World of Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar

Records by Charlie Byrd, Lenny Breau, George Van Eps, Laurindo Almieda, and Joe Pass have set a very high standard for solo fingerstyle jazz guitar, and it is from this vantage point that the solo flights of Taylor, Crook,Nichols, Baker, and Mann take wing. Each player has developed a distinctly different approach to interpreting and writing jazz for solo guitar by listening intently to numerous other musicians and composers - pianists, hornplayers, bassists, and singers as well as many guitarists in jazz, blues and other styles. What distinguishes them from more traditional jazz guitarists (who more or less function in a linear voice in an ensemble) is theirabilityto play (or imply) all aspects of music - rhythm, chords, bass, and melody - without accompaniment. Their performances not only demonstrate their technical brilliance and imagination, they are a testament to the enduringpower and beauty of jazz guitar in its current evolution as a major instrumental force in American music.