Customer Reviews

Ballad Essentials

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Some guitarists are recognizable in the first few bars. No matter what amp or guitar he used, Wes Montgomery always sounded like Wes (not a bad thing, I hasten to add). Jim Hall is different. Perhaps as the result of years of session work, Hall's playing takes many forms. He's a confident guitarist who doesn't need to show off. There's plenty of room for the rest of the ensemble. Often you may listen to a cut several times before it dawns on you just how hard it was to play. This CD is a beautiful example. Hall's touch and articulation are exquisite. For example, "Skylark" uses a combination of harmonics, fretted and open strings that only a master could have put together. It's a clinic in seven short minutes. Hall moves with ease between his electric archtop and a nylon-stringed instrument.

An entire CD of ballads seems like an odd notion. The liveliest tune on the album is a moderate-tempo duet of "Embraceable You". This set is made for quiet nights. The tunes here are collected from a number of other releases, all recorded in the 1980s. The sidemen would fill a hall of fame, with luminaries like George Shearing and Ron Carter.

The only real fault I can find is that most cuts are overproduced--making it a true 80's product. It's a little too reverberant, and I'd have preferred a more in-your-face sound. These players didn't need studio help. Still, it's a small quibble with a quite enjoyable set.

I'm a jazz guitarist and bona fide, card carrying, Jim Hall nut. I've previously reviewed Jim's "LIVE" album, which I think is arguably his greatest recording. With that said, this is perhaps a better total listening experience than "LIVE". With "LIVE" I grow weary of the lengthy bass solos. Hey, I'm a guitarist. I don't want to hear long, extended bass solos (I mean, who really does other than bass players). I believe that "Ballad Essentials" offers a marvelous introduction to Jim's special gifts as a jazz guitarist: his peerless electric jazz guitar tone, his deft touch and nuance of phrasing, and his lyrical, compositional soloing style. His phrasing, more than any of the other great 1950's jazz guitarists, utilizes the full expressive potential of an electric guitar. Jim, in my estimation, is the undisputed, heavy weight champion of interpreting ballads among jazz guitarists, and this compilation drives that point home, loud and clear. His skills in this area are as close as any guitarist has gotten to touching the Frank Sinatra Mojo. This is a warm, wonderful listening experience from a man whose kind and gentle spirit shines brightly through the strings of his guitar.

This release brings together some tasty Jim Hall cuts from his work on Concord in the '80s. There are duo, trio, and quartet settings, with Hall's tasteful guitar stylings the focus throughout. Concord Jazz released several of these "Ballad Essentials" anthologies; if any of them deserve to be called essentials, it is this one, featuring some wonderful music by Jim Hall. Sound quality is excellent throughout, the disk sells for less than full price, so what are you waiting for, guitar fans?