Regardless if you’re a beginning student of Jazz Guitar or an established player, we all have at least five albums that we cannot be without! With that said, Jazz Guitar Life has asked New York City based Jazz Guitarist Leo Larratt what his five would be (assuming that he knew before hand that he was going to be stuck on a desert island and that said island had electricity and a full component stereo system) 🙂
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Django Reinhardt All Star Sessions with Rex Stewart, Coleman Hawkins and Benny Carter: This has always been a go to album to me to listen to, whether it’s for musical inspiration or to just to cheer me up. It never ceases to amaze and excite me. The music lifts you up so much. Django has so much sophistication and humor in his guitar solos, and hearing him paired with both Coleman Hawkins and Benny Carter is such an incredible joy.
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Sonny Rollins and The Contemporary Leaders: This is some of my favorite Sonny, although I would say that about anything by him. Hearing him on How High the Moon playing trio with Barney Kessell and Leroy Vinegar is something special. This album is also a perfect example of stellar guitar accompaniment, particularly in a band with both guitar and piano in the rhythm section.
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Oscar Peterson Live at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival: This is my favorite group to listen to at the moment. The arrangements are so good, it’s kind of scary how tight the three of them sound together, it almost sounds like it’s just one person. Herb Ellis’ comping and quarter note is so good, the whole record swings so hard! He is definitely my favorite guitarist to listen to when it comes to quarter note comping, something that seems so simple, but is incredibly difficult. His solos are pretty special too!
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Wes Montgomery – So Much Guitar: this was the first jazz record I ever listened to. I actually bought it at a used vinyl store when I was in high school, and was hooked instantly. It was because of this album that I started learning how to play jazz. I’ve listened to it over countless times, there’s not much else I can say about it, everything Wes plays is perfect and the band is fantastic.
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George Shearing and Nancy Wilson – The Swingin’s Mutual: Nancy Wilson is one of my favorite singers, and the pairing with this band is something else. George Shearing’s signature arranging technique of splitting block chords between piano, guitar and vibes is so pleasing to listen to, and pairs perfectly with Nancy’s style and voice. I could listen to this album on any occasion, it can really suit any mood that you’re in 🙂
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Please consider spreading the word about Leo and Jazz Guitar Life by sharing these Desert Island Picks amongst your social media pals and please feel free to leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you 🙂
If you would like to support all the work I do on Jazz Guitar Life, please consider buying me a coffee or if you prefer PayPal. Thank you and your patronage is greatly appreciated regardless if you buy me a coffee or not 🙂