Pat Martino - Live At Yoshi's (2001)

Lovers of the lush Hammond B3 - guitar sound have ample reason to rejoice with this tour de force of a live set that took place at San Francisco's famed Yoshi's jazz club in 2001. Martino is accompanied by wunderkind Joey DeFrancesco on B3 organ and Billy Hart on drums, a power trio then and the closest you can get to Cream in a jazz context to my ears at least -- amazing interplay throughout.

Pat Martino - Remember : A Tribute to Wes Montgomery (2006)

It is always touching to witness a jazz giant pay service to another. In this case, guitarist extraordinaire Pat Martino does a fitting tribute to his primary influence and the love of his youth, Wes Montgomery.

A little overproduced perhaps compared to his earlier offerings, but essential nonetheless.

Dave Pike : Jazz for the Jet Set - Pike's Groove

Two new additions to our Pike catalogue, furthering our I-Love-Dave-Pike cause. "Jazz for the Jet Set" from 1966 is a groovy affair (as the cover suggests) so in vogue at the time with Herbie Hancock on keyboards, while "Pike's Groove" from exactly twenty years later is a smokin' hard bop set with the Cedar Walton Trio.

Joe Venuti /Tony Romano - “Never Before…Never Again” (1954)

Recorded and produced by Johnny Mercer, captures a spontaneous 1954 Hollywood studio date between legendary jazz violinist Joe Venuti and journeyman guitarist Tony Romano. Venuti made his name playing with guitar innovator Eddie Lang from the 1920s until the latter’s untimely 1933 death. Mercer introduced Venuti and Romano in 1937. They hit it off immediately, and the duet played together regularly until Venuti died in 1978. The guitar heard on this recording, a booming Gibson L-5 prototype designed by Eddie Lang, was given by Lang’’s wife to Venuti, with instructions to pass it on to Romano, in whose playing she heard echoes of her deceased husband’s signature style. (Romano readily admits to having worn out many Lang platters attempting to master the innovator’s guitar approach).

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Joe Venuti - 4 Giants Of Swing / S’ Wonderful (1977)

The giants in question are violinist Joe Venuti, guitarist and former Texas Playboy Eldon Shamblin, steel guitarist Curley Chalker, and mandolinist Jethro Burns. The music is mostly George Gershwin and Duke Ellington. Despite the country music experience of Shamblin, Burns, and Chalker (and the usual country setting of steel and mandolin), the group holds to a strict jazz aesthetic, with sophisticated, polished improvisation. Recorded in 1977, this blowing session balances refined elegance with blazing ferocity. Chalker coaxes some amazing, unique sounds from his pedal steel (especially on the ballads) while Burns and Shamblin, usually lumped in the country bag, show their amazing facility with the jazz idiom. Of course, Venuti’s jazz credibility was never in question. --Marc Greilsamer, Editorial Reviews Amazon.com

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Joe Venuti - Joe In Chicago, 1978

Violinist Joe Venuti is joined by an all-star cast of musicians on this fabulous album, including his partners in the Four Giant’s of Swing: Jethro Burns, mandolin; Curley Chalker, steel guitar, and Eldon Shamblin, guitar. Also joining Venuti are Mike Dowling, guitar; Steve Goodman, acoustic guitar; Jim Tullio, bass and others.

Wiki link on this great jazz violinist, considered by many the father of jazz violin.

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Gypsy Jazz - Jazz Manouche

A great concert that took place in March 2006 at the Coursive de La Rochelle in France, beautifully filmed and directed by Richard Valverde celebrating Django Reinhardt's legacy. It aired on October of the same year on arte channel , a renown French/German satellite TV culture channel.

We see the Gypsy Guitar Masters consisting mainly of manouche legends Stochelo Rosenberg and Romane along with accordéoniste Richard Galliano accompanied by a wealth of young blood performing manouche and jazz standards with amazing poise and feel for the music, enjoy.

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N.B.: Material posted on this site is for information purposes only. You must delete it after listening and/or viewing and buy the original CDs.