i'm looking for guitar music. (1 Viewer)

[Andrew Santos]

i'm looking for music that's strictly acoustic instrumental guitar, with perhaps some percussion to back it up. but mainly just music that is based around the guitar. trying to keep it as simple as possible. any recommendations?

 

[Ike]

What genre? For jazz, Django Reinhardt can't be beat. Although he sometimes had a full band behind him, several of his records are just him and a guitar.

 

[Andrew Santos]

no particular genre. just as long as it's somewhat complex and takes concentration to listen to. in my original post i meant simple as in only guitar, with no other instruments but perhaps percussion.

i will look into the django recommendation though. thanks.

 

[Zen Butler]

Django Reinhardt is a great pick, but is usually accompanied by a small orchestra or other instrumentation, but do not miss him though. Some strictly guitar stuff :
Michael Hedges- start with Aerial Boundaries, although he was on the Windham Hill label, his stuff was not limp by any standards. He had a very unique two-handed approach to the instrument. Very different.
of course there is
Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin, Paco Delucia-Friday Night in San Francisco, a must for any collection.
Joe Pass-Virtuoso just him and a guitar, this album is brilliant. Itis jazz, but his variations on standards are just smokin'. Hard to believe this was done in 73.
thats just to name some of my favorites, I could go all day, Try Hedges though, you won't be let down

 

[Mike Broadman]

The California Guitar Trio
This is three acoustic guitar players playing a mix of classical, jazz, pop, originals, and other things. Their covers of Yes' Heart of the Sunrise, Beethoven's 9th Symphony, Caravan, Bach pieces, and the theme from the Good, the Bad and the Ugly are killer. Their original material is really nice, too.
The Trio members were students of Robert Fripp.
Come to think of it, the League of Crafty Guitarists is worth looking into, also. This Fripp and his students, could be as many as 10 players, extremely disciplined and very good. I think this may be right up your alley.

Some good place to start are:
League of Crafty Guitarists- Intergalactic Boogie Express
The Robert Fripp String Quartet- The Bridge Between
(this is Fripp, Trey Gunn on Warr guitar, and the CGT)
California Guitar Trio- Invitation (though they're all equally good)



NP: King Crimson, ProjecKt Two, Live in Northampton, MA, CD

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Andrew,

I once worked with a guitarist named Badi Assad. She is the sister of Sergio and Odair Assad who are considered some of the best in the world. Eric Clapton actually studied with them.

Badi has some real percussive guitar techniques and beautiful sounds in more of a latin, Brazilian vein. It really is beautiful music.

Her brothers also have a new and interesting album out.

I also highly recommend classical guitarist John Williams -all of his work is good, but the new Magic Box album of African folk music is wonderful. It is even out in Super Audio format, but I understand the regular CD also sound excellent.

 

[Brad Porter]

I'll take this thread as my opportunity to recommend Leo Kottke - whose most recent album ("One Guitar, No Vocals") sounds like just what you are looking for. He varies his approach with each album, sometimes singing - sometimes having a full complement of instruments. This particular album is just Leo and his guitar - although his playing style often makes you wonder whether other guitars were involved. Considering that his catalog consists of a few dozen albums, I'll start you off by recommending the most recent as I believe it may be the easiest to locate.

Brad

 

[Dan Lassiter]

I will also echo the response of Michael Hedges. I saw him in concert years ago and he was mind-boggling. He coaxed sounds and nuances out an acoustic guitar like no other. I was deeply saddened to hear of his untimely death a few years ago. While Aerial Boundries is probably his most respected work, there are several others by him that are also instrumental in nature, including Taproot. His final album, called Torched, was released postumouly. It is actually the demos for an album he was preparing before the car accident. The performance (which includes about 50 percent vocals) is outstanding and the sound is not bad for a home recording. I'm sure if you recognize fine guitar playing you will enjoy all of his work.

May I also recommend Alex DeGrassi, who has also made a career out of mostly instrumental acoustic guitar recordings.

 

[Rachael B]

I second the Joe Pass recommendation. If you can find either of the 60's albums by LOS INDIOS TABAJARAS, get them. They're two indians who were self-taught virtuosos from the South American jungle. Craig Chaquico, once with the Jefferson Airplane/Starship makes instumental albums for Higher Octave Records. Try ACOUSTIC PLANET. In fact, Higher Octave Records could be a gold mine for you. They also have most of Ottmar Liebert's catalog. His latest album, LITTLE WING, is on Epic though. He does flamenco, neo-flamenco, and other instumentals that are difficult to categorize exactly.

Neal Schon (Journey) has made several instamental albums for Higher Octave. They're good but mostly electric. Lara & Reyes, Higher Octave, do really nice acoustic guitar.

Joe Beck plays some really laid back acoustic guitar. His DMP albums with Al Ryerson (flute) are quite nice and available on SACD too. IF you want to hear the most unusual music ever made with steel guitar, check out the Friends Of Dean Martinez. It's mostly electric though. Lee Ritenour is a terrific jazz/fusion guitarist. I haven't heard all his albums though, he might have an acoustic collection. He's mostly electric. I love FEEL THE NIGHT.

I second Leo Kottke too. He used to sing. The first time I heard him was his cover of Tom T. Hall's song Pamela Brown. In recent years he just does acoustic bottleneck playing.

In summation, check out some of Higher Octave's sampler albums. I have a feeling that Lara & Reyes, Craig C., and Ottmar Liebert are just what your're looking for. Absolutely, get a Joe Pass album!!!! Best wishes!

 

[Danny Tse]

This album is actually quite good....Liona Boyd's Persona. It's on the CBS label from 1986. She plays acoustic guitar throughout the whole album, with guests David Gilmour (of Pink Floyd), Eric Clapton, and Yo-Yo Ma on several tracks. Michael Kamen provided arrangement for the whole album.
BTW, I think Liona Boyd was called in by Judge Ito to entertain the jurors during the OJ trial.

 

[Philip Hamm]

Steve Hackett's "Bay of Kings" is very nice if you can find it. The production is a little weird; I call it "Bay of Reverb."

EDIT: This is actually Ange Hamm visiting Phil. Sorry for the confustion.

 

[Mark Romero]

Badi Assad

Do they call her Bad Ass for short?

 

[Matt Stryker]

Hedges and Kottke are incredible, as is some of Mason Williams earlier work. My favorite Kottke is probably the "6 and 12 string guitar" album; not sure of the exact title.

Tone Poems by Tony Rice and Dave Grisman is also a really nice disc; probably not as fast as others, but really precise picking on some beautiful instruments.

 

[Dave Morton]

I think Badi Assad is great. I strongly recommend her Echos of Brazil and Solo CDs. All instrumental and very nice. Some of her other stuff has some vocal tracks to it. She likes to experiment with using vocals as a percussion instrument. It's OK, but she's by far a great guitar player.
I don't think you can go wrong with any classical guitar album. I would put a classical guitarist over any other guitarist. Just my opinion. But I'd recommend any cd from the following:
1. John Williams the guitar player not the guy that does the movie soundtracks.
2. Andres Segovia
3. Christopher Parkening
4. The Assad brothers
5. Paco Delucia

 

[Andrew Chong]

Seconding Brad's recommendation: Leo Kottke is an awesome solo guitar artist.

edit: great example tracks include 'Poor Boy' and 'William Powell'.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Try the John Williams album "Echos of Spain", music by Issac Albeniz.

 

[Jan H]

Quick recommendations from a guitar junkie-

Ralph Towner - Anthem, Ana, and Solo Concert. He is THE jazz master of 12-string guitar.

Jason Vieaux - A superb recital of classical guitar. It's a Naxos recording, so it's cheap, too.

Eliot Fisk - Listen to anything of his and your jaw will drop, but look specifically for his Paganini.

Happy listening, JH

 

[Andrew Santos]

thanks for all the recommendations, guys. they'll keep me busy for quite awhile.

 

[Jan H]

Hmm..Ottmar Liebert? No offense, Buzz (or Ottmar), but have you heard of Eliot Fisk? Maybe elevator music is what you had in mind, Andrew, but when you used the phrase "somewhat complex", I thought I'd throw some things out there that might not be heard by the Kenny G crowd. JH

 

[Andrew Santos]

well out of all the people mentioned so far, i've only gotten a chance to hear joe pass. i thought it was quite good. so i can't really comment on ottmar liebert. joe pass seems to be "somwhat complex", though.