Looking for great jazz guitar recordings - any recommendations?


Hello All,

Here's the list I've put together so far, but I'm looking for more and better recordings...   I want good music AND great recordings of such...   I also use these as partial test tunes (streamed from Tidal in MQA) for evaluating sound quality.

Russ Freeman & the Rippingtons, the Album Topaz, Stories of the Painted Desert
Ron Cooley with Manheim Steamroller, the album Day Dreams
Michael Hedges, the album Aerial Boundaries (wow!)
Antoine Dufour,  the single Talk
Gordon Giltrap,  the album Fear of the Dark
Fourplay, the album Fourplay
Jenn Adams, the album Water, Blue Island (great recording)
Joe Bonamassa, the album Live from the Royal Albert Hall
John Williams, the album Guitar Transcriptions (I know this isn't jazz, but its so good)
Nils Lofgren, the album Acoustic Live, Keith Don't Go
Roger Shah and Sunlounger, A Balearic Dinner

What else should I add to my collection?   What moves you?



noodlyarm

+1 On Wes Montgomery and George Benson. Especially the recordings produced by Creed Taylor of CTI with them being engineered and recorded by Rudy Van Gelder. The sound quality of a Rudy Van Gelder engineered album is some of the sweetest music I have ever listened to.




 

Lots of good names mentioned.  I used to play jazz guitar (before an infection impacted my left hand), and my favorites are as follows:

Charlie Christian.  He basically put the electric jazz guitar on the map.  He was the original guitar hero.  By today’s standards his playing is basic but he came up with how to do it on his own, didn’t copy anybody.  For 10 years after his death most of the jazz guitarists sounded like Charlie and he was only with Benny Goodman for about 3 years.  A couple of albums to look for, “The Genius of the Electric Guitar” and “Solo Flight”.  I might not be exact on the titles but close.

Wes Montgomery.  Self taught genius who played with his thumb because his wife didn’t want him to wake up the baby when practicing.  Early on his performances were covers of Charlie Christian solos. But then he found his voice.  Chord soloing, chord melody, single note lead and octaves, octaves octaves (playing the same note an octave apart).  His influence is still felt today.  You can’t hear a smooth jazz guitarist without hearing Wes.  I like his earlier stuff where is is playing more straight ahead jazz like the stuff he did for Pacific Jazz and especially Riverside.  Riverside has a 10 cd set that includes the work he did with Cannonball Adderly who “discovered” him.

Others I love:
Joe Pass, especially with a combo as well as the solo stuff.
Gabor Szabo, Gypsy ‘66 and the original Breezin
Pat Martino, pre accident
Lee Ritenour, the stuff with Foreplay and especially Westbound

Another shout out to Bill Frisell... My favorites are his recordings with Paul Motian’s trio on ECM Records. And Frisell’s duo albums with Thomas Morgan are really special. Those are live at the Village Vanguard and also put out by ECM.

I saw someone mention Julian Lage already. I’ll second that his new "Love Hurts" album is very well done.

If you’re willing to listen with open ears one of my favorite guitarists is Jeff Parker. He crosses over many genres, and does a bit of free improv too. His trio album "Bright Light In Winter" on Delmark is a good one to start with.

@folkfreak Halvorson's output is absolutely stunning.  Easily one of my all time favorite guitarists.  I love the two Thumbscrew albums that came out last year.  And her duo album with Bill Frisell on Tzadik is one of my favorite albums in recent years.  
Some not mentioned above...

Al DiMeola & Paco de Lucia - Friday Night in San Francisco
Strunz & Farah - Primal Magic
Ronny Jordan - the quiet revolution (fusion jazz/funk)
Chris Standring - Collector's Series

Other great examples are listed earlier in the thread...  good job, guys!