Favorite Instrumental Albums

 I listen to a lot of instrumental music. Especially when I'm writing or reading. I don't want someone else's voice intruding when I'm trying to concentrate. here are a few of my favorites., I'm a guitar player so that instrument dominates the list. I'll start with the non guitar ones.

 -Best of the Tijuana Brass. I grew up listening to some pretty diverse music. I still LOVE the Herb Alpert sound. Bright sunny trumpet and irresistable melodic hooks. The Lonely Bull, A Taste of Honey. Of course Whipped Cream and Other Delights was the best album cover in the world! but the greatest hits package gets you all the faves.

-John Klemmer- Touch. When I was in my twenties, an older woman turned me on to John Klemmer. (and some other things too but that's another story) The delay drenched sax flowing languidly over mellow chord progressions seemed to produce a happy blend of endorphins in my brain. OK, maybe it wasn't just the music, but this is still a favorite soundtrack for rainy afternoons. Best enjoyed in bed.

-Paganini- 24 Caprices. Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840) was the original rock star. Like bluesman Robert Johnson, Paganini's jaw dropping violin technique was rumoured to have been a gift from the devil. This was great for box office,the publicity made him the first major market touring virtuoso.

He wrote the caprices to showcase his amazing skills on the violin. They are all short solo violin pieces that cover every phase of technique: legato, staccato, spiccato, tremolo, harmonics, trills, arpeggios, scales, left-hand pizzicato

 He was the first Eddie Van Halen. I own three versions of the Caprices  recorded by different violinists; Perleman, Midori, and Shlomo Mintz. Shlomo's version is by far superior. He plays the caprices with the fire and swagger that they should have.

-Bach. Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello. The long slow amber colored cello notes work their way into your soul and leave a trace of melancholy. Exquisite! I own three versions of this as well (including one arranged for guitar by Angel Romero) but Pablo Casals version is my favorite.

-Jeff Beck. Wired.  Listen to this and you'll see why Page, Clapton, Brian May and a host of guitar gods bow their heads in Jeff's presence. After groundbreaking work with the Yardbyrds and various versions of the Jeff Beck group (including Rod Stewart) Beck finally found himself with WIred. Vocalists were only getting in his way. This guy is the supreme master of the electric guitar. No one else has been able to coax such human expression and emotion from the instrument. You've heard people say "He can make it talk" Jeff Beck can make it talk, cry, moan, mutter, giggle, shriek, whisper, coo, and cackle like a mad man.

-Charlie Byrd. The Stroke of Genuis. You won't find this on CD (grrrr!) but there are many great Byrd discs you can obtain. Byrd by the Sea, Brazilian Byrd, etc Charlie Byrd started the American bossa nova craze (Girl from Ipanema). His woody sounding nylon string guitar and the silky sax of Stan Getz appear together on the best selling Jazz Samba.

-Django Reinhardt. Souvenirs.  With Stephane Grappelli With the Quintet of the Hot Club of France. This is a wildly joyful gypsy style jazz album. Swing baby swing!

-Incendio. Mysterioso. You can't go wrong with any of their albums though. These guys are the American Strunz and Farah. Twin nylon string guitars (flamenco construction) blazing through middle eastern and latin themed tunes backed by energetic percussion and electric bass. Put this on on you'll groove hard. maybe even speak in tongues.

-Chet Atkins and Les Paul. Chester and Lester. Two of the greatest players ever work their way through Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Moonglow, Caravan and other standards. Great tone, technique and amusing banter between songs as they speculate about what to play next.

-Al Dimeola. Elegant Gypsy. Insanely fast Spanish and middle eastern flavored electric and acoustic guitar numbers. A former member or Return to Forever, this album put him on the map as a solo artist.

-Yngwie Malmsteen. Concerto  Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra in Eb minor. This album takes the neo classical metal shredder out of the over the top rock realm realm in which he is best known and places him and his classical compositions in front of an orchestra. Picture an orchestra's featured violinist replaced by an electric guitar. This is my fave Malmsteen recording; no big rock drums, no big rock vocals. Dramatic classical orchestration with a soaring guitar playing all the violin parts.

Got any  instrumental favorites?