Grant Green Byrd

Yes, Steeve Laffont is a Manouche, and yes again, he plays in Django style as only a handful of guitarists can. But his hopes and wishes as well as his talent are not limited to this obsessive technical skill, nor are his personal musical universe and artistic ambitions limited to working in the wake of Django and his various approaches to jazz. He s been playing guitar in different styles forever (or so it seems), always with the same fervour, the same strong desire, and the same spontaneity. So he is quietly evolving in different ways with the same supple feline grace as Grant Green, the same controlled fieriness as Wes Montgomery, the same sophisticated elegance as Joe Pass, the same sense of melody as Charlie Byrd, the same rolling groove as George Benson, the same elegant lyricism as Jim Hall. Steeve Laffont spells happiness that of innocence found once again, the pure inspiration of an unaffected, direct style constantly aimed at pleasure and jubilation.

A mini-retrospective of Herbie Hancock's early years as a jazz artist, this six-track CD touches on some of his best-known small-ensemble works from that period. ~ AllMusic

Takin' Off was an impressive debut effort from Herbie Hancock, and his second record, My Point of View, proved that it was no fluke. Hancock took two risks with the album - his five original compositions covered more diverse stylistic ground than his debut, and he assembled a large septet for the sessions; the band features such stellar musicians as trumpeter Donald Byrd, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, drummer Tony Williams, guitarist Grant Green, bassist Chuck Israels, and trombonist Grachan Moncur III. It's a rare occasion that all seven musicians appear on the same track, which speaks well for the pianist's arranging capabilities…

Steeve Laffont - New Quintet (2012) {Le Chant Du Monde ‎2742018}
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© 2012 Le Chant Du Monde / Harmonia Mundi | ‎2742018
Jazz / Swing / Jazz Manouche / Gypsy Jazz / Guitar

Yes, Steeve Laffont is a Manouche, and yes again, he plays in Django style as only a handful of guitarists can. But his artistic ambitions are not limited to working in the wake of Django and his singular approach to jazz. Laffont has equal talent playing guitar in many other styles and he approaches all of them with the same fervor and the same spontaneity. In his playing you can hear the same supple feline grace as Grant Green, the same controlled fieriness as Wes Montgomery, the same sophisticated elegance as Joe Pass, the same sense of melody as Charlie Byrd and the same rolling groove as George Benson. New Quintet's twelve brilliant tracks amply display the many colors and strengths of Laffont's artistry.

Jimmy Ponder - Jump (1989) {Muse MCD 5347}
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© 1989 Muse Records | MCD 5347
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Jazz Blues / Guitar

Ponder is a good guitarist in the Grant Green school, a fine soul/blues player. An excellent guitarist with a soulful sound and the ability to uplift any funky jazz date, Jimmy Ponder has appeared on many recordings during his long career, over 80 as a sideman and 15 as a leader. Ponder began playing guitar when he was 14 and considers Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell to be his two main early influences and Wes Montgomery later on.