1. Charlie Christian

This Texas native began as a teenage pianist in Oklahoma, but switched to amplified guitar in 1937 after studying with Eddie Durham, the inventor of the instrument. Record producer John Hammond, who had already discovered Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday and others, heard about the young guitarist and arranged for him to try out for Goodman's band. The audition led to two years with the Benny Goodman Sextet, some solos with Goodman's big band, and chances to jam at Minton's Playhouse, the cradle of bebop, with such stars of the new music as Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk. Sadly, he developed tuberculosis, and he died in 1942 at only 25 years old. However, as the first important player of the electric guitar, he changed the face of popular music, not just in jazz but in other styles of music. Although Charlie Christian died much too young, the work he did for the guitar in his short life has influenced all types of guitarists, especially in jazz, for over half a century.

2. Grant Green

As a child in St. Louis, he learned guitar from his father, and was playing professionally at 13. In 1960, he moved to New York, and his R & B influenced sound made him a natural for the soul-jazz movement of the time. He played with Jack McDuff, Larry Young, and many other organists, and became popular in the organ trio format. After being away from music for a time due to a serious drug problem, he returned in the late 60s and the 70s, and played with Stanley Turrentine, Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock and many others. Sadly, he suffered from poor health due to his drug addiction, and he was hospitalized in 1978 and died in 1979 at only 47. Since his death, much of his work has been reissued on CD for a new generation. Also, his son and namesake has grown up to be a professional guitarist and recording artist of considerable promise and skill. Grant Green is one of the great guitarists found on Jazz 88.

3. Wes Montgomery

This Indianapolis native taught himself guitar at the age of 18, and gained a signature sound by using his thumb instead of a pick. After touring with Lionel Hampton for two years, he came back home, and for years he worked a day job to support his family and played jazz at night. In the late 1950s, he recorded with his brothers; one played vibes and the other played bass. After several other albums, he caught on with one recorded in 1960, and played as a leader for the rest of his career. Late in his career, he made a number of recordings for the A & M label with strings and woodwinds, which bothered jazz purists but which also got radio airplay, brought new fans to jazz and helped provide for his family. Years of overwork took their toll, and he died at only 43 in 1968 of a heart attack. However, Wes Montgomery continues to have many loyal fans and is highly influential among guitarists some 35 years after his death.

4. Django Reinhardt

He was born in Belgium, and grew up in a Gypsy camp near Paris, where he learned to play guitar. At 18, he was in a caravan fire that burned his left hand; although two of his fingers were left useless, he figured out a fingering style that made up for this. Legend has it that he was inspired to play jazz while recovering from his burns, when he heard a recording by Louis Armstrong. In 1934, the head of the Hot Club of France suggested to him and to violinist Stephane Grappelli that they should form an all-string jazz group, and that led to the formation of the legendary Quintet of the Hot Club of France. The group became world-famous for its unique sound, and was unfortunately broken up by World War II. The guitarist formed a big band in France, and also formed a new quintet while Grappelli was in England during the war. After the fall of the Nazis, he recorded with American musicians, and in 1946 he switched to electric guitar and toured in America with Duke Ellington to rather poor response. He also tried bebop with mixed results, but when he was reunited with Grappelli after the war, the two mixed bop and swing influences with good results. He stayed in Europe late in his career, and died of a stroke when he was just 43. Without a doubt, he was the first European jazz musician to really catch on in other parts of the world, and his music continues to inspire groups and soloists ranging from the Seattle-based Pearl Django to the Manhattan Transfer and his fellow Gypsy Bireli Lagrene. Django Reinhardt is one of the many excellent guitarists featured on Jazz 88.

5. Pat Martino

This Philadelphian began playing professionally at 15. His father, who had studied with the great early jazz guitarist Eddie Lang, taught him how to play and took him to hear Wes Montgomery and other guitarists. After playing with such early rockers as Bobby Rydell and Chubby Checker, he went on the road with a high school chum, organist Charles Earland. He soon became a busy sideman for both jazz and rock artists. He soon found that his heart lay with soul jazz, and played in organ trios in Harlem with Jack McDuff and Don Patterson; before he was 20, he was recording as a leader. He also made ventures into avant-garde and psychedelic music. However, he suffered from terrible headaches, which turned out to be the warning signs of a life-threatening brain aneurysm. After surgery, he had no memory of his musical career, and worked for several years to regain his memory and his playing skills before appearing again in New York in 1987; the CD of that comeback concert was called "The Return." Aside from a break he took when both of his parents became ill, he has been back ever since and better than ever. He continues to record and perform, and was recently on a CD recorded in memory of his old friend Charles Earland. He also teaches on the college level and has given numerous seminars and master classes, passing his knowledge to a new generation of jazz musicians. Pat Martino is one of the many fine guitarists heard on Jazz 88.

6. George Benson

He started out at the age of eight as a singer in his native Pittsburgh, and made his first professional recordings at 11. He took up the guitar in his teens, and when he formed a rock group, he played a guitar his stepfather had built for him. Listening to records by Charlie Parker, Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery got him into jazz, and was playing for organist Jack McDuff while still a teenager. He formed his first jazz group in 1965, and was discovered by the legendary record producer John Hammond. He did several albums of his own, and also recorded with Miles Davis and others. In the late 1960s, he was seen as a possible successor to Wes Montgomery after the latter's sudden death. Noted jazz record producer Creed Taylor recorded him for A & M and CTI, but after he went to Warner Brothers, he concentrated on his singing, and had a Top Ten crossover hit with "This Masquerade." After a number of pop-jazz albums, he showed he was capable of a more straightahead style with the standards album "Tenderly," an album with the Count Basie Orchestra, and as a guest on the Jon Hendricks album "Freddie Freeloader." He continues to record and perform in both pop and straight-ahead jazz styles. George Benson is one of the great jazz guitarists heard on Jazz 88.

7. Kenny Burrell

He started playing when he was 12, and made his first recording with Dizzy Gillespie in 1951. In 1955, he toured with Oscar Peterson for six months. After moving from his native Detroit with pianist Tommy Flanagan to New York in 1956, he was soon in much demand, and has remained that way thanks to his consistency of style and reputation for reliability. He has recorded with so many greats that it is almost easier to name the people that this guitarist has NOT recorded with! He is also a noted jazz educator, and has taught at UCLA and led master classes for over 30 years. He is also a composer, and is known for such songs as "Dear Ella," which won a Grammy in 1998 after it was recorded by singer DeeDee Bridgewater. He has also recorded that song himself as a vocalist, and surprised many jazz fans with his fine voice. He has led a number of his own trios and quartets, and has also toured with such larger groups as the Philip Morris Superband. Now in his 70s, he retains his smooth style and his elegant looks, and continues to add to his roster of over 90 recordings. Kenny Burrell is one of the many greats of the jazz guitar heard on Jazz 88.

8. Pat Metheny

This guitarist started playing at 13, and got so good so fast that he actually taught at the Berklee College of Music and at the University of Miami while still in his teens. At 20, he was already recording with greats like Jaco Pastorius, and also began three years in a group with vibraphonist Gary Burton. In 1978, he formed a group with keyboardist Lyle Mays, bassist Mark Egan, and drummer Danny Gottlieb. The resulting group soon became one of the best-known and best-selling acts in jazz, and has remained so despite changes in personnel. He is very versatile, recording everything from post-bop to pop-jazz and fusion, with some avant-garde work with Ornette Coleman thrown in for good measure. He has also worked with such stars as Charlie Haden, Jim Hall, Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, and Joshua Redman, just to name a few. He has won numerous Grammy awards for contemporary jazz, jazz instrumental soloist, and instrumental composition. Pat Metheny is one of the great jazz guitarists heard on Jazz 88.

9. Charlie Byrd

This guitarist was a Virginia native, and came from a musical family that included a brother with whom he often played in later years. While in France during World War II, he got a supreme thrill for a guitarist by playing with the legendary Django Reinhardt. He temporarily left jazz to study classical guitar with Sophocles Papas and with the world-famous Andres Segovia. Later, he came back, and became a prominent musical figure in Washington, D.C., playing both jazz and classical guitar in many appearances. When he went on a U.S. State Department cultural exchange tour of South America in 1961, he was astounded in Brazil by the new style called bossa nova, and probably did more than anyone else to bring elements of Brazilian style to American jazz. He and saxophonist Stan Getz recorded a famous album called "Jazz Samba," which had the hit song "Desafinado" that established the 1960s bossa nova craze in the U.S. After recording albums for several labels in bossa nova and other styles, he formed the Great Guitars in 1973 with Herb Ellis and Barney Kessel. In his later years, he continued to record and to perform, despite suffering from cancer for many years before his death in 1999. Charlie Byrd is one of the many excellent guitarists heard on Jazz 88.

10. Herb Ellis

This Texan attended the school now known as the University of North Texas, which has been a great school for jazz musicians for decades. After graduation, he played with the Casa Loma Orchestra, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, and the Soft Winds Trio with pianist Lou Carter and bassist Johnny Frigo. In the 1950s, he appeared often with Oscar Peterson and with Jazz at the Philharmonic, and made some recordings of his own. Later, he worked as a studio musician in Los Angeles, and appeared with musicians ranging from Ella Fitzgerald to the Dukes of Dixieland. In the 70s, he was one of the first artists to record for Concord Jazz, and also toured with Barney Kessel and Charlie Byrd as part of the Great Guitars into the 1980s. Now in his 80s, he continues to record and perform, and is one of the most highly respected of jazz guitarists. Herb Ellis is one of the many great guitarists heard on Jazz 88.

11. Joe Pass

This New Jersey native played in some swing groups and in Charlie Barnet's big band while still in his teens, but lost ten years of his career due to drug addiction and imprisonment. However, when he made a recording while in the famous Synanon drug treatment center, he came back on the scene, both as a solo artist and in groups with Gerald Wilson, Les McCann, Benny Goodman, and George Shearing. He also made a famous series of duet recordings with Ella Fitzgerald, and many other recordings for the Pablo label and other labels with Count Basie, Oscar Peterson, Milt Jackson, Duke Ellington and many others. His solo recordings are also legendary among guitar connoisseurs. Joseph Anthony Passalaqua, better known under his stage name of Joe Pass, is one of the many legendary guitarists heard on Jazz 88.

12. Jim Hall

He is a native of Buffalo, and studied classical guitar at the Cleveland Institute of Music and in Los Angeles. He was a member of Chico Hamilton and Jimmy Giuffre's small groups in the late 1950s, and toured with Ella Fitzgerald before joining Sonny Rollins' quartet in the early 1960s. He also co-led a group with Art Farmer, made many recordings with Paul Desmond, and recorded duets with Bill Evans. He has also recorded many of his own projects, and as a teacher at the Berklee College of Music helped such younger artists as Pat Metheny and Bill Frisell. He has also generously helped the careers of other guitarists, such as Ed Bickert and John Scofield. Jim Hall is one of the excellent jazz guitarists heard on Jazz 88.

13. Duke Robillard

This Rhode Island native is respected in both the jazz and blues fields, and formed the world-famous group "Roomful of Blues" while still in his teens. After leaving that group, he joined several blues and rockabilly groups, and formed a band named for himself in 1981. Under the new name of the Pleasure Kings, the group attained popularity, and its leader also cut some jazz-oriented albums. In the late 1980s, he made an album called "Swing" that was a decade ahead of the late 1990s swing fad, and has since made some other recordings in that vein. In 1990, he also became a member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, and continues to tour and record on his own. Duke Robillard is one of the excellent guitarists regularly heard on Jazz 88.

14. John Scofield

He learned guitar while in high school in Connecticut, and studied at the Berklee College of Music, the alma mater of many great modern jazz guitarists. While still in his 20s, he recorded at Carnegie Hall with Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker, and also worked with Charles Mingus and Gary Burton. He also showed leanings toward a more fusion-oriented style during two years in a band with Billy Cobham and George Duke, and also in his early recordings under his own name. He toured and recorded with Miles Davis from 1982 to 1985, and was also in Marc Johnson's group "Bass Desires" with fellow guitarist Bill Frisell. He has made a number of recordings as a leader in recent years, using various kinds of distortion and other effects to achieve an instantly recognizable sound, and has worked in both contemporary and more mainstream styles. John Scofield is one of the many fine jazz guitarists featured on Jazz 88, and you can help keep his music on the radio in Central New York with your pledge at 443-3688, 1-888-918-3688, and on the Web at waer.org.

15. Mundell Lowe

This native of Mississippi started out playing country music and Dixieland jazz in the late 1930s. Later, he toured with the big bands of Jan Savitt and Ray McKinley, and also worked with such others as Mary Lou Williams and Red Norvo. In 1950, he joined the musical staff of NBC, while also working in the Sauter-Finnegan Orchestra and Benny Goodman's small groups and recording as a leader. After moving to Los Angeles, he played locally, composed for films and TV, and also taught film composition. He is married to vocalist Betty Bennett, with whom he has toured, and has also worked with such singers as Harry Belafonte, Sarah Vaughan and Tony Bennett. He was a member of the Great Guitars, along with Herb Ellis and with Barney Kessel before his career-ending stroke. He has recorded in recent years for the Nagel-Heyer jazz label from Germany. Mundell Lowe is one of the many great guitarists you can hear on Jazz 88.

16. John McLaughlin

This native of Yorkshire, England started on guitar at age 11, and got his early inspiration from blues and swing. After working with legendary rock drummer Ginger Baker and playing free jazz, and began his recording career in 1969, the same year that he moved to New York. He soon was in demand, playing with drummer Tony Williams, and also appeared on the classic Miles Davis albums "Bitches Brew" and "In A Silent Way." In 1971, he formed the Mahavishnu Orchestra, which combined jazz improvisation and rock influences and which was very popular for a time. He disbanded the orchestra for a while and recorded music with Carlos Santana that was influenced by Eastern spirituality, and then formed a new Mahavishnu Orchestra that soon disbanded. He switched to acoustic guitar and formed the group Shakti, which played Indian-influenced music and was important in establishing the genre of world music. He led both acoustic and electric groups, played in trio recordings with guitarists Al DiMeola and Paco DeLucia, and recorded some more with Miles Davis. He even formed a third Mahavishnu Orchestra, but also performed in a trio on tour with organist Joey De Francesco and drummer Dennis Chambers. A hand injury kept him on the sidelines for a while a few years ago, but he recovered and was soon playing as well as ever. John McLaughlin is one of the many great guitarists featured on Jazz 88.

17. Gene Bertoncini

This native New Yorker began his career at 16 playing guitar on a children's show in the early days of TV. He studied architecture in college, but returned to music in a group led by Buddy Rich. He also was in the house bands for the Merv Griffin and Johnny Carson shows in the 1960s, and even played in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He has worked with such singers as Tony Bennett and Nancy Wilson, along with such instrumentalists as Clark Terry, Paul Winter and Wayne Shorter. He has worked on and off for many years with bassist Michael Moore, with whom he has made many fine recordings. He has also taught at the Eastman School of Music in nearby Rochester. The delicate playing of Gene Bertoncini is favored by many fans of jazz guitar.

18. Tal Farlow

This North Carolina native was a relatively late bloomer on the guitar, but quickly became a professional, and got his first break with Marjorie Hyams, the great woman vibraphonist in George Shearing's first quintet. He became well-known due to his association with Red Norvo and Charles Mingus in the late 40s and early 50s. After a stint with Artie Shaw's famous small group, the Gramercy Five, he formed his own group. In 1958, he went to work as a sign painter and just played in his spare time on local gigs, making only one record as a leader for fifteen years. He came back on the scene some more in the 70s and 80s, and made a number of albums for Concord late in his career and did some touring in England before his death in 1998 from cancer. Although he chose to spend much of his life in relative obscurity, and many of his recordings are hard to find, Tal Farlow's work has been very influential for many younger jazz guitarists.

19. Stanley Jordan

This Chicago native started out on piano. He started out in New York playing on the streets in his 20s. He first made a name for himself on jazz guitar when he used the unusual technique of tapping on the strings like hammers on piano strings to play two independent lines on a guitar. He can even use this technique to play two guitars at the same time. He soon got the attention of such jazz legends as Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Carter, and recorded with Gillespie. He became proficient at both straight-ahead and pop-jazz playing, and has had three number one albums on the Billboard jazz chart. He has also recorded with David Sanborn, Stanley Clarke and other contemporary jazz stars. He has also recorded with such pop musicians as Don Henley, Dionne Warwick, and Kenny Rogers. Stanley Jordan is one of the top names in contemporary jazz guitar.

20. Ed Bickert

This native of Manitoba in Canada has been one of the busiest jazz musicians in his native country ever since the mid-1950s. His parents were both country musicians, but he became inclined toward jazz after listening to Stan Kenton, from whose records he learned about harmony, and after hearing American radio broadcasts with such guitarists as Les Paul, Oscar Moore and Barney Kessel. He is an entirely self-taught guitarist, and suuported himself with a day job as a radio engineer during his early days on the Toronto jazz scene. He has worked with such world-famous Canadian jazz musicians as Oscar Peterson and Moe Koffman. He has worked for decades with Rob McConnell, both as a starring member of the Boss Brass and as a prominent part of McConnell's small group recordings. He has also been heard with such singers as Mel Torme, Trudy Desmond and Rosemary Clooney, and has made a number of recordings as a leader. However, since he doesn't travel outside of Canada very often and is a shy man who describes himself as "not talking very loud," many Americans didn't know about him until he made some recordings with saxophonist Paul Desmond in the 1970s that are favorites among many jazz connoisseurs; he was recommended for the job by fellow guitarist Jim Hall. He is a winner of the Juno Award, the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys, and has his country's highest civilian honor, the Order of Canada medal. He has been described as "Canada's national treasure" and "a secret weapon of Canadian jazz," but Ed Bickert's abilities are no secret to those who appreciate great jazz guitar.

21. Aaron "T-Bone" Walker

This Texas native learned how to play guitar and other string instruments from his stepfather, who was a professional bassist. As a child, he helped legendary guitarist Blind Lemon Jefferson get safely from one gig to another. He recorded his first 78 at the age of 19, and worked with a young Charlie Christian, who would soon change the sound of jazz guitar. Much as Christian caused a revolution by using an electric guitar in jazz, this guitarist caused a sensation by bringing an electric sound to the blues, and was also an excellent blues singer. His work was a huge influence on such younger artists as B. B. King, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, and many other blues and jazz guitarists. Aaron "T-Bone" Walker is one of the many legendary guitarists heard on Jazz 88.

22. Martin Taylor

This native of Scotland got his first guitar from his father. He got much of his early influence from the legendary Django Reinhardt, and Reinhardt's great colleague, violinist Stephane Grappelli, called on the young guitarist as a sideman for many concerts and recordings. He also developed a great reputation as a soloist, and has also collaborated with such acoustic artists as the celebrated mandolin player David Grisman. He has also collaborated with jazz singers like Claire Martin, pop singers such as Melissa Manchester, and classical violinist Sir Yehudi Menuhin. Martin Taylor is one of the many great jazz guitarists you can hear on Jazz 88.

23. Earl Klugh

This Detroit native was very influenced by Chet Atkins, who was noted for both jazz and country playing. When he was only 15, he recorded with veteran jazz musician Yusef Lateef, and at the age of 17, he was on the "White Rabbit" album of fellow guitarist George Benson. At 20, he was a member of Chick Corea's group Return to Forever. He went out on his own
in the mid-1970s, and became quite popular, with a long series of fusion, smooth jazz and pop recordings to his credit. Although he is best-known for a more pop sound, he has also done some recordings with solo acoustic guitar, and some in a jazz trio format as well. Earl Klugh is one of the many fine guitarists featured over the years on Jazz 88.

24. Bill Frisell

This guitarist grew up in Denver, where he played clarinet in school and almost took up a classical career. However, he started playing guitar for fun, and decided on jazz guitar after hearing Wes Montgomery. He and Pat Metheny were classmates at Boston's Berklee College of Music, where one of his teachers was the great guitarist Jim Hall. He started combining jazz with influences of rock, R & B, country, bluegrass and fusion to create a very recognizable sound of his own. He also experimented with electronics and with a flexible-necked guitar. After a visit to Europe in the 1970s, he signed with the ECM label, where he recorded with many of the greats of experimental jazz. After moving to New York in the 1980s, he worked with jazz, rock, pop and classical musicians, and attained a world-class reputation. These days, he lives in Seattle, but continues to be in demand around the world for concerts and recordings. Bill Frisell is one of the many fine jazz guitarists heard on Jazz 88.

25. Barney Kessel

This Oklahoma native got his first big break in a big band led by comedian and pianist Chico Marx, and also worked in the bands of Charlie Barnet and Artie Shaw. He appeared in the famous short film "Jammin' the Blues." He collaborated with Oscar Peterson in the early 1950s, and then struck out more on his own as one of the finest of bop guitarists. He has also worked with singers ranging from Mel Torme and Fred Astaire to Cher. Along with Herb Ellis and Charlie Byrd, he was part of the well-named group called "The Great Guitars." He has been unable to play in recent years due to a stroke and other severe health problems, but his many recordings are proof of his exceptional talents. Barney Kessel is one of the many great guitarists heard on Jazz 88.