During the early part of the twentieth century, the stringed instrument used in the jazz repertoire was not the guitar, but the banjo. Then as now, folk, country and bluegrass used the banjo for its timbre. But jazz guitar players found that it had a tone and presence able to compete with the horns and drums.
Gibson come out with the first hollow-body acoustic guitar that could finally replace the banjo in 1923. A musician could now play a more complex set of chords and provide an interesting rhythm. By the 1930s the banjo was back in the country fold and the guitar was on its way to gaining a solid place in the swing orchestra. It was on the road to coolness.
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.
Guitarist Charlie Christian was the first to use this new amplification in his recordings with The Benny Goodman Orchestra. He was a rarity however. The big-band orchestras placed the guitarist in the rhythm section, rarely as a solo instrument. Unless you were Django Reinhardt who played a style so inventive it had to be front and center.
Things began to change when trends moved away from full orchestras into smaller combos. Here the guitar was given its due. Kenny Burrell, Barney Kessel, Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass became recognized names as bebop developed and became the style from the late 1940s to the 1960s. They went on to record as soloists.
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.
A smoother style is now the most popular. It is often fused with world music, new-age, Latin and pop genres. The sound is more commercial, less confrontational. The jazz guitar player has made a full circle. We now have a neo-traditional school that harkens back to the understated, rounded sound of Charlie Christian. Django Reinhardt is still popular for his sensuous Latin-infused compositions. The musician today can take up any style and find an audience. Even the banjo is making a comeback with numerous websites dedicated to its jazzy history and practice.
jazz guitar players
Gibson come out with the first hollow-body acoustic guitar that could finally replace the banjo in 1923. A musician could now play a more complex set of chords and provide an interesting rhythm. By the 1930s the banjo was back in the country fold and the guitar was on its way to gaining a solid place in the swing orchestra. It was on the road to coolness.
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.
Guitarist Charlie Christian was the first to use this new amplification in his recordings with The Benny Goodman Orchestra. He was a rarity however. The big-band orchestras placed the guitarist in the rhythm section, rarely as a solo instrument. Unless you were Django Reinhardt who played a style so inventive it had to be front and center.
Things began to change when trends moved away from full orchestras into smaller combos. Here the guitar was given its due. Kenny Burrell, Barney Kessel, Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass became recognized names as bebop developed and became the style from the late 1940s to the 1960s. They went on to record as soloists.
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.
A smoother style is now the most popular. It is often fused with world music, new-age, Latin and pop genres. The sound is more commercial, less confrontational. The jazz guitar player has made a full circle. We now have a neo-traditional school that harkens back to the understated, rounded sound of Charlie Christian. Django Reinhardt is still popular for his sensuous Latin-infused compositions. The musician today can take up any style and find an audience. Even the banjo is making a comeback with numerous websites dedicated to its jazzy history and practice.
jazz guitar players