Smaller Bands and the Influence of Charlie Christian“… the first time I heard Charlie Christian I thought he really wasn’t so much, because I felt I could play faster than that. Then after a few more times it really hit me, and I realized that speed wasn’t everything. I got quite emotional — put my guitar away and said I’d never play again. But the next day I got it out and started to tried to play like Charlie.” –Herb Ellis. Herb Ellis. After WWII, the guitar was slowly starting to be considered a “real” jazz instruments. The popularity of big bands was slowly fading out and smaller jazz groups began surfacing.
This gave the opportunity to guitarists to assume a melodic role and emphasize on their solo. Inspired by Charlie Christian, many players would learn his solos early in their career. Tal Farlow. Such players include Tal Farlow, a pioneer of bebop guitar, who is known to play fast lines and chord melody. Tal was intrigued by the guitar in jazz after hearing Christian on the radio in the 1. Charlie Christian’s legacy was also felt in Texas where Herb Ellis mixed it with his Texan country influence to create a fresh swinging feel that would define his playing style and make him recognizable. Jazzers After Charlie Christian. Jimmy Raney. Later on, a post- Charlie Christian time opened as guitarists focused on absorbing the language of bop from other instruments.
Bringing forward jazz guitar bebop was popularized by player like Jimmy Raney coming up with clear bebop lines on the guitar. Barney Kessel. Excellent players, such as Barney Kessel, emerged from this fresh flavour of jazz.
Kessel’s influential efforts in trio settings made him a very requested player. He has landed opportunities of sitting on the guitar chair with the likes of Oscar Peterson, Lester Young and Sonny Rollins. Contemporary Jazz: The Hard Workers of the Late 1. Being a hard worker in jazz guitar doesn’t always mean to play very fast lines (but we still love to hear it). In the late 1. 95. Jim Hall gained popularity while playing with the Chico Hamilton Quintet.
I don’t really play fast — speed has never come easy for me.- Jim Hall. Jim Hall. Hall knew his limits and would use them to work on different aspects. Jim Hall was known to be able to put himself in the place of the listener and come up with fresh ideas that would be reflected in his improvisation. This led him to explore jazz beyond bebop. Redsn0w V0 3 Beta Windows 7. He quickly gained the respect of fellow jazz guitarists (and musicians) which lead him to play as a sideman in Sonny Rollins’ band, collaborate with Bill Evans and many more albums that were released over the span of 5. Ed Bickert. Jim Hall is also responsible for launching the career of Canadian jazz guitarist Ed Bickert by recommending him to Paul Desmond for his Quartet.
Bickert quickly gained popularity through the 1. Thank you for recommending him Mr. Jim Hall!)Wes Montgomery. In the 1. 96. 0’s, jazz guitar had some more game changers and hard workers come to the scene.
The influence of Charlie Christian was still present as the best jazz guitarists of the era. A great example is Wes Montgomery, who first learned Christian’s solo and would play them note for note during shows. Through explorations, researches and hard work, Montgomery came up with powerful techniques such as his legendary octave playing and exquisite lines in his solos that would make him one of the most influential bebop guitarist of all time. His style and tone would be studied and imitated for many generations. Learn everything you know in all keys.- Joe Pass. Joe Pass. Another hard worker that appeared during the 6.
Joe Pass. Being considered as the best solo jazz guitar player of all time is the result of relentless practice and deep understanding of lines. Joe Pass built himself a reputation with his Virtuoso album series that still inspires modern musicians venturing into the solo guitar route (find a Joe Pass transcription here). Fusion of Bebop with Other Styles. I strive for honesty in playing what I feel.- Kenny Burrell.
Kenny Burrell. With styles crossover (as other music genre getting more and more popular), creative guitar players began fusing different style with jazz to bring never heard before lines and different feels. The fusion of blues and jazz was quite natural as the two always shared many elements. Kenny Burrell is the prime example of a musician who brought the electric blues influence to jazz with influences of Charlie Christian and B. B. King. The mix of both style in the hands of Burrell creates a sound that is intense and eloquent.
Grant Green. Having a deep sense of bluesy- ness in jazz means playing with self- expression. Grant Green was far from a virtuoso but let his self- expression lead the music he played. Using the bebop language with ideas emerging from a background of blues, soul and funk and lots of silence, Green brought some of the most expressive lines in jazz. George Benson. Other guitarists such as George Benson liked to groove. While mastering the language of bebop, Benson’s primary interest is to entertain. By following a “pop” career, George Benson reached a wider audience but is still tremendously respected by his jazz peers by alternating between jazz standards, funky pieces and vocal performances.
Lenny Breau. Modern and contemporary in jazz are synonyms of post- bop (and sometimes smooth jazz). While some guitarists still used the traditional and sacred bebop language even in the mid- 6.
One of those adventurer was Lenny Breau, who is known to be the most harmonic player that ever lived.