bill frisell is my favorite anyway

John Scofield is cool of course.

I recently saw Mike Stern in concert, he is more fusion but definately an amazing musician.

-Backdoor Bandit

Sonny Sharrock is one fine Jazz guitarist.

'Ask The Ages' is a wonderful avant-garde jazz album.

I also enjoy some Charlie Christian, The guy pratically invented be-bop for crying out loud!

Bill Frisell iI admit is pretty cool, Grant Green can play (but is sometimes too conventional)

Jim Hall is the fastest jazz guitarist.

I really like Jim Hall, especially his contribution on the Bill Evans duet 'Undercurrents'

Kenny Burrell is a nice guitarist, and Barney Kessell can be good at times.

Nels Cline is a newer bright star, his new version of John Coltrane's Interstellar Space is truly amazing.

Yep.

everyone who's been mentioned is a must.

but y'all should check out marc ribot. sort of crosses the line between avant-garde, rock and jazz. he did an album with bill ware on vibes - duo mode doing ellington tunes. magic.
then i heard him with john zorn. madness. all brilliant.

Al DiMeola should be on this list somewhere...

Intersting that Geoff would call Jim Hall the fastest jazz guitarist...
McLaughlin is hugely faster, and a much more diverse musician. I'm suprised he hasn't been mentioned here. The Mahvishnu Orchestra and his work with Miles Davis' electic band are some of the finest moments in jazz/fusion guitar history.
As for Nels Cline, funny you should mention - he's a friend of my dad's. Very excellent player, I saw his band the Nels Cline Singers recently, great show.
Weird... there's an ad for my dad's new CD on this page - at the bottom. "Bill Horvitz".


(MX is down so I'm over here - I'm a buddy of GoM's, if anyone remembers him)

Add Barney Kessel to the list -

Hard question. If to be be by gener it would be eaiser.
But who are i my heroes these days:
Pat Metheny
Mike Stern
Scott Henderson
Kenny Burrell
and the list goes on..

I thought Buckethead is your favorite Seba


Ammaro

This actually an easy question for me. These two influenced pretty much everyone after them in jazz. They influenced many genres of guitar as well.

Django Reinhardt - he couldn't use his fourth and fifth fingers on his left hand after a fire injured them. After the injury he had to develop his own way of playing the guitar. He still turned out to be the best. He is also credited for recording the first completely improvised recording back in 1934. Listening to him play, and knowing about his injury, it just blows the mind what he played.

Pick up the Mosiac box set while you still can if you haven't already. The Gypsy that the Sean Penn character is always talking about being the best guitar player in the world, and scared of even being in the same room with in the Woody Allen film Sweet & Lowdown is Django.

Charlie Christian - in a total of two plus years from when he joined Benny Goodman to when he died of TB he put his stamp on the electric guitar and music. Christian is the Robert Johnson/Jimi Hendrix of jazz. If you haven't picked up the recent Columbia box set, you are missing out.


Below those two.

Wes Montgomery
Derek Bailey
Joe Pass
Grant Green
McLaughlin



Of the latest generation I prefer Nels Cline. His best recording in my opinon would be Instrumentals.




One last thought when I think of the fastest guitar player it's sure not Jim Hall. His style of playing was cool/post bop. Very much laid back and mellow. If speed is what you are looking for it's easily McLaughlin.

oh that was a misprint.

I was meaning to say the fastest guitarist was not Jim Hall, but Joe Pass.

indeed Jim Hall isn't a fast guitarist at all.