In the early part of the twentieth century jazz guitar players very often used the old-time banjo. This is not the instrument necessarily thought of today in the idiom. The banjo then, as it is now, was generally used for country, bluegrass and folk music, the antithesis of cool.
Gibson produced the first acoustic guitar in 1923 with a hollow body that could be heard within an orchestra. Though mostly used for rhythm, it was making inroads as a solo instrument and the banjo was packed up and sent off to the country, so to speak. The guitar was about to become cool, a designation that still holds today.
In the late 1930s, the electric guitar was invented and successfully marketed and from that time, amplification ruled. Here was a stringed instrument capable of being heard in the cacophony that characterizes the jazz band. With swing, bebop, hard-bop or fusion, the guitarist now had a presence.
Benny Goodman recorded the first amplified guitar with guitarist Charlie Christian. In the big band era, this instrument was used in the rhythm section, not for solos. Christian became a recognized name but it was rare in those days for fame to befall on a guitarist. Django Reinhardt became a star. His style was so inventive he could not be denied.
By the 1940s, things were shaken up with the advent of small combos, replacing orchestras. Quartets, trios, sextets and quintets began to dominate. With the development of the bebop style, guitarists were now soloists with name recognition. Kenny Burrell, Barney Kessel, Wes Montgomery were just a few of the players to make their own recordings. By the 1960s, they were famous.
By the 1970s, a new style, fusion, came to the forefront. In this, the jazz guitarist took up the proclivities of rock guitarists and turned up the volume. Inspired by the blues-styles of Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck, jazz would take heavy metal and give it its own twist. John McLaughlin was the most prominent practitioner, but others followed. Like their rock counterparts, they made full use of all the tricks and distortion amplification could provide. It shrieked and hollered in the spotlight.
Fusion had its appeal for some but was replaced by a smoother, commercial sound by the 1980s. The wah-wah pedal and the octave splitters were sent packing while jazz continued to merge itself into other genres such as world music, blues, pop and new-age. This clean sound goes right back to Charlie Christian. There is a neo-traditional school intent on playing the cool, lush sound of the early guitarists. Django Reinhardt continues to influence a new generation of jazz guitar players whose Latin style is popular in dance clubs. We have come full-circle. Even the jazz banjo has a growing fan base.
jazz guitar players
Gibson produced the first acoustic guitar in 1923 with a hollow body that could be heard within an orchestra. Though mostly used for rhythm, it was making inroads as a solo instrument and the banjo was packed up and sent off to the country, so to speak. The guitar was about to become cool, a designation that still holds today.
In the late 1930s, the electric guitar was invented and successfully marketed and from that time, amplification ruled. Here was a stringed instrument capable of being heard in the cacophony that characterizes the jazz band. With swing, bebop, hard-bop or fusion, the guitarist now had a presence.
Benny Goodman recorded the first amplified guitar with guitarist Charlie Christian. In the big band era, this instrument was used in the rhythm section, not for solos. Christian became a recognized name but it was rare in those days for fame to befall on a guitarist. Django Reinhardt became a star. His style was so inventive he could not be denied.
By the 1940s, things were shaken up with the advent of small combos, replacing orchestras. Quartets, trios, sextets and quintets began to dominate. With the development of the bebop style, guitarists were now soloists with name recognition. Kenny Burrell, Barney Kessel, Wes Montgomery were just a few of the players to make their own recordings. By the 1960s, they were famous.
By the 1970s, a new style, fusion, came to the forefront. In this, the jazz guitarist took up the proclivities of rock guitarists and turned up the volume. Inspired by the blues-styles of Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck, jazz would take heavy metal and give it its own twist. John McLaughlin was the most prominent practitioner, but others followed. Like their rock counterparts, they made full use of all the tricks and distortion amplification could provide. It shrieked and hollered in the spotlight.
Fusion had its appeal for some but was replaced by a smoother, commercial sound by the 1980s. The wah-wah pedal and the octave splitters were sent packing while jazz continued to merge itself into other genres such as world music, blues, pop and new-age. This clean sound goes right back to Charlie Christian. There is a neo-traditional school intent on playing the cool, lush sound of the early guitarists. Django Reinhardt continues to influence a new generation of jazz guitar players whose Latin style is popular in dance clubs. We have come full-circle. Even the jazz banjo has a growing fan base.
jazz guitar players
