As Jazz emerged as a musical force in the early 20th century, few have left their mark on the world of guitar as these following virtuosos.
1. Wes Montgomery
Wes Montgomery’s innovative style and virtuosity was the influence of multiple contemporary guitarists including Jimi Hendrix. A virtuoso among virtuoso, Montgomery’s command of the instrument has not been matched. His most notable technique was the use of octaves.
Although his recordings with Riverside records are considered his most “pure” works, he obtained commercial success with his later adoption of string accompaniment. Montgomery's influence is widespread, as his tone is considered standard amongst guitarists.
2. Django Reinhardt
The legendary Romanian has inspired countless guitarists. Despite a debilitating accident, which left his hand permanently injured, Django persevered to bring unmatched innovation to the instrument with his unique gypsy style. Performing with renowned jazz greats such as Dizzy Gillespie, and Louis Armstrong, Django will forever be known as one of the most prolific artists to ever pick up a guitar.
3. Pat Metheny
Incorporating tones from rock, Pat Metheny sonic palate is among the most versatile of all guitarists. He was one of the first jazz guitarists to utilize the Roland synthesizer, although only accessing a small number of the sounds contained in the unit. Metheny was greatly influenced by Wes Montgomery in the early years, but cites many surprising inspirations, which affected his style, many coming from non-jazz acts such as The Beatles and James Taylor.
4. Joe Pass
A master of the walking bassline as well as wizard of chord inversions, Joe pass redefined the instrument in his era. Pass cultivated a heavily refined styling of guitar tone, partly attributed to his abandonment of the guitar pick in favor of finger style playing, which provided greater harmonic expression. Pass begun his training at the young age of 14 on a $17 dollar guitar, and overcame a battle of drug addiction to emerge as on of the major figures in the genre. Great contemporary artists such as George Benson use the Ibanez Joe Pass model guitar to this day.
5. Charlie Christian
The first major star of electric guitar, Charlie Christian stands a pioneer among pioneers. The Oklahoma City son broke new ground with his creative solo style which helped bring the guitar our of the rhythm section and into the forefront as a solo instrument, a precursor to solo electric guitarists of every genre. He is highly regarded as a major influence in the development of the bebop genre.
Although many guitarists have enriched the history of the jazz genre, the above five virtuosos have proven themselves as timeless figures that have permanently left their mark on not only the jazz world, but popular music in general!
Keith Romes - Hey there! My name is Keith Romes. Very thrilled to be a writer for suite 101 sharing my passions with the world! My professional ...
