video.

[@knowmusicman157]

Lenny Breau Johnny Smith Larry Carlton Larry Coryell Scotty Anderson Les Paul Danny Gatton Etc

[@normanndaba8823]

Superb list that mentions Herb Ellis. I am not sure who to take out but definitely Eric Gale and Earl Klugh are in the top 10.

[@rosemariehewitt7140]

the race is not for the swift but for he who consider his hearers tender hearts

[@jamespatagueule4599]

Some are missed... part. 3 next ?

[@frankymarino6420]

Leeriitenour ans John Mc zéro zéro others very nice

[@BenoitMardon]

and Pat metheny?!!!!

[@최현준-d9s]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pX27lJiwlrakoqM here

[@Musicfiend4ever]

No Metheny! WTF! In no guitar universe can you snub Pat.

[@BenoitMardon]

@@Musicfiend4ever?

[@BenoitMardon]

What does it seems?

[@cosimodamianogaudiano6183]

Bruh he is in the first part

[@odirrigolon]

Better than the part one...

[@sweetlittlerazor99]

The sound that Stanley Jordan is getting out of that thing oh my god ❤️❤️❤️

[@williammitchell1804]

I stayed to the last hoping Earl Klugh would be in your list as well.

[@billtaylor1740]

Paco D God Rest his soul

[@oriraykai3610]

I can tell J.McLaughlin is playing at eardrum busting volumes again, jut like he did at the concert I saw that gave me permanent hearing damage.

[@marianovico4933]

This list needs to be updated. Gambale,Metheny, Henderson, Scofield et al..

[@matthewjohnloren1995]

Watch part 1, metheny and scofield were there

[@marianovico4933]

Got it!...Greetings from Havana.

[@ScottMcKee-r2k]

Joe Pass and Howard Roberts

[@kennethgarcia25]

You must be my age as your list corresponds with mine! Good work except for Ritenour, who was way too commercial for my taste. I would replace Ritenour with Frank Gambale and/or possibly Mike Stern. Today's list would include: Adam Rogers, Lage Lund, Mike Moreno, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Jonathan Kreisberg, Matteo Mancuso, Antoine Boyer, Wolfgang Muthspiel, possibly Ben Monder, Gilad Hekselman, possibly Oz Noy, among others.. Guitar scholarship has advanced enormously as has guitar technology.

[@danpower7416]

Ted Greene!

[@jjsrang]

Mick goodrick rules!!!

[@gerriepieters9033]

Jin Jang John Abercrombie

[@ianroberts3948]

Great players here , but have any of you jazzers found frank zappas duprees paradise , one of many of his eye openers

[@diegolara5012]

Larry Corryell, John Abercrombie, Pat Metheny, Pat Martino, Wes Montgomery, John Scofield, Bill Firsell, Mike Stern, Joe Pass, Marc Ribot, Nels Cline, Elliot Sharp, Fred Frith, Derek Bailey, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Jonatan Kreisberg, Ben Monder, Mary Holvorson, Rez Abassi, Adam Rogers, David Fiuczenski, David Gilmore, David Torn, Marc Ducret, Yoshie Frushter, Henry Kaiser, Peter Bernstein, Jacob Bro, Scott Henderson, Lionel Loueke, Julián Lage,

[@intuneorange]

Well l I will see you down at the Vanguard and we will continue with this discussion laugh out loud

[@nickcharles1241]

Aha, here are McLaughlin and Burrell. I forgot about Di Meola and was most impressed with the Stanley Jordan clip and his tapping style on the Eleanor Rigby arrangement.

[@russellalfonso2962]

Jimmy Raney?

[@martydibergi5228]

Lenny Breau saw him dozens of times and Ed Bickert many times

[@paulnerval7632]

Correction: Al Di Meola was born in 1954, not 1951.

[@SuperMartin223]

I agree with your choices on both lists except for Stanley Jordan. Although a remarkable talent, fine musician, etc and I have seen him live and like what he does, I would not count him in the top 100 at least Re great jazz guitarists. And, of course, you need about twenty more. There are some notable greats left out.

[@guitarmachine13]

Shout-out to Elias Tona on bass in the Di Meola clip. One of my teachers at Players School and a great guy. Phenomenal bassist too

[@kenfehr6738]

Martin Taylor a current and great Jazz player

[@henk.dvanduijne8932]

Dont forget Larry Carlton and Michel Cusson(Uzeb)

[@petel2952]

McLaughlin should be in the top 10...easily.

[@johnfairweather9188]

I would add Lenny Breau.

[@soulvaccination8679]

Pat Methiny

[@Bonedalas]

Was in part 1

[@lucasmaiaonorio2811]

Joe Paes,path metheny, Frank Gambale..

[@jessthehorse]

Yea, Joe Pass ... just a SLIGHT oversight? LMAO

[@lucasmaiaonorio2811]

@@jessthehorse thank you. My word broker gave me a creep ! I can mention a few more.. Leo amuedo, George Benson..

[@jessthehorse]

@@lucasmaiaonorio2811 - good thought. Benson would really have to be up there with the pioneers. I am 71 years old and I see this very much in the context of the trail blazers like Pass and Benson. I feel like nowadays are like the Olympics in that every year, players get faster and younger and more technically proficient etc and we have reached a point at which there are so many brilliant players on every instrument it has lost some of it's meaning. It's just overwhelming. I studied with Joe Pass, Ted Greene and several other fairly noteworthy guitarists and actually carved out a career for myself in the golden days of Los Angeles recording studios but I would hate to be trying to do it now! *sigh* Another world altogether. Whoever thought kids would have to pay to play in a shithole nightclub? In my youth I used to actually make a $100 a night in some dump bar playing with a duo. We were making $600 a week working six nights just playing old tunes ... where would a young person go to do that now?

[@lucasmaiaonorio2811]

@@jessthehorse I go through the same problem. I play in samba and bossa nova bars. The amount paid is always low. I am a fan of virtuosity, but I consider more important the feeling that each musician impresses on songs or improvisations. If you have no passion, we have only robot musicians.

[@jessthehorse]

@@lucasmaiaonorio2811 - there are many wonderful things about the present time ... advances in medicine and science etc but man ... all this "progress" comes at a cost.

[@furiacabocla2furiacabocla589]

Thanks for teaching us and for this lovely list..#Culture #JazzRules

[@guitardude4700]

Dimeola, Mglaughlin and paco delucia on a Saturday night in San Francisco

[@anthemfingerstyle5453]

I was waiting for Lee Ritenour and finally...

[@rouviere62]

What about Richard Smith, and Tommy emmanuel?

[@RobertToso-v5i]

Joe pass Wes Montgomery Mike stern Django pat martino Larry coryell Larry Carlton Chuck web Bill fritzel Pat Matheny

[@kazydaty7676]

Ulf Wakenius Matteo Mancuso

[@mixmixture7049]

Jim Hall👍

[@TerrellThomas1971]

if you are going to invite Stanley Jordan , invite Ronny Jordan

[@chaz2wells]

Barney was the man

[@stevebellaiche9303]

I think Wes, George, at least...., should be part of any top ten guitarist...for eternity

[@danielromero-si6xu]

1_sylvain luc 2_martin Taylor 3_julian lage

[@matviyberezovskiy2372]

Expected Charlie Hunter

[@samueledward5078]

Brian Hughes and Ed Bickert

[@flemsnopes3135]

Nice list of top shelf players. Let's not overlook Ron Eschette.

[@riklefevere7361]

I miss Julian Lage and Stochelo Rosenberg...

[@gustavohernandez1745]

Scott Henderson, Frank Gambale...

[@nicolasroy6654]

I watched part 1 and 2 and my 2 favorites Jazz guitarists are not there "Jeff Beck" and "Terje Rypdal"

[@ScottMcKee-r2k]

Emily Remler

[@precbsfender]

Without a doubt, Al Di Meola.

[@childofthe60s100]

Surprised to NOT see Frank Vignola in the list???

[@jamesthornton1943]

Impossible task. However suggest to look to those Jazz Guitarists that inspired and were admired by generations that follow. For me, Johnny Smith, Joe Pass, Barney Kessel, Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burell leads that list. Step outside Jazz and its hard to think of anyone who inspired more guitarists and was admired more than Chet Atkins. Also, agree with the comments about speed not being a prime important qualification for greatness and a substitute for taste. Lists are always fun to think about.

[@yourchannel1225]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eXibnZuJm9mhf8k

[@Dilla4life]

Gotta say…Jim Hall went there at the end of the clip. I have to find out what song that was…the Jim Hall I have…which is on vinyl…is amazing…but not that like