Chet+atkins

At 73, with hundreds of albums and countless sessions to his credit, Chet Atkins still had another great recording in him – this splendid duo session with the young Australian guitarist/composer Tommy Emmanuel. Here, Atkins leaves all of the smooth jazz experiments from the previous decade and a half behind him, choosing superior material for their acoustic guitars, with the rhythm section laying down swinging country-pie tracks underneath. Emmanuel's fingerpicking style isn't quite as tied to the rhythm as Atkins'; it's a little sharper in attack, fleeter in technique and a bit flashier in temperament, yet remarkably well-matched to that of the east Tennessee master, almost an alter ego.

These two RCA LPs came out in '64 and '65 when Chet was at the height of his success with the label, scoring his biggest country hit (#4) with Yakety Axe . That classic joins 23 others by the late Nashville icon, including Freight Train; Winter Walkin'; Alone and Forsaken; Guitar Country ; his own versions of Johnny Cash's Understand Your Man and Bob Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind, and more!

One of the most influential guitarists of the 20th century, as well as a legendary musician and producer within country music. Without Chet Atkins, country music may never have crossed over into the pop charts in the '50s and '60s. Although he recorded hundreds of solo records, Atkins' largest influence came as a session musician and a record producer. During the '50s and '60s, he helped create the Nashville sound, a style of country music that owed nearly as much to pop as it did to honky tonks. And as a guitarist, he was without parallel.

The Essential Chet Atkins: The Columbia Years collects 15 tracks from eight albums recorded between 1983 and 1997. While Atkins never fully gives up his country roots, much of this material leans in a definite jazz-pop direction, highlighted by memorable collaborations with Mark Knopfler on "Poor Boy Blues," "So Soft, Your Goodbye," and "I'll See You in My Dreams." Atkins also trades licks with Tommy Emmanuel on "Dixie McGuire" and "Road to Gundaghi/Waltzing Matilda," as well as longtime buddy Jerry Reed on "Sneakin' Around." The selections have been digitally remastered so every tiny musical nuance can be detected, which should no doubt satisfy guitar enthusiasts and Atkins fans.

Another of Chet Atkins' attempts to break into the jazz world during his Columbia period, this recording veers well across the line into new age wallowing of the most innocuous kind. At this point in time, when a record opened with soothing ocean waves, followed by a gentle wash of synths, you could pretty much expect the new age to be lapping at your feet throughout. As he has with so many other genres, Atkins displays an instinctive grasp of this feel-good idiom, though he has to hold back his powers of invention to conform to its clichés and repetitions. Yet even amidst the twittering sound effects and electronic drums of "Up in My Treehouse" and the listless treatment of Keith Jarrett's "My Song," Atkins' guitar always exudes dignity.

Here, we skim off the cream from one of the most remarkable series of duets in the history of recording. The list of partners Chet Atkins has recorded with is astonishing in its breadth, and this LP only covers the list up to 1976, with not a single weak or even middling selection. Without batting an eye, he can engage in a remarkable country-jazz flavored duet with Lenny Breau on "Sweet Georgia Brown." Another highlight is the extended fun and games with Les Paul on "Avalon" (from Chester and Lester), with the hilarious studio chatter left in – and not to be missed is a sample of Atkins' successful collaboration with the massive forces of Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops on "The Battle of New Orleans/Sugarfoot Rag."