Jazz for aficionados

**** A serious jazz artist must play an archtop in the vein of Russell Malone, Wes Montgomery, Barney Kessell, Herb Ellis, Joe Pass, etc None of these jazz guitarists played tele’s because the sweetest jazz tone is delivered by an archtop with at least 3" of depth. None of the old players played a tele! ****
 

Pretty bold statement.  I may have a favorite type of tone, but I wouldn't dream of criticizing the choice of gear by one of the most serious players to ever play the instrument; some would say the most serious.  Have you considered that Martino chose his instrument because that was precisely the sound that he wanted; so as not to sound like many other players?  He actually did play an arch top at various points on his career.

You may find this interesting and thanks for the clip:

@frogman, I’ve been a member of the jazz.be website for 14 years. It’s the finest jazz website on the web for all things jazz guitar. But a very few there are actual jazz guitarists. Every one of them grew up playing rock and later came to jazz later in life. It’s an okay place to learn jazz guitar. But 90 percent of the place is simply a hangout much like Audiogon, without any serious instructive qualities. The most popular page there is the gear page. Guitarists obsess about their gear. There they obsess with pedals because that’s what they used during their rock days. I don’t own a pedal. I play nothing but an archtop through a traditional 40 watt tube amplifier.

Yes, I’m biased. Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, Django Reinhardt, Joe Pass, Barney Kessell, these are the fathers of jazz guitar. Each played a jazz archtop because that was the jazz tradition. Martino came after Wes died. He too worshiped Wes as every guitar player did. I’m a traditionalist. Give me a full fat bodied tone that only an archtop can create. This new breed of players like Julian Lage etc playing tele’s do nothing for me. Give it another category and don’t call it jazz. All my opinion.

Guitarist Anthony Wilson live with Diana Krall.

I much prefer his tone to Pat Martino’s. Reason being Anthony plays a Gibson Byrdland archtop as opposed to a tele like guitar.

You are totally right speaking about  this sound tone of the archtop guitar versus the telecaster one..

i know nothing aout electrical guitar...

The tone sound quality of this archtop is marvellous for me also  and i am inclined to give you a point...

But one this is said,

Pat Martino is indeed way more than one of the greatest guitarist i ever listen to on par with the one you listed...

His only real peer for me is an unknown "god" here of the tanbur in Iranian music.. Ostad Elahi being also the greatest musician Yehudi Menuhin say he ever listen to...

The reason is Pat Martino plays like a composer and a musician, not just like the TOP average guitar virtuoso, his unmistakable style, united melody, rythm, and harmony in an never ending UNSECABLE unity, so much powerful that all the 20 albums i owned already are like one single album , one piece of music only... The reason for that is his use of a systematic system of basic core CHORDS nuclear tool which are unique to him...

The reason is his music is so DENSE and DEEP, rythmically,melodically and harmonically that it is no more just guitar virtuoso playing a melody with a beautiful sound, but a NEW KIND of interpretation and creation with this instrument...And all musicians playing in his albums are heavily marked  DEEPLY in their own playing by his direction... They dont play their part only alternatively like in the most majority of jazz albums..All musicians playing around Martino plays under Martino melting steel musical flow, they seems disciples more than side partner...This speak a lot about his genius...

His music is trancelike, hypnotic and CANNOT be good taste for all people being too much idyosincasic .. His music is more intense than beautiful....Not all people are sympathetic to Scriabin music for example for the same reason...

But i know nothing about guitar playing, types, and nothing about music, being not a musician... I only try to listen...

Feel free to correct me...

coltrane1, thanks for your response.  
 

There is a saying among musicians that says:  "Nobody ever gets fired for having a bad sound".  Certainly an exaggeration of sorts amd keeping in mind that "bad" is a relative thing the point of the saying is that there are aspects of a musician's playing are far more important than whether they meet some predetermined idea of what a good tone is: great rhythm, great creativity and great individuality, a component of which is a unique tone.  
 

I get that you like a particular type of guitar tone, but you seem to be suggesting that if a player doesn't fit that tone mold that he is not a serious player.  I can't agree with that.  Is the sound of our voice more important than what we say?  I don't think so.  Btw, when judging Martino's choice of guitar and tone, keep in mind the various styles that he has explored including Fusion.  
 

Not Jazz?!

 
Regards.