Jazz Articles

Stefan Grossman: Shining Shadows

by David Rickert
October 7, 2010

It makes sense that Stefan Grossman and Eric Clapton hung out together in the sixties, because they both have similar approaches to the guitar: Clapton isn't the flashiest of players, but can craft lines out of a few notes that are filled with feeling and taste; Grossman is a like-minded player--not one to create finger-busting arrangements like other guitarists that he's featured on his Kicking Mule label, but nevertheless crafting tasteful songs that rely on a myriad of influences, from ...

Ton Van Bergeyk / John James / Sam Mitchell / Dale Miller: I Got Rhythm

by David Rickert
September 10, 2010

Back in the seventies, a group of acoustic guitar players in England hit upon the ingenious idea of mining the early twentieth century for songs that would make for pleasant finger-style arrangements. Given the heavy syncopation and catchy melodies of the novelty tunes and rags from that era, they figured correctly that such songs would translate seamlessly to the guitar. I Got Rhythm, originally recorded in 1976, features four guitarists playing dazzling arrangements of these songs. A few will be ...

Rev. Gary Davis: At Home and At Church 1962-1967

by David Rickert
May 25, 2010

The Rev. Gary Davis was, by all accounts, an incredible guitarist--one who influenced everyone from Taj Mahal to the Grateful Dead--who seemingly mastered everything he wanted to do with the instrument. However, over his long career he was recorded only sporadically, and most of his recordings have been released posthumously. Davis was more of a live performer, and never ventured into the studio all that often, which makes the unearthed home recordings of At Home and At Church 1962-1967 a ...

Stefan Grossman: Aunt Molly's Murray Farm/The Gramercy Park Shiek

by David Rickert
May 10, 2010

It's a well-known irony that if you were interested in playing traditional blues in the sixties, one of the best places you could be was overseas in England. Fed up with the Vietnam War, Stefan Grossman headed across the pond and began running around the town with the likes of Cream going to see new blues bands like Pink Floyd. Grossman got his traditional licks honestly from none other than his teacher the Rev. Gary Davis, and no doubt picked ...

Ton Van Bergeyk: Famous Fingerpicking Guitar Solos From the Golden Era of American Pop Music

by David Rickert
May 9, 2010

Ton Van Bergeyk is one of those artists who will forever toil in obscurity, known only amongst his fellow musicians as a true master--if he is recognized at all. Sadly, there isn't much demand for his style of music, and he will always be admired more for his complete mastery of finger-style guitar than for any of his musical contributions. Fortunately, Stefan Grossman has been reissuing hard-to-find gems, like this 1976 recording, on his Guitar Workshop label. With any luck, ...

Dave Evans: Sad Pig Dance

by David Rickert
November 3, 2009

One way that guitarists expand the harmonic possibilities of their instrument is through the use of open tunings. By tuning the guitar differently than the standard EADGBE arrangement (for instance, to an open chord), a whole new world of sounds and textures becomes available.

New age guitarists were quick to adopt this method to create beautiful melodies that went nowhere. Dave Evans, however, was one who coupled his love for open tunings with his knack for writing good ...

Various Artists: Contemporary Ragtime Guitar

by David Rickert
November 2, 2009

Most people's knowledge of ragtime doesn't go past a few classic Scott Joplin compositions, and practitioners of the style today (not to mention composers) are few and far between. However, there has always been a small cadre of guitarists devoted to playing traditional and original ragtime tunes, and most of them are quite good at adapting the highly syncopated musical form to an unlikely instrument. Contemporary Ragtime Guitar is one of the few compilations devoted entirely to ragtime guitar and, ...

Davey Graham: The Complete Guitarist

by David Rickert
October 17, 2009

Davey Graham never found a style of guitar playing that he didn't want to master. In fact, he was such a perfectionist that he recorded infrequently, preferring not to commit any tunes to wax until he had thoroughly explored all the avenues that each tune had to offer. From ragas to ragtime, Graham did it all, but frustratingly a lot of his work is difficult to find.

The Complete Guitarist, originally released in 1977 and now available on ...

Davey Graham / Dave Evans / Duck Baker / Dan Ar Bras: Irish Reels, Jigs, Hornpipes, and Airs

by David Rickert
August 7, 2009

Irish Reels, Jigs, Hornpipes, and Airs is the rare acoustic guitar CD that isn't dominated by Leo Kottke-style wizardry or a John Fahey influence. It's also a rare example of Irish music played traditionally and not with the ethereal trappings of new age music. It's perhaps no surprise, then, that it's necessary to travel back to 1979 to find an album filled with modest pleasures such as this one.

Only two of the four guitarists on this album ...