When I started sampling the tracks from the new Dave Barber “DB and the SoHo Nine-Six” CD release, the first thing that came to my mind was “finally, people are creating fusion music again with all the stuff that I love about it and leaving out all the stuff that I HATE”. Let me be […]

We at JazzGuitarSociety.com are very committed to the spotlighting of guitar talent “needing wider recognition”, as the saying goes. And as such, it would make sense that we have reviewed a lot of Albert Vila’s CD releases here. It isn’t just because of his virtuoso technique which he always uses in such tasteful and musical […]

(Hypnote records, in Japan: Mocloud Records, Release Date: January 13 2023)  Solo guitar (where melody, chords and bass are all performed simultaneously by one guitarist) is something that is very difficult to explain to people who can’t do it at all. To the average listener, it might seem to be the same thing that’s happening […]

The first thing I noticed when I heard the opening track “Hope” from this really great new CD from Dan Zimmerman is the depth and clarity of the  recording – it’s just one of the best sounding records that I have come  across in any recent memories. The second thing that hit me immediately was the subtlety […]

“Ode to G” – John Pin music video Since anyone familiar with JazzGuitarSociety knows that I have had a both artistic and a business relationship with John Pin for many years, I feel like I have to start this review with a disclaimer: I have always been someone who lacks the ability to exaggerate or […]

When I was a young guitar student at Berklee, one of the best things I did for my sight reading and understanding of how to put harmony on the guitar was to work through the famous Bach “Sonatas and Partitas for Violin”. The fact that it was written for a stringed instrument tuned differently from […]

I love it when I hear people stretch a genre, but it really doesn’t happen that often. When it does, it’s usually not only because the people that are doIng it can create in multiple genres, but also because they know the boundaries of a genre and don’t push hard enough to “break” it. That’s […]

An Eternal Jazz Legend Will Be Featured in the Upcoming Documentary: Billie Billie Holiday is a famous jazz singer whose music thrills modern audiences to this day. There is so much excitement surrounding the highly anticipated film Billie, which was partially inspired by countless interviews that had never been seen by the general public. The […]

One of the common ways for master musicians to both grow their own abilities as well as teach their students is to write etudes – which is actually Spanish for “study” – to challenge their playing and understanding of music overall. Master jazz guitarist Hristo Vitchev has done just this in his new Contrapuntal Etudes […]

Rotem Sivan – “My Favorite Monster” The thing that first attracted to me to the music and guitar playing of Rotem Sivan was that he is not afraid to go his own way, and that includes what he does as a guitarist, composer, and an overall music visionary. So I really shouldn’t have been surprised […]

Craig Sharmat – “Nouveau” When I was contacted by Craig Sharmat that he was sending his new CD for review, I had assumed that it was a new CD from his band The Idiomatiques, an amazing “Hot Jazz Django” type quartet that I reviewed here in the past. Actually, I was only partially right, it’s […]

Rai Castells – “Welcome” – Another Planet Records Rai Castells is a Barcelona born / Berklee bred guitarist who has studied with some of the best the East coast jazz scene has to offer and it shows a lot in his playing ; we’re talking about musicians like George Garzone, Joe Lovano, Hal Crook, Mick […]

“Of Light And Shadows” is a very apt title for this very image-inspiring soundscape of a CD, because it is sort of like a voyage with the band exploring the sound studies that are the songs on this really well crafted record. They are not so much dependent on melody as mood, and each tune […]

I first became aware of the Southern California “Django Jazz” quartet “The Idiomatiques” through my old friend from Musician’s Institute Craig Sharmat, who plays lead guitar and is a founding member of the band. Craig has done very well since graduating MI in one of the early classes, with his career including both lots of […]

I have to start by confessing that I’m not normally a big fan of Mike Stern’s writing, even though he usually has at least 1-2 great tunes (like the burner “Mood Swings” and the lyrical “Little Shoes”) on each record. But his latest CD “Trip” is an example of how adversity in a person’s life […]

I recently got a call from an old friend from my “guitar grapevine” to consider reviewing a new CD on JazzGuitarSociety.com . Craig Sharmat is a fellow Musician’s Institute (then GIT) graduate and besides decades of successful film scoring, has both a number of smooth jazz chart topping CDs under his own name and a […]

Fans of the late great Lenny Breau know that his recorded catalog is very uneven, and for the most part, the studio records can leave a bit to be desired. The way to really hear what Lenny could do was live, and so when I saw this 2 CD set, “Live At Bourbon Street”, I […]

“Therefore”, the first track on the new CD from Albert Vila, picks you up and shakes you from moment one in the opening track “Therefore” with a total show of strength from Albert’s fast cross picked solo guitar intro. Cut from the same cloth that artists like Julian Lage and Pat Metheny come from, every […]

Hristo Vitchev Quartet – “In Search Of Wonders” “In Search Of Wonders”, a two CD set, is a collection of music that is clearly all about a journey, and it’s clear that the band and composer is very passionate about that journey. The playing is great all throughout that journey, and so because of the […]

“The Lonely Road” – David Becker, Released: Apr 27, 2015 â„— 2015 Acoustic Music GmbH & Co. KG, Arndtstr. 20, 49080 Osnabrück Economics effects art in ways that most people would never think of: consider the looper pedal.  In my opinion, looper pedals would never have been invented if it wasn’t economically impossible for most performers […]

I was given the honor and pleasure of reviewing a new CD by an amazing guitarist and composer from Istanbul, Turkey, Burak Kaya. The CD is entitled “Climate Change”. I did not know of him or his work, nor did I have any preconceived notions of what his music was like. Listening to it and […]

When I was in my teens and just starting to teach guitar in local Toledo, OH music stores, I used to love to hear the older seasoned musicians tell stories of the legendary area musicians and performances they had seen, etc. I just got a copy of a great book called “Strings Of Memories” by […]

Tim Lerch is one of the more popular artists at JazzGuitarSociety.com, and so when I found out that he finished his long promised CD “The Carriage House Sessions Vol. 1”, I wanted to get it reviewed right away. I thought it was really cool that he decided to go with an organ trio format, and […]

I was one of the lucky ones to attend the very new Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) right after it started, it was the brainchild of the genius jazz guitarist Howard Roberts (or H.R. to everyone that knew him) with a lot of assistance by Don Mock, who was in the original teaching staff, and […]

For me, the most important factor in music is the writing, I don’t care how great a musician is, if what they are playing over isn’t well written, I’m just not interested. Assaf Kehati, a new young Israel born-NYC based jazz guitarist, is never going to have to worry about that problem. Right from the […]

I have had the pleasure of reviewing a short, 6-song CD by Spanish guitarist, Rai Castells, entitled, “Impros and Films”. If you are looking for a modern, technically involved offering, this might be just what you like. He collaborates on all tracks with drummer Jordi Gardenas, a very accomplished, modern, personal accompanist and improvisor. Track […]

  OK, I will tell you right now that I am a huge fan of the original “Uberjam” CD that John Scofield did, I consider it to be as ground breaking as “Kind Of Blue” was with Miles Davis in the 60s in that it addresses the current culture in the same way, giving them […]

“The Jazz Guitar Handbook” – Rod Fogg (2013, Backbeat Books / Hal Leonard) When I first opened the package with my copy of “The Jazz Guitar Handbook” to review, it had the rich look of the coffee table kind of book that I was expecting – but immediately I noticed something unusual on the spine […]

 “Standards” – Albert Vila Trio  – Review by Doug Perkins, JGS 12/28/12 I have to say up front that I am anything but a jazz purist, I am always looking for something that I haven’t heard before and I have just found that so many of the people currently playing what can be referred to […]

Mark Costa  (bass/leader), James Muller (guitar), Bill Risby (keys), Gordon Rytmeister (Drums) Tony Azzopardi (Percussion), (Tracks: Dedication, Textures, End Game, Hidden Gem, Stand And Deliver, White Sands, Pendulum, A Father’s Love) The album “Textures” is a contemporary fusion album from Australian bassist Mark Costa.  Costa is highly credited performer with extensive recording, performing and pedagogy […]

Rob Adams reviews new Mark McKnight album Do Or Die.

This album by Mike Moreno is reviewed here.

Doug Perkins reviews Pat Methey’s “What It’s All About”

Doug Perkins reviews the Dave Hill ‘New World’ Cd

This album by Kurt Rosenwinkle is reviewed here.