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.
Charlie Christian was the first to record the new amplified guitar with The Benny Goodman Orchestra. This proved the exception and not the rule. It still, for the most part, played a background role; in the rhythm section. Django Reinhardt was the first to have big-name recognition. His style was too inventive to take a backseat in any orchestra.
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.
In the 1970s, jazz merged itself with rock and fusion was born. Taking from the playbooks or rock guitarists Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and Carlos Santana, musicians tinged their playing with distortion and intense amplification. John McLaughlin took heavy metal rock and gave it a jazzy spin. The guitarist was no longer the background of a jazz band. It developed into a powerhouse sound that had no difficulty being heard amongst the horns and drums.
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.
Charlie Christian was the first to record the new amplified guitar with The Benny Goodman Orchestra. This proved the exception and not the rule. It still, for the most part, played a background role; in the rhythm section. Django Reinhardt was the first to have big-name recognition. His style was too inventive to take a backseat in any orchestra.
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.
In the 1970s, jazz merged itself with rock and fusion was born. Taking from the playbooks or rock guitarists Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and Carlos Santana, musicians tinged their playing with distortion and intense amplification. John McLaughlin took heavy metal rock and gave it a jazzy spin. The guitarist was no longer the background of a jazz band. It developed into a powerhouse sound that had no difficulty being heard amongst the horns and drums.
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
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