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, horn players, 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 their ability to 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 enduring power and beauty of jazz guitar in its current evolution as a major instrumental force in American music.

Contents (please scroll down)

Martin Taylor:
   Shining Stockings
   My funny Valentine
   Just Squeeze Me

Tommy Crook:
   Melody Of Birdland
   All The Things You Are
   It Had To Be You
   Wave

Jim Nichols:
   Can't Take That Away From Me
   East Of The Sun
   Taste Of Honey
   Here's That Rainy Day

Duck Baker:
   Back Home in Indiana
   Forty Ton Parachute
   Out Of The Past
   Seven Point One

Woody Mann:
   Mr. Guitar
   Uptown Tales
   Gypsy Girl
   Cat Burglar