[strumminsix]

If we are going to count jazz

Okay, I'll say it. Every f*!cking thing done by Davis & Coltrane!

I am especially fond of an All Blues that I've got from a live performance (non-official, true tapper). It just sparkles with energy and a unique interplay that I've not heard elsewhwere and is far superior to the studio cut.

[amyjared]

Rickover's Dream (Michael Hedges)
This is an amazing piece of music. The guy is dead, so I can't see him live, but I'd love to see how he plays this. He must have an extra set of hands. Wikipedia describes his playing style, but I have a hard time visualizing what he's doing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Hedges

Amen. Having had the pleasure of seeing Michael live on several occasions, I still can't describe it! There was even a sign language interpreter for his instrumentals! He was the hendrix of the acoustic, doing things no one was quite sure how you could do. The Funky Avocado was incredible. He was dating a friend of mine and she brought him by to meet me one day when I wasn't there. Bummer. He will be missed!

[jahozer]

Hey,
a little off topic, but I had a chance to see and then hang out with the California Guitar Trio a couple of weeks ago. If you are not familiar with them, they are freakin amazing. And really nice guys.
They are former students of Robert Fripps Guitar Craft. His communal almost cult like guitar school he had in the 80's. They were members of what was called the League of Crafty Guitarists. I remember seeing them on a alt/jazz show in 88 or 89.
They had the craziest stories about Robert and luuved to talk about theory and performance. The one guy was asking my opinion on if I thought it would be cool if they played Frank Zappa's G-spot Tornado!!!!!!!
Go see them if you get the chance.
All instrumental if that allows me to tie them into this thread.

[Shaggy]

I just think Jessica is the complete, pefect rock instrumental. Without really going into full on jazz or classical pieces.

A few others up there for me are:

Sparks - The Who
Albatross - Fleetwood Mac
Embryonic Journey - Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane)
Apache - The Shadows
Guitar Tango - The Shadows (love Hank Marvin's guitar playing in general)
Les Brers In A Minor - Allman Brothers (I love the killer main theme)

AND fianlly for now:

Eep Hour - Jerry Garcia:

Off his first solo album. The way Garcia stacked acoustic guitars, organ, piano, bass, fuzzed electric and pedal steel guitars(all played by himself) was brilliant. I don't think there was a more delicate, beautiful instrumental possible.

[jck_strw]

Embryonic Journey - Jorma Kaukonen

Headslap! A huge ommission from my list.

Sitting 2 feet from Jorma and having him spend an hour teaching me that song is one of the high points of my life.

[jck_strw]

Amen. Having had the pleasure of seeing Michael live on several occasions, I still can't describe it! There was even a sign language interpreter for his instrumentals! He was the hendrix of the acoustic, doing things no one was quite sure how you could do. The Funky Avocado was incredible. He was dating a friend of mine and she brought him by to meet me one day when I wasn't there. Bummer. He will be missed!

Wow, so did he really have another set of hands? The guy could do unnaturally wonderful things with a guitar. Truly in a class of his own. It's a shame most people have never heard of him. But I guess you could say that about a lot of music/ians.

[jck_strw]

Ack! Did we lose the 'edit our own post' button?

I don't know about anyone else, but I hate when phpBB (the software, not the user) turns my smiley emoticon into that goofy rainbow note.

[yem]

if you are gonna include you enjoy myself then i gotta give divided sky some love
it's got one line repeated a few times..not bad for a 10+ minute song

and if we can count jazz than anything mmw does is absolute gold

[phreaker]

jessica, no doubt.

runner up:

the eleven.

speaking of which...despite the fact that whats become of the babys amazing, mysterious lyrics, who thought the eleven could have made the record, instead of whats become of the baby? i find it annoying to have to keep getting up and moving the the needle to cosmic charley.

go to archive and look for the aoxomoxoa outtakes. no doubt eleven was better live (way better) but it still is a good studio track

[phreaker]

yeah, whered the edit button go?

i just wanted to add this:

you guys ever hear of Split Lip Rayfield? Ive seen em at least 15 times, probably more including wakarusa.

they usually always end on a song called "san antone" and throw in a little Orange Blossom special, and then back into San Antone. its my fav. song to see live, its shorter (longest i saw them do it was MAYBE ten minutes with the Special)

awesome band to see live. so much energy.

[Billbbill]

Another rough question. I'll go back to a song from the band in the original post.

Blue Sky

I can't help but smile ear to ear when I hear this tune.

[Billbbill]

Umm never mind. We're talkin' instrumentals, right. Oh well. I knew that.

[Ben]

"Gold and Silver" - Quicksilver Messenger Service

"Toad" - Cream

And speaking of jazz, my favorite album is "Moanin'" by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Every song on there is perfect!

[Shaggy]

Pet Sounds from Pet Sounds is another. Nice clean guitar on it.

I suppose the best instrumental the GD wrote was Slipknot. But you could more or less get away with calling Dark Star and The Eleven instrumentals don't you think? Since it's the music rather than the lyrics of those two that stick out after all these years. I mean come on, The Eleven? Not exactly the most quotable song lyrically is it!? Musically wonderful though.

[amyjared]

I forgot about Doc! I love Windy and Warm, Black Mountain Rag and Beaumont Rag! Also, glad someone mentioned Steve Howe. I love playing Mood for a Day, the first instrumental I really learned all the way through on guitar.