Bebop Spoken There

Donovan Haffner ('Best Newcomer' 2025 Parliamentary Jazz Awards): ''I got into jazz the first time I picked up a saxophone!" - Jazzwise Dec 25/Jan 26

The Things They Say!

This is a good opportunity to say thanks to BSH for their support of the jazz scene in the North East (and beyond) - it's no exaggeration to say that if it wasn't for them many, many fine musicians, bands and projects across a huge cross section of jazz wouldn't be getting reviewed at all, because we're in the "desolate"(!) North. (M & SSBB on F/book 23/12/24)

Postage

18146 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 24 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Jan. 7), 24

From This Moment On ...

JANUARY 2026

Sat 10: Mark Toomey Quintet @ St Peter’s Church, Stockton-on-Tees. 7:30pm. £12.00. (inc. pie & peas). Tickets from: 07749 255038.

Sun 11: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 12: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 12: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.

Tue 13: Milne Glendinning Band @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £11.00. Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 13: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 14: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 14: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 15: Mark Toomey Quartet @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. Quartet + guest Paul Donnelly (guitar).

Fri 16: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 16: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 16: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 16: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 16: Darlington Big Band @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 16: Leeds City Stompers @ Billy Bootleggers, Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free.

Reviewers wanted

Whilst BSH attempts to cover as many gigs, festivals and albums as possible, to make the site even more comprehensive we need more 'boots on the ground' to cover the albums seeking review - a large percentage of which never get heard - report on gigs or just to air your views on anything jazz related. Interested? then please get in touch. Contact details are on the blog. Look forward to hearing from you. Lance

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Top Ten Jazz Guitar Recordings 1925 - 1975 by Maurice Summerfield

See below my choice TOP TEN Jazz Guitar records below for 1925 - 1975.  Of course to select only TEN is really impossible.  TOP 100 1921 -2021 would be a more realistic task.

I am aware that many great jazz guitarists are not included in this list.  George Van Eps, George Barnes, Bucky Pizzarelli, Johnny Smith, Oscar Moore, Billy Bauer, Mundell Lowe, Chuck Wayne, Joe Puma, Howard Roberts, Kenny Burrell, Grant Green, Rene Thomas, Marty Grosz, Sacha Distel, Elek Bacsik, Pat Martino, Ed Bickert, John Pisano, George Benson, Martin Taylor, Ulf Wakenius and more all have recordings that should be included.

Then there are more recent jazz guitarists who I do not really appreciate but many jazz lovers do.  Pat Metheny, Larry Coryell,  John McLaughlin, John Abercrombie, John Scofield, Bill Frissell and more.   

And finally the great Gypsy jazz guitarists including Babik Reinhardt, Bireli Lagrene, Stochelo Rosenberg,  Dorado Schmidt, Joscho Stephan, Frank Vignola and more have made great jazz recordings

Bearing this in mind here is my listing.   

Eddie Lang - Carl Kress - Dick McDonough: Pioneers of Jazz Guitar - Retrieval RTR 79015.

Django Reinhardt: 24 Classic Performances  - Poll Winner Records  PWR 27201.

Charlie Christian: The Genius of Electric Guitar  - Sony Legacy Recordings  Columbia C4K 15564.

Barney Kessel: Easy Like  Vol. 1  - Contemporary OJCCD-153-2.

Tal Farlow: The Interpretations  of Tal Farlow - Verve CD2753.

Herb Ellis and Joe Pass: Two for the Road - Pablo  OJCCD-726-2.

Jim Hall: Jim Hall Trio - Gambit CD 69259.

Jimmy Raney: Jimmy Raney/A - Prestige  OJCCD-1706-2.

Wes Montgomery: The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery - Riverside OJCCD 036-2.

Lenny Breau: Lenny Breau Live at Shelly Manne's Hole - One Way Records OW29315 CD.

Maurice S.

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2 comments :

Chris Kilsby said...

Nice! Thanks for this Maurice.

Over to Steve T for the 1975-2021 Top Ten then?!

I'll check these early ones out, following a comment to me from Lance that he didn't think (as I do) of Wes Montgomery as "old school" - I obviously need to get a longer perspective!

Chris

Wednesday, March 31, 2021 12:45:00 pm
Steve T said...

Fraid I'm a bit of a dinosaur too:

Wes Montgomery - Smokin at the Half Note 1965.
Steve Marcus - Tomorrow Never Knows 1968.
Mahavishnu Orchestra featuring John McLaughlin - Visions of the Emerald Beyond 1975.
George Benson - In Concert at Carnegie Hall 1976.
Pat Metheny - Bright Size Life 1976.
Shakti featuring John McLaughlin - Natural Elements 1977.
James Blood Ulmer - Tales of Captain Black 1978.
Al Di Meola, Jean Luc Ponty, Stanley Clark - Rite of Strings 1995.
Kurt Rosenwinkel - The Next Step 2001.
Larry Coryell - Impressions 2008.

And we've come full circle.

Thursday, April 01, 2021 12:49:00 am

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