Globally great guitar

November 11, 2024 11:36 AM

Forget about Hendrix, Beck, Clapton, Page and Van Halen; we want to highlight the guitarists who have made an impact outside of the usual rock’n’roll axis of axes. It’s a list full of invention, customs passed down through generations and a focus on rhythm as much as volume. These are the musicians who defined soukous, bossa nova and Touareg desert blues, who soundtracked revolutions and revelations, and made their traditions that little more recognisable to a global audience. These are our guitar heroes... from 50 Global Guitar Greats [Songlines]
posted by chavenet (37 comments total)

Glad to see Mdou Moctar on the list, absolutely amazing player.
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 11:39 AM on November 11 [11 favorites]

Paco de Lucía, John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola - Friday Night in San Francisco. Unreal.

Now off to learn about other greats - thanks for the post.
posted by whatevernot at 11:57 AM on November 11 [4 favorites]

Yasmin Williams is bonkers. Such a joy. (Kaki King is another adventurous guitarist.)

I had already heard of most of these players from listening to the WNYC show, New Sounds.

New Sounds also hosts the annual NYC Guitar Festival which often features out-of-the-mainstream players.
posted by Ayn Marx at 12:19 PM on November 11 [2 favorites]

A great excuse for me to post Guzal Muminova doing her fleet Uzbek traditional work on dutar ( ... a two-stringed 'tar ) while simultaneously keeping her toddler in line.

https://youtu.be/6jgJKDtdTEA?si=Pg3FPs8jmPDETqTm
posted by bendybendy at 12:23 PM on November 11 [3 favorites]

Any clickbaity listicle of global guitar greats that opens with Franco has won me over from the get-go.
posted by joseph_elmhurst at 12:44 PM on November 11 [3 favorites]

Missing Pappo the Argentine guitarist. One of the all time greats (though, apparently a terrible guy). Pappo's blues goes hard as fuck
posted by dis_integration at 12:50 PM on November 11 [1 favorite]

Carlos Santana? Very obscure! Gotta see if I can find any of his recordings.
posted by Liquidwolf at 12:52 PM on November 11 [4 favorites]

Gilberto but not Jobim? Scandal.
posted by grumpybear69 at 1:19 PM on November 11 [1 favorite]

Thanks, some names here are definitely going to open new paths...
posted by nicolin at 1:55 PM on November 11 [1 favorite]

I hate to be that person who comes into a listicle post to complain, but seriously, no Jobim?
posted by Daily Alice at 2:05 PM on November 11 [1 favorite]

lots of great names on that list but I'm missing Michael Karoli big time. Also Michael Rother.
posted by philip-random at 2:13 PM on November 11 [3 favorites]

Seconding Michael Rother.
posted by whatevernot at 2:18 PM on November 11 [1 favorite]

i always thought jobim was best known for his piano playing (and his composition, of course). can someone point to examples of his guitar playing?

great list! thanks for posting.
posted by fingers_of_fire at 2:36 PM on November 11 [1 favorite]

From Guitar Hero to NPR tiny desk to this list. Wow. Yasmin Williams. Check her out.
posted by Increase at 2:45 PM on November 11 [4 favorites]

VM Bhatt's Hindustani is wonderful of course. But his collaborations with Ry Cooder and Taj mahal are astounding. Ganges Delta Blues is transcendent.
posted by indianbadger1 at 2:49 PM on November 11 [3 favorites]

Jobim was a pianist, Gilberto played guitar.
posted by joseph_elmhurst at 3:32 PM on November 11 [1 favorite]

Happy to see Ernest Ranglin on this list, really happy to see Yasmin Williams on it.
posted by box at 3:44 PM on November 11 [1 favorite]

This is an amazing list! Thanks for posting. Will be listening for days.

Although...

seems to be missing Gábor Szabó
posted by JohnFromGR at 3:53 PM on November 11 [3 favorites]

Ali Farka Toure "Amandrai" from his collaboration with Ry Cooder on "Talking Timbuktu". Never fails me.

posted by pthomas745 at 4:33 PM on November 11 [2 favorites]

Lists, right? Anyway, Michael Hedges is missing.
posted by ashbury at 4:58 PM on November 11 [4 favorites]

I'm not learned enough to pass judgment on the list, but "... rock’n’roll axis of axes"? That's nice.
posted by bryon at 5:36 PM on November 11 [1 favorite]

I know and like most of these players. For me, two notable omissions would be James Blackshaw and Jack Rose.
posted by dobbs at 6:11 PM on November 11 [2 favorites]

As usual for these lists, seems light on women - I mean no Bonnie Raitt or Rory Block?
posted by thecincinnatikid at 6:42 PM on November 11 [2 favorites]

Best post this year for me, outstanding.
posted by bookbook at 6:51 PM on November 11 [1 favorite]

As a Canadian, I'm duty bound to point out the skill of Liona Boyd (who has the kind of life that would make for an interesting biopic): classical, Spanish, folk, pop, etc.
posted by sardonyx at 6:54 PM on November 11 [2 favorites]

Good list.

My suggestions:

Ed Bickert (jazz)
Ida Presti (classical)

You can find some of their stuff on YT.
posted by Pouteria at 1:48 AM on November 12 [3 favorites]

Ah, crap, the page is suddenly 404—it looks as if the magazine has pulled it.

For anyone looking for the list of names...

I'd never heard of Derek Gripper, but wow:

When South African classical guitarist Derek Gripper released One Night on Earth in 2012, the general reaction was, “How on earth did he do that?” Taking the kora recordings of Toumani Diabaté, he painstakingly transcribed them, note by note, "as though it was a composition by Bach or Villa-Lobos" —and then applied himself to working out how the intricate themes, cycles and ornamentations of the kora’s 21 strings could be presented on a solo six-string classical guitar. Somehow, he cracked it, playing basslines, harmonic accompaniment and melodies simultaneously without overdubs.

Given that the list includes some lesser-known Western guitarists (but still fairly well-known to those who know), I'd throw in one of my dad's favourites, Leo Kottke. I love this album so much.
posted by rory at 4:08 AM on November 12 [3 favorites]

Wow. Only FOUR women out of 50 I counted, with one part of a duo. Do better, Songlines.
posted by tiny frying pan at 5:11 AM on November 12 [4 favorites]

Jobim was a pianist, Gilberto played guitar.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Antonio-Carlos-Jobim
posted by grumpybear69 at 8:03 AM on November 12 [1 favorite]

Some expert women who work mostly outside of rock then:

Marisa Anderson
Gwenifer Raymond
Hedvig Mollestad
Mary Halvorson

and lest we forget, Charo
posted by bendybendy at 8:06 AM on November 12 [3 favorites]

I guess there is no such thing as "classical guitar" that anyone needs to pay attention to, when making a list like this. You know, the world music contribution of Western Europe, in guitar form. Any list of "global guitar greats" that does not include Sharon Isbin, for example, is not much of a list.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 8:34 AM on November 12 [1 favorite]

"Few would argue that all modern guitar-playing could be said to begin with Django Reinhardt Charlie Christian."
posted by the sobsister at 8:58 AM on November 12 [1 favorite]

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Antonio-Carlos-Jobim

Jobim did play guitar, and there are videos of him doing just that on YT, but he is not known as a guitarist in the same way that Gilberto and, especially, Oscar Castro-Neves were. The linked article only shows a photo of Jobim with a guitar, but doesn't describe him as a guitarist in the text, noting, instead, his work with "singer-guitarist João Gilberto" and that Jobim's first instrument was piano.
posted by the sobsister at 9:38 AM on November 12 [3 favorites]

Kevin Shields is missing from this list big time.
posted by fmoralesc at 9:42 AM on November 12 [1 favorite]

This collaboration between V M Bhatt and Ry Cooder: Ganges Delta Blues, is among the greatest music ever recorded. Apparently, they recorded the whole A Meeting by the River album about an hour after meeting for the first time.
posted by signal at 1:55 PM on November 12 [2 favorites]

Tony Rice? Doc Watson? Norman Blake? Mississippi John Hurt?
posted by TomFrog at 4:15 PM on November 12 [1 favorite]

Brazilian guitarist Kiko Dinucci is one of my favorite players, both on his solo/duo records like the incredible Rastilho, and also with his band Metá Metá. Here’s a video of Kiko and Juçara Marçal performing the songs from Rastilho live. Very few people have full, credible samba chops and a deep knowledge of punk rock/experimental/noise music like Kiko (Arto Lindsay might be the only other person quite like that, I think)
posted by umbú at 10:30 AM on November 13 [2 favorites]