Hittin' on All Six, a History of the Jazz Guitar, Jazz-Culb Guitar witth Various artists

This solemn Memorial Day weekend finds me absorbing a collection of jazz guitar music.  First up is Hittin' on All Six: a History of the Jazz Guitar.  Here's how the All Music website describes it, "Hittin' on All Six follows the evolution of the six-string instrument from early jazz (Eddie Lang, Lonnie Johnson) up through the bebop era (Herb Ellis,and Barney Kessel). In between, of course, there's plenty of treats from French legend Django Reinhardtand such swing giants as Charlie Christian and Eddie Durham. A superb package for half the price of most comparable sets."  Plus, " Including extensive sessionographies, notes, and pictures -- all part of the set's handsome 52-page booklet."  It's fascinatin to follow the roots of jazz guitar through all the players on this.  A lot of them, of course, are new, or little known, to me, since I picked up interest in Jazz guitar with the likes of John McLaughlin, Pat Martino, and Larry Coryell in the 1970's.  I know I'll be re-visiting this set over, and over again.

I immediately thought it would be cool to have another set like Hittin' on All Six for the years picking up from BeBop to the present, until than I'll make do with this collection, Jazz-Club Guitar, which features guitars from 1945. Les Paul with Willie Smith (BeBop era) to 1979, Larry Coryell and Philip Catherine (Jazz Fusion).  This bearly scratches the surface.

 

I do have other collections of jazz guitar, one of the oldest is this Guitar Player Magazine Album, from the late 1970s.

Actually, music anthology CDs are a great way to sample new music, especially if you new to Jazz.  Anyway you start, you're in for an enjoyable journey.  Enjoy.