Jack Wilkins

Jazz Masters DVD Volume Two
Vestapol 13101 Distributed by Rounder Records
One Camp Street, Cambridge, MA 02140
A division of Stefan Grossman’s Workshop

The second volume of the Jazz Masters series is a must have for any
fan of jazz guitar. The video is a collection of various performances
and interviews from The Guitar Show, a weekly television program that
began in 1984 on Manhattan cable in New York City, that presented a
who’s who in the world of guitar playing. The DVD features four of
the greatest jazz guitar players of all time: Jack Wilkins, Herb
Ellis, Charlie Byrd, and Tal Farlow playing solo guitar. The
musicianship and sheer technical virtuosity of the guitarists on the
video is astonishing. Jack Wilkins gets things started off with his
beautiful renditions of Black Orpheus and Like Someone in Love. Herb
Ellis then follows with Days of Wine and Roses, Medley: Danny Boy and
Send In The Clowns, and an original Blues For Everywhere. Up next is
the Maryland native Charlie Bird playing three Medleys, Triste/
Corcovado, He Loves and She Loves/How Long Has This Been Going On and
I’ve Got it Bad (And That Ain’t Good)/ Satin Doll. Capping off the
performance is master jazz performer Tal Farlow playing his
renditions of Misty, Autumn in New York, A Foggy Day, and Body and
Soul. Every performance is superb keeping the viewer glued to their
seats and wanting more. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Brandon Bernstein