David Sanborn- Carly's song

How true that James Taylor is the humming voice of this great jazz piece?

Virtuosos (Sax/Trumpet/Horns) - Sadao Watanabe

Born in Tochigi Prefecture in 1933. Moved to Tokyo after graduating high-school. In 1962, moved to Boston to study at Berklee College of Music after participating in many band sessions as a alto saxophone player. Representing as a top Japanese musician, also know as a talented photographer, publishes six picture books. As an Executive Producer of the Japanese Government Exhibition Project for the 2005 in Japan, advocates the message "World Peace" through music. - http://www.sadao.com/en/biography/index.html




One of the many nippon jazz artists that I like. Jazz in Japan was introduced by the Americans and Filipinos in the 1920s, but Japanese Jazz musician became immensely popular in the late 60s and made it big time in the 70s & 80s. Sadao Watanabe was one of the pioneers of modern nippon jazz.

Virtuosos (Sax/Trumpet/Horns) - James Moody

WIKIPEDIA

James Moody (March 26, 1925 – December 9, 2010)[1] was an American jazz saxophone and flute player. He was best known for his hit "Moody's Mood for Love," an improvisation based on "I'm in the Mood for Love"; in performance, he often improvised vocals for the tune

Virtuosos (Sax/Trumpet/Horns) - Chuck Mangione

I was contemplating on posting Chuck's "Feel So Good" but felt that the song is so common and popular already, so I decided to post instead this live version of "Give All You Got" which is equally fantastic.



For more than five decades, Chuck Mangione's love affair
with music has been characterized by his boundless energy,
unabashed enthusiasm, and pure joy that radiates from
the stage.

Mangione first attracted attention with his brother, Gap,
in a mainstream jazz band, The Jazz Brothers, in which he
played trumpet much like that of the man who he refers to
as his musical father-Dizzy Gillespie. In fact Dizzy gave
Chuck an 'updo' horn just like his own.

Chuck's years with the Jazz Brothers overlapped with his
attending the Eastman School of Music and eventually
resulted in his solo album debut. Chuck left home to
play with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, assuming
the trumpet chair that had belonged to such great players
as Clifford Brown, Kenny Dorham, Bill Hardman, Lee Morgan
and Freddie Hubbard.

Another important step in Mangione's career development was
his return to the Eastman School of Music as director of
the school's Jazz Ensemble. His "Friends & Love" concert
with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra was recorded
live and featured "Hill Where the Lord Hides." This led
to a recording contract with a major label, Mercury
records, and his first Grammy nomination.

Those early years with Mercury culminated in the title tune
of one of Mangione's most popular albums. Land of Make Believe,
another Grammy nominee, Mangione then signed with A&M Records
and delivered two extremely successful releases in one year,
Chase The Clouds Away, which was used as background music
during the telecast of the 1976 Olympic Games; and Bellavia
("beautiful way"), named to honor his mother, which won
Mangione his first Grammy award.

During the late 1970's, Chuck received more awards and
accolades for his recordings. He reached new heights
with his mega-hit single and album, Feels So Good.
The 1980 Mangione entry in Current Biography called
"Feels So Good" the most recognized melody since the
Beatles' "Michelle." The Children of Sanchez
double-album soundtrack won the Hollywood Foreign
Press Association's Golden Globe Award, then earned
Mangione a second Grammy award.

In 1980 maximum impact was achieved in front of an
"intimate" television of several hundred million when
Chuck's "Give It All You Got" was heard around the
world as the theme of the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid
which he performed live at the closing ceremonies.

Mangione was also busy with personal projects during
the 1980's. He hosted an 8-hour concert featuring
jazz legends Dizzy Gillespie and Chick Corea, which
benefited the Italian earthquake Relief Fund.

The '80's were exceptionally full years for Chuck. Having
signed with Columbia Records he released several albums,
including Love Notes, Journey To A Rainbow, Disguise,
and Save Tonight For Me. Another highlight was working out
with the New York Yankees at their spring training camp at
the invitation of his friend and fan, George Steinbrenner.
Chuck was often seen playing the National Anthem at Yankee
Stadium and All Star games in San Francisco and Chicago.
There was also "Salute to Chuck Mangione" a one-hour TV
special hosted by Dick Clark; numerous performing and
conducting dates with symphony orchestras across the
country, plus television interviews on The Tonight Show,
Larry King, Soul Train, Solid Gold, and many others.

In 1989, Chuck released two live albums, "The Boys From Rochester,"
featuring Steve Gadd, Gap Mangione, Joe Romano and frank Pullara,
plus a double album, Chuck Mangione Live at the Village Gate.
Following these releases, and more than 25 years of one-nighters
around the world, Chuck Mangione stopped playing.

Many people point to the death of Dizzy Gillespie as the event
that propelled Mangione back into music. In 1994 chuck scheduled
a whirlwind of activity that included recording sessions for two
new albums, a series of nightclub performances by himself and
other jazz favorites which featured his "Cat in the Hat" matinees
for kids (they continue to draw SRO audiences and raves from
critics, parents and kids alike). Four major orchestra dates
in upstate New York helped create an endowment fund in honor
of his father, Papa Mangione, and musical father Dizzy Gillespie,
for the Rochester School of the Arts.

Chuck is currently caricatured on the Fox TV hit show,
King Of The Hill.He is the celebrity spokesman for "Mega-lo-mart"
and scored the music for the 1998 Valentine's Day episode.

When Chuck performed in Poland for the 1999 Film and Jazz Festival,
his composition "Children of Sanchez" brought the audience to its
feet. Unbeknownst to the composer, the piece had become somewhat
of an anthem during the struggle for democracy and many in the
audience were in tears, holding their hands over their hearts.

In the year 2000 Chuck made his first ever appearance in Korea to
SRO audiences where Feels So Good has been the top requested
instrumental hit for the past twenty years. He returned to Seoul
in 2001 and was performing there when 9/11 happened.

Chuck has recorded two albums for Chesky Records.
The Feelings Back & Everything For Love.

His 60th Birthday Bash Concert at the Eastman Theater in
Rochester New York raised over $50,000 for
St. John's Nursing Home.

Recently Smooth Jazz stations throughout the U.S. recognized
Chuck Mangione's "Feels So Good" as their all time #1 song.

Chuck received the Eastman School of Music Alumni Achievement Award in 2007

In 2009, Chuck was highlighted at the Smithsonian in an artifacts Donation Ceremony
and Onstage Discussion that pays homage to his illustrious career, artistry,
community service, and dedication to jazz education. - http://www.chuckmangione.com/bio.html

Virtuosos (Sax/Trumpet/Horns) - John Coltrane

Merely mention the name John Coltrane and you’re likely to evoke a deeply emotional, often spiritual response from even the most casual jazz fan.

Born September 23, 1926 in Hamlet, North Carolina, John Coltrane was always surrounded by music. His father played several instruments sparking Coltrane’s study of E-flat horn and clarinet. While in high school, Coltrane’s musical influences shifted to the likes of Lester Young and Johnny Hodges prompting him to switch to alto saxophone. He continued his musical training in Philadelphia at Granoff Studios and the Ornstein School of Music. He was called to military service during WWII, where he performed in the U.S. Navy Band in Hawaii.

After the war, Coltrane began playing tenor saxophone with the Eddie "CleanHead" Vinson Band, and was later quoted as saying, "A wider area of listening opened up for me. There were many things that people like Hawk, and Ben and Tab Smith were doing in the ‘40’s that I didn’t understand, but that I felt emotionally." Prior to joining the Dizzy Gillespie band, Coltrane performed with Jimmy Heath where his passion for experimentation began to take shape. However, it was his work with the Miles Davis Quintet in 1958 that would lead to his own musical evolution. " Miles music gave me plenty of freedom," he once said. During that period, he became known for using the three-on-one chord approach, and what has been called the ‘sheets of sound,’ a method of playing multiple notes at one time.

By 1960 Coltrane had formed his own quartet which included pianist McCoy Tyner, drummer Elvin Jones, and bassist Jimmy Garrison. Eventually adding players like Eric Dolphy, and Pharoah Sanders. The John Coltrane Quartet created some of the most innovative and expressive music in Jazz history including the hit albums: "My Favorite Things," "Africa Brass," " Impressions," " Giant Steps," and his monumental work "A Love Supreme" which attests to the power, glory, love, and greatness of God. Coltrane felt we must all make a conscious effort to effect positive change in the world, and that his music was an instrument to create positive thought patterns in the minds of people.

In 1967, liver disease took Coltrane’s life leaving many to wonder what might have been. Yet decades after his departure his music can be heard in motion pictures, on television and radio. Recent film projects that have made references to Coltrane’s artistry in dialogue or musical compositions include, "Mr. Holland’s Opus", "The General’s Daughter", "Malcolm X", "Mo Better Blues", "Jerry McGuire", "White Night", "The Last Graduation", "Come Unto Thee", "Eyes On The Prize II" and "Four Little Girls". Also, popular television series such as "NYPD Blue", "The Cosby Show", "Day’s Of Our Lives", "Crime Stories" and "ER", have also relied on the beautiful melodies of this distinguished saxophonist.

In 1972, "A Love Supreme" was certified gold by the RIAA for exceeding 500,000 units in Japan. This jazz classic and the classic album "My Favorite Things" were certified gold in the United States in 2001.

In 1982, the RIAA posthumously awarded John Coltrane a Grammy Award of " Best Jazz Solo Performance" for the work on his album, "Bye Bye Blackbird". In 1997 he received the organizations highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award.

On June 18, 1993 Mrs. Alice Coltrane received an invitation to The White House from former President and Mrs. Clinton, in appreciation of John Coltrane’s historical appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival.

In 1995, John Coltrane was honored by the United States Postal Service with a commemorative postage stamp. Issued as part of the musicians and composers series, this collectors item remains in circulation.

In 1999, Universal Studios and its recording division MCA Records recognized John Coltrane’s influence on cinema by naming a street on the Universal Studios lot in his honor.

In 2001, The NEA and the RIAA released 360 songs of the Century . Among them was John Coltrane’s "My Favorite Things." - http://www.johncoltrane.com/biography.html

Virtuosos (Sax/Trumpet/Horns) - Miles Davis

WIKIPEDIA

Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926 – September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer.
Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz, hard bop, modal jazz, and jazz fusion. Many well-known musicians rose to prominence as members of Davis' ensembles, including saxophonists Gerry Mulligan, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, George Coleman, Wayne Shorter, Dave Liebman, Branford Marsalis and Kenny Garrett; trombonist J. J. Johnson; pianists Horace Silver, Red Garland, Wynton Kelly, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea, Kei Akagi,and Keith Jarrett; guitarists John McLaughlin, Pete Cosey, John Scofield and Mike Stern; bassists Paul Chambers, Ron Carter, Dave Holland, Marcus Miller and Darryl Jones; and drummers Elvin Jones, Philly Joe Jones, Jimmy Cobb, Tony Williams, Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette, Al Foster; and On October 7, 2008, his album Kind of Blue, released in 1959, received its fourth platinum certification from the RIAA, signifying sales of 4 million copies.[3] Miles Davis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.[4] Davis was noted as "one of the key figures in the history of jazz".[5]
On November 5, 2009, Rep. John Conyers of Michigan sponsored a measure in the US House of Representatives to recognize and commemorate the album Kind of Blue on its 50th anniversary. The measure also affirms jazz as a national treasure and "encourages the United States government to preserve and advance the art form of jazz music."[6] It passed, unanimously, with a vote of 409–0 on December 15, 2009.[7]

Virtuosos (Piano/Keyboard) - Ray Charles

WIKIPEDIA

Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004), better known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records.[1][2][3] He also helped racially integrate country and pop music during the 1960s with his crossover success on ABC Records, most notably with his Modern Sounds albums.[4][5][6] While with ABC, Charles became one of the first African-American musicians to be given artistic control by a mainstream record company.[2] Frank Sinatra called Charles “the only true genius in show business.”
Rolling Stone ranked Charles number 10 on their list of "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" in 2004,[7] and number two on their November 2008 list of "100 Greatest Singers of All Time".[8] In honoring Charles, Billy Joel noted: "This may sound like sacrilege, but I think Ray Charles was more important than Elvis Presley. I don't know if Ray was the architect of rock & roll, but he was certainly the first guy to do a lot of things . . . Who the hell ever put so many styles together and made it work?"[9]

Virtuosos (Piano/Keyboard) - Bob James

WIKIPEDIA

Robert McElhiney James (born December 25, 1939) is a jazz and jazz fusion keyboardist, arranger and producer.

During the 1970s, Bob James played a major role in turning fusion jazz more mainstream. "Angela", the instrumental theme from the sitcom Taxi, is probably Bob James' most well-known work to date. He is also well-known for the fusion classics "Nautilus" and "Westchester Lady", the latter from the album Bob James Three.
For their first joint album release, One on One, Earl Klugh and Bob James received a Grammy award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance of 1981. James is the founding member of contemporary jazz supergroup Fourplay and is a Yamaha Artist.
James also received a Grammy award for his collaboration with David Sanborn on the 1986 album "Double Vision"
Very influenced by pop and movie music, James has often featured soloists who add a jazz touch to his sound (most notably Grover Washington, Jr.). While best known for his fusion sound, James began in 1962, recording a bop-ish trio set for Mercury. Three years later, his album for ESP was quite avant-garde, with electronic tapes used for effects. After a period with Sarah Vaughan (1965-1968), he became a studio musician, appearing with Stanley Turrentine and Milt Jackson on the 1972 album Cherry and with Turrentine on his following album Don't Mess with Mister T. (1973), and that same year was arranging and working as a producer for CTI. In 1974, James recorded his first purely commercial effort as a leader; he later made big-selling albums for his own Tappan Zee label, Columbia, and Warner Bros., including collaborations with Earl Klugh and David Sanborn.


This clip is a concert of Bob James in Korea, with him are korean jazz artist, great as well, new arrangement, new touch.

Virtuosos (Piano/Keyboard) - David Benoit

WIKIPEDIA

David Benoit, (born August 18, 1953) is an American jazz fusion/smooth jazz pianist, composer and producer from Los Angeles, California. He has been nominated for five Grammy Awards. In addition to his current smooth jazz career, Benoit is also music director for the Asian American Symphony Orchestra.

Virtuosos (Piano/Keyboard) Lyle Mays

WIKIPEDIA

Lyle Mays (born November 27, 1953) is an American jazz pianist and composer from Wausaukee, Wisconsin. He is best known for his work with guitarist Pat Metheny as a member of the Pat Metheny Group. Along with Metheny, Mays has been a co-composer and arranger of almost all of the group's music and has won eleven Grammy Awards.

Virtuosos (Piano/Keyboard) Eumir Deodato

WIKIPEDIA

Eumir Deodato (full name Eumir Deodato de Almeida, 22 June 1943, Rio de Janeiro[1]) is a Brazilian musician, record producer and arranger, primarily based in the jazz realm but who historically has been known for eclectic melding of big band and combo jazz with varied elements of rock/pop, R&B/funk, Brazilian/Latin, and symphonic or orchestral music.[2] Mainly, his records can be categorized as pop/jazz or crossover jazz. His successes as an original artist (keyboards) occurred mainly in the 1970s. Since then, he has produced or arranged music in more than 500 albums for acts ranging from Kool and the Gang to Björk, Christophe and k.d. lang. His daughter, Kennya Deodato, is married to American actor Stephen Baldwin.

Virtuosos (Piano/Keyboard) - Joe Sample

WIKIPEDIA

Joseph Leslie "Joe" Sample (born February 1, 1939 in Houston, Texas) is an American pianist, keyboard player and composer.
He is one of the founding members of the Jazz Crusaders, the band which became simply The Crusaders in 1971, and remained a part of the group until its final album in 1991 (not including the 2003 reunion album Rural Renewal).

Virtuosos (Piano/Keyboard) - Dave Grusin

WIKIPEDIA

David Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger and pianist. Grusin has composed many scores for feature films and television, and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record work, including an Academy award and 12 Grammys. He has had a prolific recording career as an artist, arranger, producer and executive producer.Grusin's almost staggering output can be documented from from the late 50s to the current recordings. All Music Guide includes a thorough list of his credits. (http://www.allmusic.com/artist/dave-grusin-p67644/credits). In the late 70s, he formed GRP records along with his partner, Larry Rosen, and began to create some of the first commercial digital recordings.The label was one of the first to promote CDs in the early 80s. GRP Records was sold to Universal Records in the middle 90s for a reported $40 million. Grusin was also at the forefront of soundtrack albums. He was the composer for the legendary Mike Nichols Oscar-winning film, “The Graduate”. The movie was one of the first times to integrate popular songs into a movie score. Grusin and Paul Simon placed his popular songs such as “Mrs. Robinson” into the score and soundtrack. From 2000 through 2011, Grusin has concentrated on composing classical and jazz compositions, touring, and recording with collaborators, among others, guitarist, Lee Ritenour. Together they have recorded several projects including the Grammy-winning Brazilian album, “Harlequin” in 1985. In recent years, they have released two classical crossover albums that were nominated for Grammys including, the Universal Decca recordings,'“Two Worlds” and "Amparo". Grusin is an avid fisherman and splits his time between his ranch in Montana and his house in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Virtuosos (Piano/Keyboard) - Antonio Carlos Jobim

WIKIPEDIA

Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim (January 25, 1927 in Rio de Janeiro – December 8, 1994 in New York), also known as Tom Jobim, was a Brazilian songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, and pianist/guitarist. A primary force behind the creation of the bossa nova style, his songs have been performed by many singers and instrumentalists within Brazil and internationally.


A fantastic video clip featuring Jobim with Herbie Hancock!!!

Virtuosos (Piano/Keyboard) - Chick Corea

WIKIPEDIA

Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (born June 12, 1941) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist and composer.
Many of his compositions are considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s, he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever.
Corea continued to pursue other collaborations and to explore various musical styles throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He is also known for promoting Scientology.

Virtuosos (Piano/Keyboard) - Bill Evans

William John Evans, known as Bill Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists including: Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, John Taylor, Steve Kuhn, Don Friedman, Marian McPartland, Denny Zeitlin, Bobo Stenson, Michel Petrucciani and Keith Jarrett, as well as many other musicians world-wide. The music of Bill Evans continues to inspire younger pianists like Marcin Wasilewski, Fred Hersch, Bill Charlap, Lyle Mays, Eliane Elias[1] and arguably Brad Mehldau,[2] early in his career. He is considered by some to be the most influential post World War II jazz pianist.

Blue Rondo A La Turk - Dave Brubeck

DAVE BRUBECK
Pianist, Composer
b. December 6, 1920

Dave Brubeck, designated a “Living Legend” by the Library of Congress, continues to be one of the most active and popular musicians in both the jazz and classical worlds. With a career that spans over six decades, his experiments in odd time signatures, improvised counterpoint, polyrhythm and polytonality remain hallmarks of innovation.

Born into a musical family in Concord, California-- his two older brothers were also professional musicians--he began piano lessons with his mother at age four. He was 12 when his father moved the family to a cattle ranch in the foothills of the Sierras. Dave’s life changed dramatically. Piano lessons ended and cowboy life began. He worked with his father on the 45,000 acre cattle ranch. When he was 14, he started playing in local dance bands on weekends. When he enrolled at the College of the Pacific, in Stockton, California, his intention was to study veterinary medicine and return to the ranch. While working his way through school as a pianist in local nightclubs, the lure of jazz became irresistible and he changed his major to music. Graduating in 1942, he enlisted in the Army, and shortly thereafter married Iola Whitlock, a fellow student at Pacific. While serving in Patton’s Army in Europe, he led a racially integrated band. After his discharge from military service in 1946, he enrolled at Mills College in Oakland, California to study composition with French composer, Darius Milhaud. Milhaud encouraged him to pursue a career in jazz and to incorporate jazz elements into his compositions. This cross-genre experimentation with like-minded Milhaud students led to the formation of the Dave Brubeck Octet in 1947. In 1949, Brubeck with Cal Tjader and Ron Crotty, fellow Octet members, cut their first award-winning Dave Brubeck Trio recordings. After suffering a near fatal diving accident in 1951, Dave formed the Dave Brubeck Quartet with alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, who was also a member of the Octet. The legendary Brubeck-Desmond collaboration lasted seventeen years and beyond. - excerpt from Dave Brubeck's Biography - http://www.davebrubeck.com/live/

Virtuosos (Guitar) - Pat Martino and John Scofield

Pat Martino (born August 25, 1944) is an Italian-American jazz guitarist and composer within the post bop, fusion, mainstream jazz, soul jazz and hard bop idioms. - WIKIPEDIA

John Scofield (born December 26, 1951 in Dayton, Ohio),[1] often referred to as "Sco," is an American jazz guitarist and composer, who has played and collaborated with Miles Davis, Dave Liebman, Joe Henderson, Charles Mingus, Joey Defrancesco, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Pat Martino, Mavis Staples, Phil Lesh, Billy Cobham, Medeski Martin & Wood, George Duke, Jaco Pastorius, John Mayer, [2] and many other well known artists. At ease in the bebop idiom, Scofield is also well versed in jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul, and other forms of modern American music. - WIKIPEDIA

Virtuosos (Guitar) - Jeff Beck

WIKIPEDIA

Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. One of three noted guitarists, with Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, to have played with The Yardbirds, Beck also formed The Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. He was ranked 14th in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time",[1] and the magazine has described him as "one of the most influential lead guitarists in rock".[2] MSNBC has called him a "guitarist's guitarist".[3]
Much of Beck's recorded output has been instrumental, with a focus on innovative sound and his releases have spanned genres ranging from blues-rock, heavy metal, jazz fusion and most recently, an additional blend of guitar-rock and electronica. Beck has earned wide critical praise; furthermore, he has received the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance five times. Although he has had two hit albums (in 1975 and 1976) as a solo act, Beck has not established or maintained a broad following or the sustained commercial success of many of his collaborators and bandmates.[3] Beck appears on albums by Mick Jagger, Kate Bush, Roger Waters, Stevie Wonder, Les Paul, Zucchero, Cyndi Lauper, Brian May and ZZ Top. He also made a cameo appearance in the movie Twins (1988).
He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: as a member of The Yardbirds (1992) and as a solo artist (2009).

Virtuosos (Guitar) - Eric Clapton

WIKIPEDIA

Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945) is an English guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and influential guitarists of all time.[2] Clapton ranked fourth in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time"[3] and fourth in Gibson's Top 50 Guitarists of All Time.[4]
In the mid sixties, Clapton left the Yardbirds to play blues with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. In his one-year stay with Mayall, Clapton gained the nickname "Slowhand", and graffiti in London declared "Clapton is God." Immediately after leaving Mayall, Clapton formed with drummer Ginger Baker and bassist Jack Bruce, the power trio, Cream, in which Clapton played sustained blues improvisations and "arty, blues-based psychedelic pop." For most of the seventies, Clapton's output bore the influence of the mellow style of J.J. Cale and the reggae of Bob Marley. His version of Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" helped gain reggae a mass market.[5] Two of his most popular recordings were "Layla", recorded by Derek and the Dominos, and Robert Johnson's "Crossroads", recorded by Cream. A recipient of seventeen Grammy Awards,[6] in 2004 Clapton was awarded a CBE for services to music.[7] In 1998 Clapton, a recovering alcoholic and heroin addict, founded the Crossroads Centre on Antigua, a medical facility for recovering substance abusers.

I was trying to upload, the YouTube from the concert One More Car, One More Rider, but the embed code is disabled. I am posting here nonetheless a rip of that concert. The concert has an all star cast with Steve Gadd on drums and Nathan East on Bass.

Virtuosos (Guitar) - Les Paul and Stanley Jordan

I can't get enough of guitar virtuosos in the net, there are plenty of them, some are playing solo, others in twos or trios... so many great guitarists in this planet.

Virtuosos (Guitar) - Al DiMeola, Paco De Lucia, John Mclaughlin

These guys have been performing a lot in the past, known as the Guitar Trio

Virtuosos (Guitar) - Larry Carlton

Larry Carlton's own musical story began in Southern California. He picked up his first guitar when he was only six years old. He was introduced to jazz in junior high school after hearing The Gerald Wilson Big Band album, Moment of Truth, with guitarist Joe Pass. Larry then became interested in Barney Kessel, Wes Montgornery and the legendary blues guitarist B.B. King. Saxophonist John Coltrane was also a major influence on Carlton, beginning with Coltrane's 1962 classic Ballads.

In 1968 he recorded his first LP, With A Little Help From My Friends (Uni). The enthusiastic industry response garnered him a place among jingle singers The Going Thing, recording on camera and radio commercials for Ford. Mid-season in his second year, he segued to Musical Director for Mrs. Alphabet, an Emmy-nominated children's show on the same network. It was here that Carlton showcased his acting skills, performing as the show's co-star, "Larry Guitar." - http://www.larrycarlton.com/bio.html

Virtuosos (Guitar) - Lee Ritenour

Lee Ritenour's current biography

Growing up in L.A. in the 60's, Grammy award winning guitarist Lee Ritenour received a rich cross section of exposure to jazz, rock and Brazilian music. From one of his first sessions at 16 with the Mamas and Papas to accompanying Lena Horne and Tony Bennett at 18, his forty year eclectic and storied career is highlighted by a Grammy Award win for his 1986 collaboration with Dave Grusin, Harlequin; 17 Grammy nominations; numerous #1 spots in guitar polls and the prestigious "Alumnus of the Year" award from USC. He has recorded over 40 albums, with 35 chart songs, notably the Top 15 hit "Is It You," which has become a contemporary jazz radio classic. In the 90s, Ritenour was a founding member of Fourplay, the most successful band in contemporary jazz, with keyboardist Bob James, bassist Nathan East and drummer Harvey Mason. The first Fourplay album in 1991 spent an unprecedented 33 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's contemporary jazz chart. Adding to this legacy is his latest CD Smoke ‘n' Mirrors; the recently completed Grammy nominated recording Amparo, (a follow-up with Dave Grusin to their highly-successful 2001 Grammy Award nominated contemporary classical crossover CD) and producer of Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band's latest CD Act Your Age (which is nominated for 3 Grammys.

It's been a long road since the seventies, when Ritenour's legendary Tuesday night appearances at the famed Baked Potato, with a band including Dave Grusin, Patrice Rushen, Harvey Mason and Ernie Watts became part of the musical landscape for five years. Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, George Benson, Al Jarreau, Joe Sample, and even Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell could be seen in the audiences that would pack the house till the wee hours of the morning. From rock to blues to jazz, his diverse music became the foundation of over 3,000 sessions as a young guitarist with a broad spectrum of artists such as Pink Floyd (The Wall), Steely Dan (Aja), Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, B.B. King, Frank Sinatra, Simon & Garfunkel, Ray Charles, Peggy Lee, Aretha Franklin and Barbra Streisand. Not to forget the dazzling array of talent appearing on his solo works and collaborations, notably-- Phil Collins, Brazilian greats Ivan Lins, Caetano Veloso, Djavan and Jao Bosco, George Benson, Chaka Kahn, Herbie Hancock, Michael McDonald and opera great Renee Fleming. - http://www.leeritenour.com/biography

Virtuosos (Guitar) - Joe Pass

WIKIPEDIA

Joe Pass (born Joseph Anthony Jacobi Passalaqua) (January 13, 1929 – May 23, 1994) was an American jazz guitarist of Sicilian descent. His extensive use of walking basslines, melodic counterpoint during improvisation, use of a chord-melody style of play and outstanding knowledge of chord inversions and progressions opened up new possibilities for jazz guitar and had a profound influence on future guitarists.

Virtuosos (Guitar) - Kenny Burrell

WIKIPEDIA

Kenneth Earl "Kenny" Burrell (born July 31, 1931)[1] is an American jazz guitarist. His playing is grounded in bebop and blues; he has performed and recorded with a wide range of jazz musicians.

Burrell was born in Detroit, Michigan to a musical family and began playing guitar at the age of 12. His influences as a guitar player include Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, and Wes Montgomery. While a student at Wayne State University, he made his debut recording as a member of Dizzy Gillespie's sextet in 1951. He toured with Oscar Peterson after graduating in 1955 and then moved to New York City in 1956.[1]
A consummate sideman, Burrell recorded with a wide range of prominent musicians. He also led his own groups since 1951 and recorded many well received albums.[1]
In the 1970s he began leading seminars about music, particularly Duke Ellington's. A highly popular performer, he has won several jazz polls in Japan and the United Kingdom as well as the United States.
He has recorded about 40 albums, including Midnight Blue (1967), Blue Lights, Guitar Forms, Sunup To Sundown (1990), Soft Winds (1993), Then Along Came Kenny (1993), and Lotus Blossom (1995).
In 2001, Burrell performed "C Jam Blues" with Medeski, Martin & Wood for the Red Hot Organization's compilation album Red Hot + Indigo, a tribute to Duke Ellington, which raised money for various charities devoted to increasing AIDS awareness and fighting the disease.
As of 2007, Burrell has served as Director of Jazz Studies at UCLA, mentoring such notable alumni as Gretchen Parlato and Kalil Wilson.[2] Burrell teaches a course entitled "Ellingtonia", examining the life and accomplishments of Duke Ellington.

Virtuosos (Guitar) - Wes Montgomery

WIKIPEDIA

John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968)[1] was an American jazz guitarist. He is unanimously[citation needed] considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Emily Remler, Kenny Burrell, Pat Metheny, and Jimi Hendrix.

According to Jazz guitar educator Wolf Marshall, Montgomery often approached solos in a three-tiered manner: He would begin a repeating progression with single note lines, derived from scales or modes; after a fitting number of sequences, he would play octaves for a few more sequences, finally culminating with block chords. He had little knowledge of scales or modes, let alone musical theory. He used mostly superimposed triads and arpeggios as the main source for his soloing ideas and sounds. .[1]
The use of octaves (playing the same note on two strings one octave apart) for which he is widely known, became known as "the Naptown Sound". Montgomery was also an excellent "single-line" or "single-note" player, and was very influential in the use of block chords in his solos. His playing on the jazz standard Lover Man is an example of his single-note, octave- and block-chord soloing. ("Lover Man" appears on the Fantasy album The Montgomery Brothers.)
Instead of using a guitar pick, Montgomery plucked the strings with the fleshy part of his thumb, using downstrokes for single notes and a combination of upstrokes and downstrokes for chords and octaves. Montgomery developed this technique not for technical reasons but for his wife. He worked long hours as a machinist before his career began and practiced late at night while his wife was sleeping. He played with his thumb so that his playing would be softer and not wake her. This technique enabled him to get a mellow, expressive tone from his guitar. George Benson, in the liner notes of the Ultimate Wes Montgomery album, wrote, "Wes had a corn on his thumb, which gave his sound that point. He would get one sound for the soft parts, and then that point by using the corn. That's why no one will ever match Wes. And his thumb was double-jointed. He could bend it all the way back to touch his wrist, which he would do to shock people."
He generally played a Gibson L-5CES guitar. In his later years he played one of two guitars that Gibson custom made for him. In his early years, Montgomery had a tube amp, often a Fender. In his later years, he played a solid state Standel amp with a 15-inch (380 mm) speaker.

Virtuosos (Guitar) - George Benson

WIKIPEDIA

Breezin' is an album by jazz/soul guitarist George Benson.
The album marked the beginning of Benson's most successful period commercially. Breezin' topped the Pop, Jazz and R&B album charts in Billboard and spun off two hit singles, the title song (which has become a smooth jazz standard) and "This Masquerade," which was a top ten pop and R&B hit.

Virtuosos (Guitar) - Pat Metheny

From the Pat Metheny Group Album.

WIKIPEDIA

Pat Metheny Group is the first album by the Pat Metheny Group, released in 1978. It features Pat Metheny on guitar, Lyle Mays on piano and keyboards, Mark Egan on bass guitar and Dan Gottlieb on drums.

Track listing

"San Lorenzo" (Composed by Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays)
"Phase Dance" (Metheny & Mays)
"Jaco" (Metheny)
"Aprilwind" (Metheny)
"April Joy" (Metheny)
"Lone Jack" (Metheny & Mays)

Virtuosos in their own field

I'm thinking of posting videos or stories of the different virtuosos in the field of music. I will group them according to the musical instruments, like for example, I would start with the guitars featuring my favorite musicians, Pat Metheny, Lee Ritenour, Larry Carlton, George Benson, Eric Clapton etc. And I will move on to Piano, Saxophone, Drums, Bass Guitar and a lot more.

I will make a shortlist on a notebook, a real notebook, I mean where you write something on it with a pen. Then, I'll research on the net and perhaps in Magazines and books. Let us see where this will lead to.