Best Modern Jazz Guitarist

[SEAburb]

Someone who as been performing from the '90s to present.

My choice is Peter White.

[Fovea]

1. I will go with

Pat Metheny.

[SEAburb]

5. Damn, he always slips my mind

He is a great player. About six months ago I saw him on an old Austin City Limits and he was smokin'.

[Augspies]

2. Al di Meola

n/t

[Bushfire]

3. Mark Whitfield

for me.

[GumboYaYa]

4. Can I pick two?

I really really like Steve Masakowski and Charlie Hunter. Maz plays a seven string and Hunter an eight string. Both can carry a bass and lead line at the same time. Both are crazy good players.

[ProfessorGAC]

7. What's Your Take On Stanley Jordan?

I heard he's expanded to 7 and 8 string guitars too, and his whole style is based upon 4 to 6 tones at a time with contrary bass lines.

I find his technique impressive, but i'm not wild about the end result a lot of the time.
The Professor

[GumboYaYa]

9. I've seen him play live a few times and

it is definitely impressive the way his fingers and feet fly. I heard him pnce in a small bar. I was on the second floor looking down right over where he had his guitars set up. I was blown awy that time, but I think it was as much the perspective I had watching him play three guitars at the same time as the music that came out of them.

I think he is a technical genius and an extremely learned man, but his music doesn't have that certain je ne c'est qua for me.

[ProfessorGAC]

10. Same Page, Then

We agree completely, it appears. Great technique, not especially exciting results.

I fell that way about some classical pianists. Give me Glenn Gould any day. Imperfect technique (by their standards), but the best ever IMO.
The Professor

[ProfessorGAC]

6. My Add To This Thread

John Scofield. Wonderfully linear and modal player with nice musical sense. His diversions from the melody line are songs within themselves. Unafraid of echo, chorus and distortion, too.

I agree on Metheny and White. Both are terrific. I like their use of tone a great deal. Too much of jazz guitar is locked into that blippy, Wes Montgomery/Joe Pass sound. I don't dislike guys who use that tone, but it gets kind of "samey".

These two guys explore the tones and effects as much as play notes. I think that's most cool.
The Professor

[RememberJohn]

8. hmmm... "from the 90s" is a bit limiting... so I'll buck it and say ...

George Benson

[myomy]

12. Benson for me,also..Is the timing right though? 90’s?

.

[RememberJohn]

13. No, which is why my subject was...

"hmmm... "from the 90s" is a bit limiting... so I'll buck it and say ... "

But Pat Metheny doesn't fit either.

[chimpymustgo]

11. Pat Metheny.

nt

[mkregel]

14. My cousin played sax in his band! (Peter White)

I'd love to say I agree - but Pat Metheny just blows me away.

[Character Assassin]

15. Silly question, there is no best. Althought Metheny and McLaughlin

come as close as I've heard.

That said, one of the biggest disappointments of my musical life was seeing John McLaughlin live at the Veterans/UCLA venue, and it was pure masturbatory bullshit. I acually held up a lighter at one point and called out "Freebird!" when he started obviously showboating and just sucking up people screaming adulation to him.

He must have been worried about his prostrate.

[mitchum]

16. John Scofield