I know that many here are able to play many different genres of music, but when we start learning how to play we usually start in one specific genre that colors the other styles we play later on. So I'm curious how many out there have their roots in jazz? Kenny Burrell is the one who inspired me, I love his chords to single notes phrasing. I thought that some of stevie's songs looked kind of familiar like Riveria Paradise or Lenny, then I read some where that kenny burrell was one of his influences and that makes sense. I love his use of 6th. chords in those songs. Also what jazz player did you try to learn first?

I am a jazz guitarist.. I play for an actively gigging jazz big band... My main jazz axe is a Guild X-170 (to give you some presective)...

My guitar influences are Wes Montgomery and Pat Metheny... But I am mostly influenced by non-guitarists like Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Thelonius Monk...

The only player I really "learned" was Wes... I try to have my own soloing style... I have learned other styles like Miles Davis and Monk simply by reading their charts and listening to how they play...

I have been playing for 27 years and I bought my first Fender 6 string about a week ago... A strat...

Can't go wrong there!

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

I had a feeling a thread with the word jazz wouldn't get much attention on a Fender site...

My earliest jazz influences were ECM players, and I also hooked into Howard Roberts's column in Guitar Player during the late 70s. Pat Martino is probably my favorite jazz guitarist. I do play a Jazzmaster which does well for comping and soloing, but mostly a 335 and a Strat with CS69s, which gives a very nice j-tone. An ES-175 or L5 would be nice, but not attainable at the moment.

Yeah I thought that might be the case. Again I started off a horn player and have been working more on sax recently. I prefer my thinline tele though most of the time when I play jazz. I'm not too much a traditional player though I love wes and Charlie. I also like Django and some of the other early players. It may sound like blasphemy but I also like acid jazz and nu jazz. I think that while alot of guitar players prefer the wood wind sounds of semi-hollows and hollows we should also remember that there are brighter voices for the melody like trumpets. Guess maybe that's why I try to use strats for jazz too starting off on trumpet myself. Also what I meant by background in a certain music I meant techniques and theory. In the case of jazz extended and altered chords and modes. I'm not in a band or anything right now I'm just a student. I'm a little surprised there aren't more people out there actually though.........

It's never blasthemy to listen to music you like... I don't care if its Justin Beaver or the Jonas Brothers... If its something that you naturally like to listen to, you should enjoy it...

Well, this is a Fender site... So most fender type guitars are geared towards rock and blues... As they should... And really there aren't that many jazz guitarists around.. I think I may personally know about 1/2 of the jazz guitar players here in Phoenix... Including George Benson... Jazz guitar requires reading music... And the guitar really isn't that pleasant for reading music that is written for other instruments in mind... It took me a good 5 years of hard work to get to a point that I could consider myself a fluent jazz guitar player... Man it's not easy to learn and be good at...

Yeah I hear that! When I first picked up the guitar I was confused as to how you could play any note in more than one place on the guitar. Playing a trumpet D or A or anything is always just one fingering. That's pretty cool you know George Benson! I guess that's true about there not being many jazz players now that I think about it. I'm still learning and am in no way fluent after 2 years. I'll get there though!

The word "know" is being used very loosely.. George Benson used to put on a Jam I would attend and he knew me only through that... At one time he knew of me by my first name.. But that was it..

He is a very nice person... But then again there are other incredible players here in Arizona that would surprise most of us with their ability..

I play jazz. But i also play r&b, funk ,blues and rock. I own a Charlie Christian Solo Flight that has a great straight ahead jazz traditional tone, but I love the sound of jazz on a Strat. I do tend to have a little effects sprinkled on there too. I remember a Canadian jazz player that played a Telecaster, I think his name was Ed Beckert. A monster! I don't think that the instrument should affect what you play on it but the tone you are looking for. Also someone mentioned Pat Martino. He usually plays solid bodies too.

This guy is the best jazz guitar player that I know of that plays a fender solidbody:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Stern

I actually had to learn his version of "Friday Night at the Cadillac Club" about 3 years ago for the band I was currently in... I actually won an award for playing it at a jazz festival

But enough about me ! ... Mike Stern is an exceptional player... And he is known for his telecaster playing...

'Personally enjoy playing jazz on a Stratocaster.

And moreso, on a Jazzmaster.

Although I'm not a fan of jazz as a whole,I do love to listen to jazz guitarists.I've seen Pat Metheny in concert and was just flabbergasted by his ability and virtuosity.I have listened to and respected many of the jazz greats such as Joe Pass,Wess Montgomery,Larry Carlton and Coryell and just last week ordered some Lenny Breau CDs,he was a tremendous talent and took a young Randy Bachman under his wing when he saw his potential for becoming a gifted guitarist.I wish I had the technical ability to play jazz but I guess I'll just have to be content to listen and leave the playing to the truely gifted.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.