“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”
…before there was rock and roll…
there was swing guitar!
This paraphrase of the famous Star Wars line shows how far electric guitar has come. Where the guitar used to either provide a lithe pulse or simmering solo, rock came and made things thunder, changing the face, toes and fingers of modern music.
Because this month we are highlighting swing guitars, we’ve compiled a list of guitarists and/or albums that feature 6 (or 7) swinging strings. If your only guitar compass points to John McLaughlin or Pat Metheny, shift gears a bit and listen to these guys/gals that started the ball rolling, 8 to the bar.
Eddie Lang, Lonnie J ohnson, Carl Kress, Dick McDonough, etc: Pioneers of the Jazz Guitar . These fourteen songs contain some of the earliest and best guitar solos and duets you’ll ever hear. Timeless and back porch cozy
Eddie Lang: Joe Venuti & Eddie Lang 1926-33, The Classic Colulmbia and Okeh Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang-There are various incarnations of the seminal meetings between guitarist Eddie Lang and his partner, violinist Joe Venuti. Small group swing started with these guys, and as with many guitarist (unfortunately), Lang also set the tone for many guitarists by dying too
Django Reinhardt: Parisian Swing, The Quintessential Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli. Like Lang, there are many versions of the iconic teaming of gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt and his violin counterpart Stephane Grappelli. Just make sure you get the material from 1934 to 1940 and you’ll hear one of the few European jazz artists to influence American jazz.
Stephane Wrembel: The Django Experiment Vols 1-VI-Initially influenced by Django Reinhardt, Wrembel has now created his own voice with these five albums of gypsy
interpretations. Dorado Schmidt has gone a similar route and is also highly recommended.
Dave Stryker: Eight Track, Vols, 1, 2 and 3. Sideman to Jack McDuff has taken his soul groove sound to interpret Baby Boomer classics to a wonderful collection of albums.
Freddie Green: Count Basie, The Decca Years, The Atomic Mr. Basie, Joe Turner Boss of the Blues-Rarely ever taking a solo, rhythm guitarist Green was the pulse of Kansas City Swing for 50 years.Charlie Christian: The Benny Goodman Sextet featuring Charlie Christian, Charlie Christian and Benny Goodman Live! The Genius of the Electric Guitar-the pioneer of the electric guitar, Christian also died way too young, but he left an indelible imprint with his days with Benny Goodman. He was also the heartbeat for many of Billie Holiday’s classic 30s sessions.
George Van Eps/Howard Alden: Van Eps and Alden swing with seven strings, using the extra string for a lovely and subtle pulse. They did three albums together (12 Strings, Seven and Seven, Hand Crafted Swing), while Van Eps’ Mellow Guitar, and Alden’s Swing Street show what they can do on their own.
Johnny Smith: Moonlight in Vermont. With Stan Getz, Smith defines laid back swing with this 1956 classic.- Dave Barbour: The Peggy Lee Radio Transcriptions. Probably one of the most overlooked jazz guitarists, Dave Barbour was a studio stud for the likes of Dean Martin, Billie
Holliday and Bing Crosby, but his most exquisite work was with Peggy Lee. These radio transcriptions are sublime and subtle joys. - Wes Montgomery: The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, Far Wes. Actually, you can put down just about any album by Montgomery. Technically a bopper, he still swung better and harder than with more influence for today’s generation, so you better get to know him.
- Chuck Wayne: Tony Bennet-The Jazz Sides, Cloud 7. Wayne is also overlooked, but he played with Goodman and Gil Evans while his sideman role with Tony Bennett is simply divine.
- Kenny Burrell: Ellington is Forever. The only guitarist still with us, and the leader of over 100 sessions, this album of Burrell delving into Ellingtonia is sophisticated swing at its apotheosis.
- Jimmy Raney: The Stan Getz Quintet with Jimmy Raney at the Royal Roost. Why do so many guitarist sound great with Getz? Here, Jimmy Raney’s linear lines veer through Getz and a rhythm section including Horace Silver like a galloping deer.
- Herb Ellis: You could argue that no one swung harder than Herb Ellis during his days with the drummerless Oscar Pettiford Trio of the 50s-60s. Any of those albums is a testament to the pulse of the rhythm guitar, while his own Ellis in Wonderland is an eternal
- Oscar Moore: The Best of the Nat “King” Cole Instrumentals. Probably the most underappreciated guitarist of all time, Moore took a back seat to Cole on the vocal songs but usually stole the show on the sublime instrumentals, featured here on this album.
