Customer Reviews

Legends of the Jazz Guitar 1 [VHS]

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Priceless footage of 4 guys who knew how to play. The camera angles focus mainly upon the fretboard, enabling us to see how beautiful jazz guitar is when it's played well. If you like jazz guitar, you need this. Be prepared to quit the instrument, though...I'll never play this well.

This is an amazing dvd. I am a guitarist and have been searching for footage of Wes Montgomery since I discovered his playing. It is a treat to see him execute those great lines with such ease. A great study on the artistry of one of the greatest jazz guitarist of all time. The bonus material of Wes in Belguim makes it a definite bargain. A must have for the serious jazz guitarist. I own all 3 volumes of Legends of Jazz Guitar.

This dvd has some of the best jazz on film. The bonus footage includes the entire set from Belgium. You'll also be wanting Vol. 2 for the rest of the BBC set (two clips from the BBC are not on Vol. 1).

This dvd shows Wes playing in a very relaxed atmosphere and he clearly is enjoying himself. I've never seen any footage of Wes before so this dvd is a welcome addition to my home. Yes, I love the others on this dvd, but Wes is my favorite guitarist I've ever heard.

1.Wes Twisted Blues (1965)
2. Pass Glues in G(1974)
3. Barney Basie's Blues(1973)
4. Ellis Medley: Might as well be spring; things aint what they used to be(1986)
5. Wes Jingles (1965)
6. Ellis and Barney A Slow Burn (1979)
7. Pass Do nothin' till you hear from me (1976)
8. Barney The Shadow of Your smile ((1973)
9. Wes Yesterdays (1965)
10. Ellis Sweet Georgia Brown (1986)
bonus tracks (all Wes)(1965)
11. Impressions
12. Twisted Blues
13. Here's that rainy day (listen for qoute on piano of "were having a heatwave", then Wes smiles)
14. the boy next door

Wes= Wes Montgomery
Barney= Barney Kassel
Pass= Joe Pass
Ellis= Herb Ellis

the Wes stuff is in black and white the rest is color
All of these performances are very good if this is the music you like

This video is an exhuberant celebration of the creative genius of four giants of jazz guitar.The purpose of this video is to give those of us who were not fortunate enough to see these guitarists play live an opportunity to see their personalities. Here are some of the observations that I made that are irrelevant to the lush richness of the music, but that made me feel like I learned something about the musicians:

1. Wes Montgomery smiling ebulliently as several times he dodges an errant microphone boom on Belgian public television. Nothing bothered him.
2. A picture quality so clear that you can see the dust between the pickup and the neck on Joe Pass's guitar.
3. Herb Ellis scowling grouchily while his bassist is so happy to be playing with Herb Ellis that he nearly bounces off the dais on which he's perched.
4. The light glinting off the tuning head of Joe Pass's guitar like the Star of Bethlehem on a Christmas card.
5. An intensity in Barney Kessel's eyes that belies the beauty of the song he's playing.
6. Four guys who owned their music so completely that they dressed up in coats and ties (and ,in Joe Pass's case, a tuxedo) to celebrate themselves and the music they played.
7. Barney Kessel and Herb Ellis playing on Swedish public TV with sidemen who looked like they just stepped of a Viking longboat.
8. Joe Pass's humble demeanor that belies the intense concentration with which he burned up and down his fingerboard.
9. Did I mention that there are bonus Wes Montgomery tracks? There are bonus Wes Montgomery tracks!

Every guitartist should own this video; there's a depth of emotion in the music that has been missing in popular music for at least 20 years.

Four masters of the jazz guitar--Herb Ellis, Barney Kessel, Wes Montgomery, and Joe Pass--demonstrate the genius of their fingers on this performance video. The vintage performance clips include Wes Montgomery's 1965 performances of "Twisted Blues," "Jingles," and "Yesterdays," Barney Kessel's 1973 renditions of "The Shadow of Your Smile" and "Basie's Blues," and several others from Pass and Ellis.

My fiance is a guitarist and I bought this for his birthday. We both love jazz and I knew I would enjoy this dvd as much as him, but we were both blown away! - Rare footage of some great artist! A great buy!!

Other than the Wes Montgomery footage the audio is terrible. Why wasn't this re-mastered?
Its worth it for the "bonus" of Wes in Belium but the others are just awful video transfers.