The following "Top 100 Jazz Guitar Albums" list is the result of the numerous emails I get from people asking me to suggest jazz guitar cds to listen to. I decided to make this list with the help from forum members. About 220 people submitted their favorite jazz guitar albums and the result is this Top 100 list. At the bottom of this page is another list, a Top 10 of jazz guitarists. I ordered them according to how many times they were mentioned in the Top 100 thread on the forum. Although not very scientific, both lists are a good starting point for beginning jazz guitarists in terms of recommended listening.
Al Di Meola - Elegant Gypsy Allan Holdsworth - Metal Fatigue Antonio Carlos Jobim - Wave Baden Powell - At the Rio Jazz Club Barney Kessel - Kessel Plays Standards Barney Kessel - The Poll Winners Barry Galbraith - Guitar and the Wind (only available together with the album Manhatten Jazz Septette) Bill Frisell - East/West Bireli Lagrene - Gypsy Project Bireli Lagrene - Standards Bucky and John Pizzarelli - Contrasts Charlie Byrd - At The Village Vanguard Charlie Byrd - The Guitar Artistry of Charlie Byrd Charlie Christian - Genius of the Electric Guitar Charlie Christian - Solo Flight Charlie Hunter - Bing Bing Bing Danny Gatton - Untouchable Django Reinhardt - Djangology Django Reinhardt - Quintet du Hot Club de France Earl Klugh - One on One Ed Bickert - Live at The Garden Party Eddie Lang - Jazz Guitar Virtuoso Emily Remler - Firefly Ernest Ranglin - Below the Bassline Frank Gambale - Thinking Out Loud George Barnes - Don't Get Around Much Anymore George Benson - Bad Benson George Benson - Breezin' George Benson - Beyond the Blue Horizon George Benson - The George Benson Cookbook George Van Eps - Mellow Guitar Grant Green - Green Street Grant Green - Idle Moments Grant Green - The Complete Quartets With Sonny Clark Hank Garland - Jazz Winds From a New Direction Herb Ellis/Joe Pass - Seven, Come Eleven Herb Ellis/Joe Pass - Two for the Road Howard Alden/George Van Eps - 13 Strings Howard Roberts - HR Is A Dirty Guitar Player Jeff Beck - Blow by Blow Jim Hall - Concierto Jim Hall - Live Jim Hall/Bill Evans - Intermodulation Jim Hall/Bill Evans - Undercurrent Jim Hall/Ron Carter - Alone Together Jimmy Bruno - Burnin' Jimmy Raney - Wisteria Joe Beck - Strangers in the Night Joe Diorio Trio - Live Joe Pass - For Django Joe Pass - Virtuoso John Abercrombie - Timeless John Basile - The Desmond Project John McLaughlin - Extrapolation John Scofield - A Go Go John Scofield - Hand Jive Johnny Smith - Johnny Smith Johnny Smith - Moonligh in Vermont (w Stan Getz) Jonathan Kreisberg - Unearth Kenny Burrell - Guitar Forms Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue Kevin Eubanks - Guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel - Deep Song Larry Carlton - Last Nite Larry Coryell (w John McLaughlin) - Spaces Lee Ritenour - Rit's House Lenny Breau - Live on Bourbon Street Luiz Bonfa - Solo in Rio 1959 Martin Taylor - Spirit of Django Mike Stern - Play Mike Stern - Standards (and Other Songs) Mike Stern - Upside Downside Mundel Lowe - Guitar Moods Nguyen Le - Walking on the Tiger's Tail Norman Brown - After the Storm Pat Martino - El Hombre Pat Martino - Footprints Pat Metheny - Bright Size Life Pat Metheny - Question and Answer Pat Metheny/Charlie Haden - Beyond The Missouri Sky Pat Metheny/John Scofield - I can see Your House From Here Peter Bernstein - Earth Tones Peter White - Caravan of Dreams Phillip Catherine - Summer Night Ralph Towner - Solstice Rene Thomas Quintet - Guitar Groove Robben Ford - Tiger Walk Ronny Jordan - The Antidote Rosenberg Trio - Caravan Stanley Jordan - Stolen Moments Steve Kahn - The Suitcase (Live) Sylvain Luc - Trio Sud Tal Farlow - Verve Jazz Masters 41 Ted Greene - Solo Guitar Tuck Andress - Wreckless Precision Wes Montgomery - Boss Guitar Wes Montgomery - Bumpin' Wes Montgomery - Full House Wes Montgomery - Smokin' at the Half Note Wes Montgomery - The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery