It's virtually impossible to imagine modern music without the contributions of Les Paul. Not only was he a brilliant jazz guitarist with no fear of pop or country, he literally laid the framework for how a good electric guitar should be made when he designed his famous Les Paul model for Gibson Guitars. Add in the fact that he single-handedly invented multi-track recording with the release of "Lover" in 1948, and his influence is pervasive, if not always acknowledged, even in today's 21st century hip-hop world. This delightful collection brings together rare 16" radio transcription discs Paul did in 1944 and 1945, shortly after he was discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces. Although billed as a trio, the band here is really a quartet, with Paul on lead guitar, Cal Gooden, Jr. on rhythm guitar, Clint Nordquist on upright bass, and probably Bob Armstrong on piano (Paul used several piano players during this time period, but Armstrong is the most likely candidate for these sessions).
After eight years away from the microphones, Les Paul joined forces with country music's Chet Atkins in a marvelously relaxed, tasty session of cross-cultural jamming. The sound of the backup band may be Nashville country, but the tunes, mostly drawn from Paul's repertoire, are jazz and pop standards ("Caravan," "It's Been a Long, Long Time," "Avalon," etc.)…
It seems that Les Paul had a relaxing effect on Atkins in the studio, because this disc, which compiles their two studio efforts, is charming. The production is modest and both pickers are in sharp form. The country twang added to standards like "It's Been a Long, Long Time" is irresistible.
More than just a roundup of the Les Paul Trio's Decca recordings – which by themselves wouldn't add up to a single CD, let alone two – this 50-track set is a bewilderingly diverse compendium of Paul's adventures in show business prior to his string of hits with Mary Ford. In doing so, MCA has made amends for at least four decades of neglect, unearthing ten previously unreleased tracks as part of the deal.
This is classic material. 4 CD's loaded with one song after another of magic guitar playing. The sound is terrific and Mary Ford adds great vocals to many of the cuts although there are also many instrumentals. The years covered here are from 1948 - 1957 and includes some portions of the Les Paul Radio Show with songs and dialogue between Les and Mary. In addition to being a guitar genius, Les Paul was also an inventor who developed a variety of techniques still used today (such as multi-tracking) and they are on display in this set of music. Wonderful music, great sound, terrific vocals. This is music made in a different era before rock took over the airwaves. There is nothing in your face about it and there is a 40's feel to the pop tunes but great music stands the test of time and this certainly qualifies. Highly recommended.
A year after Les Paul's death, Jeff Beck saluted the guitar pioneer by staging a rousing tribute show to the great man at Paul’s regular stomping ground, the Iridium Jazz Club. Backed by his current running mates the Imelda May Band, Beck enlisted some heavy-hitters for help – Brian Setzer comes in for the rock & roll, Trombone Shorty for the jazz, Gary U.S. Bonds sings some oldies – all the better to get the party started. Despite its title, Rock 'N' Roll Party skews ever so slightly to the old-fashioned swing and standards that were Paul's specialty and with the notable exception of tightly wound versions of “The Train Kept A Rollin’” and “Twenty Flight Rock,” even the rockers feel closer to jump blues than rockabilly. And that’s fine: a tribute to Les Paul's music shouldn’t be greasy, it should be a jumping, joyous blast of nostalgia, which is precisely what this party is.
2007 four CD Proper box featuring 108 tracks recorded by the famed duo. Les Paul pioneered electric guitar design and multi-track recording and along the way invented the synthesizer. He was also a very fine guitarist himself and with vocalist Mary Ford had considerable chart success with songs of varying styles, all included here. Les Paul's influence as a guitarist is acknowledged by musicians ranging from B.B. King, Jerry Garcia and Eric Clapton to James Burton, Frank Zappa, Keith Richards and Jeff Beck.