Complete Jazz Guitar

in 1976 we'd go to record dealers to get this. I got a japanese import record. I later let it go when broke and selling records. When it was released later on cd, I think in 1988, I was happy to get it again. I then learned that the cd had "doctored" versions of many tracks and omitted a tune as well. A 3rd pressing has overdubbed drums! Piano solos were removed. And from what I understand, the original masters were gone, lost and we were left with at best, non-original and altered versions of this album.This kind of thing drives a completist, detail oriented guy like me nuts! Not sure looking back exactly what was on my japanese import version, and for all I know it may have been a good one and true to the original. Doesn't matter anymore anyway, because you can't look back and even an old fart like me is now pretty much fully immersed in digitalized music.So here, finally, is the real record as it was originally intended to be, along with some great bonus cuts from different sessions.This period in Jim Hall's career is so interesting. He is in the piano-bass-guitar format that many used at that time. I feel it is a direct influence from Nat King Cole. Tal Farlow loved this format as did Oscar Peterson. I see the virtue of it in many ways. Drums can sometimes complicate things and speed up or rush the tempos.This is early Jim Hall and he is playing very straight ahead. Very much in the style of Tal Farlow and Jimmy Raney. And very commanding and tasteful too.Jim Hall's playing has evolved in many ways since then. He had developed into perhaps the most sympathetic ensemble player of any of the guitarists. See The Bridge by Sonny Rollins.Jim Hall is in many ways the most influential guitar player after Charlie Christian. So many of today's great guitar players, the ones with forward vision, like Peter Bernstein, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Bill Frisell, et al, give a huge nod to Jim Hall.I give this five stars. It is great, yet on the same note, only gives a glimpse of what was to come. Here Jim Hall shows he can play straight ahead jazz and blow with the best of 'em. Playing less notes with great creativity and complex, complementary accompaniment would soon come to define the extraordinary guitar playing of Jim Hall.

It seems from reading the reviews that many people came to the music of Jim Hall organically as his career developed. I came to his music via his later work on the CTI label. I recently acquired a CTI remaster of Studio Trieste that had been long out of print and was so impressed with Hall's work that I sought out some of his back catalogue, choosing to start with Trio: The Complete Jazz Guitar because of uniformly high praise for it.The reason I haven't given this five stars is that though it swings flawlessly throughout, there is nothing that stands out. What are covered here are tunes considered standards and as such are de rigueur for any accomplished jazz trio. Picture yourself in an intimate setting, perhaps in a swank hotel at a dinner concert (up front, of course!), perhaps a quiet romantic evening at home, and that is where you might find music such as this most enjoyable.This release is said to be truest to the original, along with bonus tracks. You get a lot of music for the money, nearly an hour and twenty minutes worth. Plus, the CD comes with an informative booklet with the original liner notes, comments on this edition, a short biography of Jim Hall, and pertinent album info. If you like good mellow fifties-style jazz, you'll not be disappointed with this!

I can't believe I'm the first to review this album! It is a perfect piece of work and one of Jim Hall's very first recordings (certainly as a leader). This album was a revelation to this jazz guitarist as it provides a fabulous example of 'straight-ahead' playing - in fact I know none better - despite the fact that Jim Hall is precisely not renowned for playing 'straight-ahead'. This album shows that before Jim Hall became Jim Hall he played better direct jazz guitar than anyone else. There isn't an awkward phrase in the whole album and it swings like focaccia! Anyone who likes simple swinging jazz music (the kind we tend to associate with the mid to late fifties) should buy this album whether they like jazz guitar or not and whether they like Jim Hall's later work or not. The absence of drums just makes the swing even more intense (somehow). God I love this musician!

Excellent CD transfer from 1st edition LP. It is hard to find first edition LPs of this on vinyl, and is better than the 2nd edition LP I have in sound quality.

No Jazz guitar cd collection is complete without some Jim Hall. An understated player...subtle and cools as cool can be. Elegant in execution to a fault he's too often a later addition to a cd collection than a prudent early addition. We all learn in time. We miss you Jim. Glad your recordings captured your talent.

Great album

For many years I have listen to the latest records by Jim Hall,a Master...now that I listen to his earlier music I don't know what to say...He's amazing,the father of modern jazz,really something special...Thanks for your music Jim Hall!

Jim Hall from the 60's. This release just shines. Wonderful trio work. Wonderful mastering of this release. It sound exquisite.

The first eleven tracks were recorded by the Jim Hall Trio (Jim Hall, gtr; Carl Perkins, pno; Red Mitchell, b) in 1957. Jim Hall has always been one of my favourite guitarist: mellow, sophisticated and intelligent, He is given great support by both Carl Perkins and Red Mitchell, both of whom play with great sympathy. One might regard this as a pretty mellow, laid back session (some would say late night music).These first eleven tracks are in themselves very good, but there are five "bonus tracks" which are simply stunning! These tracks were recorded over the period 1956 - 1960 and feature pianist John Lewis, as duet, trio or quartet. The duet (10.58) is simply magnificent, but the other four tracks are also outstanding.It seems a strange thing to say, but the highlight for me were teh "bonus tracks", the inclusion of which make the purchase of this very good album an essential purchase.

Excellent jazz, the bonus tracks are worth the price

Enjoyed this music so very much. Amazing how you miss so much 'other stuff' when you're young! It takes age to appreciate that there's more than 'pop' around.

quick delivery item as described, thanks

Quando mi capita di parlare di Jim Hall, con musicisti o amici, racconto questa storia che avevo già scritto nel recensire Concierto. E’ la stessa, ma ripeterla male non fa, no?Jim Hall... il 13 febbraio del 2000 ero a sentire un suo concerto, in duo con Dave Holland, al Teatro Donizetti di Bergamo. Dopo il concerto ero voluto andare nel suo camerino, per dirgli quanto lo apprezzassi! Pensavo ci fosse una fila immensa e invece c’ero solo io. Mi fecero aspettare qualche minuto e poi potei entrare. Lui stava arrivando dal palco centrale con la chitarra in una mano e nell’altra l’amplificatore e gli spartiti (quasi come nella copertina di questo Jim Hall Trio), tutto solo. Mi dissero di aspettare ancora un attimo. Cosa che feci. Nel frattempo mi venne incontro Lou Marini, sì proprio quello dei Blues Brothers, che si stava riscaldando, perché avrebbe suonato poco dopo. Mi venne incontro (mi aveva forse scambiato per qualcun altro?) e mi abbracciò stretto stretto, dandomi pacche sulla schiena e chiamandomi ‘brother’. Ma io pensavo a Jim Hall, ero lì per Jim Hall.Entrai nel suo camerino. Era seduto ad un piccolo tavolo, davanti ad un piatto con un po’ di frutta. Mi fece cenno di avvicinarmi e quando gli fui di fronte gli dissi quanto lo ammirassi e come amassi la delicatezza delle sue note, quella sua naturale ricercatezza, quella sospensione, quei silenzi. Ero emozionato e felice, ero lì con il mio chitarrista jazz preferito. Ad un certo punto lui prese un piccolo biglietto e scrisse giorno, data e GRAZIE! in maiuscolo e in italiano, seguito dalla sua firma. Quel piccolo biglietto, con quel GRAZIE!, lo conservo con grande amore.Ma eccomi all’album.Ripubblicato dalla Essential Jazz Classics, vede per 11 tracce Jim Hall in trio, con Carl Perkins (omonimo del chitarrista R’n’R) al piano e Red Mitchell al basso. Formazione, questa, che dà grande respiro alla sua stupenda chitarra.Nella traccia 12, lo troviamo con John Lewis, nelle tracce 13-14-15, con Lewis e Duvivier al basso. Nella 16, sempre con Lewis, ma con Percy Heath al basso.All’interno, un bel libretto di 6 paginette, con foto azzurrate su carta patinata, con le interessanti note originali di Jimmy Giuffre, un brevissimo, ma esplicativo estratto da una conversazione tra Hall e Whitney Balliet, e con le note attuali a spiegare questa riedizione completa di Jazz Guitar.Il cd, tenendo conto che si tratta di un supporto digitale, e che è stato masterizzato partendo dall'LP originale e non dai tapes (andati persi), si fa ascoltare bene, aiutato anche dal fatto di essere trio senza batteria, e quindi di (allora) più facile acquisizione sonora e mixaggio.Ci sono musicisti che ti entrano nel cuore e nella mente e da lì non ti usciranno mai più.Grazie Jim Hall!