Best acoustic guitar playing:

I thought I would start an acoustic thread since we have sort of taken over the electric guitar one.

One vote: Martin Simpson

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He does Louisiana 1927 here:

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Not guitar but piano, the original by Randy Newman:

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Another flood song, John Lee Hooker, Tupelo:

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And now the great Rory Block, Crossroads:

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And a rare Son House film: Death letter blues from 1967:

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Another rare video of Skip James: I'm so Glad

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All I have to say about this one is WOW, Blind Willie Johnson C/0 NASA!
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A bit of Mississippi John Hurt live, You got to walk it by yourself:

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Silver Wings, great song, Rory block, live:

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Pepe Romero, Concierto de Aranjuez.

Wot, wronk kuitar?

Richard

Originally posted by Shallow Blue
Pepe Romero, Concierto de Aranjuez.

Wot, wronk kuitar?

Richard

For sure a great one. Have you heard Segovia doing it? I also like Julian Bream's version. Rodrigo always amazes me, knowing how to extract great sounds from the guitar even though blind.

Here is Bream doing Tarrega's Capricho Arabe:

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He seems to be channeling Segovia, perhaps because he was one of his best students.

And the Rodrigo you love:
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Part 2:

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Dammit, the thing ends prematurely.

Here is an interview with Bream:

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Here is one from an old tv show, this is your life, I think it plays all of it:
Stephan Grappeli age 89, and John Williams show up also.

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Here is the ten year old set, little virtuoso in training!:

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And an even younger kid, SEVEN!:

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Here he is at the ripe old age of 8, playing a Sor piece:

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I have to admit: just listening to the simple humility and integrity of JLH's Tupelo is enough to bring the careful listener to tears.

I forwarded the link to my 15 year-old with the message: "You want to know what the instrument is all about? Start and finish here."

Thanks for the links. They're all gems.

High on the list of great guitarists is Christopher Parkening, I always thought his version of Jesu Joy of mans desiring was the best ever. I finally found a video you tube of him doing it. I don't think it quite matches the magnificence of the studio version but it is quite stunning:

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Christopher speaks of the one who transcribed the 'official version' well, here he is:
Rick Foster himself:

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I just found this amazing version on the Kalimba!:

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Originally posted by sonhouse
For sure a great one. Have you heard Segovia doing it? I also like Julian Bream's version. Rodrigo always amazes me, knowing how to extract great sounds from the guitar even though blind.

Here is Bream doing Tarrega's Capricho Arabe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3d4qKJZGkQ

He seems to be channeling Segovia, perhaps because he was one of his best ...[text shortened]... d age of 8, playing a Sor piece:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6ICDimpMjY&feature=related

I have seen Mr Bream in concert, at the royal scottish academy of music and drama😏 Plays a mean lute as well!

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
I have seen Mr Bream in concert, at the royal scottish academy of music and drama😏 Plays a mean lute as well!

Lucky devil! I never saw ANY of the truly great ones except the Rev. Gary Davis who gave me a couple of guitar lessons. Oh yeah, I did have a lesson from Pete Seeger, we closed down a bar together with a few other people after a concert in Lincoln Nebraska, he played my 12 string martin, a D-12 20. He said, 'It's a little small'! He taught me 'Livin in the country' one of his signature 12 string pieces.

I just came across this gem by Joni Mitchell, a very early acoustic version of
I once had a king. Incredible guitar! She has used over 50 guitar tunings in her career!

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"You know my keys don't fit the door, You know my thoughts don't fit the man".....

Just found a nice video of Ry Cooder live, Vigilante Man (Woodie Guthrie):
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Doc Watson

Originally posted by sonhouse
I thought I would start an acoustic thread since we have sort of taken over the electric guitar one.

One vote: Martin Simpson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQELHWJTdRU&feature=related

He does Louisiana 1927 here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3nv4vdASBQ&feature=channel

Not guitar but piano, the original by Randy Newman:

http://www.yout ...[text shortened]... ed

Silver Wings, great song, Rory block, live:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C58CGPMyFyM

Guitar: Eric Clapton He'll always be my fav!

Originally posted by buckky
Doc Watson

Yep, he is one of my favorites too, he lost his son Merle about 20 years ago, they used to play together. I saw him a couple of times at McCabes Guitar shop (my band played there 6 times also) and we met him once at a festival we both played at Appalachian State University, a great little university!

Here he is in the 60's playing Deep River Blues:

http://acousticguitarists.net/2009/08/30/doc-watson-youtube-deep-river-blues/

There is a close up of him playing, notice he uses just thumb and index finger on this piece. He was a fan of Merle Travis and named his son after him. RIP both Merle's.

Here is another great one: Leo Kottke, also doing Deep River Blues on 12 string as only he can:

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Here he is talking about meeting Bob Dylan:

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Here he is on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion with Doc Watson. I didn't like the way they were miked, Doc's guitar is almost not there, the mike is on his voice, not the guitar, they should have fixed that:

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BTW, here is someone you may not have ever heard but he has already won a Grammy: Al Pettrway, scroll down to the video to hear him.

http://acousticguitarists.net/2010/03/19/eric-clapton-acoustic-guitar-youtube-sunshine-of-your-love/

Originally posted by bill718
Guitar: Eric Clapton He'll always be my fav!

One of the great ones for sure:

acoustic version of Sunshine of your love:

http://acousticguitarists.net/2010/03/19/eric-clapton-acoustic-guitar-youtube-sunshine-of-your-love/

Originally posted by sonhouse
For sure a great one. Have you heard Segovia doing it? I also like Julian Bream's version. Rodrigo always amazes me, knowing how to extract great sounds from the guitar even though blind.

Alas. no. I've never heard Segovia in any quality recording. I heard Bream on the BBC some time ago and wasn't overwhelmed. Good, but less to my taste than Romero.
You mention Grapelli. I only know him from gypsy jazz, but at that he's phenomenal.

Richard

Originally posted by sonhouse
High on the list of great guitarists is Christopher Parkening, I always thought his version of Jesu Joy of mans desiring was the best ever. I finally found a video you tube of him doing it. I don't think it quite matches the magnificence of the studio version but it is quite stunning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KHk_JNVpvw

Christopher speaks of th ...[text shortened]... mazing version on the Kalimba!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj7jJA-RJto&feature=related

Found some Parkening on youtube. Interesting, his comments on his goals as an artist...

The late great Michael Hedges. He blathers on in the beginning, kicks off at around 3mins in.

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Similar sort of vein. Preston Reed.

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And the sublime Kelly Joe Phelps

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Originally posted by Proper Knob
The late great Michael Hedges. He blathers on in the beginning, kicks off at around 3mins in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLXBABH2JuY

Similar sort of vein. Preston Reed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI29XhoejBE&feature=related

And the sublime Kelly Joe Phelps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvLKCMfL0TQ

I found this one of Hedges playing harp guitar: Double Planet.

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Here is a piece that really impressed me when I first heard it in 1963 at the Denver Folklore Center, Harry Tuft, the owner put this on for me, I was floored and had to get the album, I thought it was a watershed for its day, the record was Bert Jansch, Lucky Thirteen, I still have that album.

Anyway here is the original, well half original, this tune was written by Davy Graham, although a friend of mine in Tel Aviv, Shay Tochner, great guitarist in his own right, said Graham ripped it off of a friend, anyway all that aside, here is Angie, 1963. Paul Simon tried to record this tune but was a bit short of Bert Jansch:

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Here is the original by Davy Graham:

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Here is a video by Davy Graham in 1959!: Cry me a river

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Here is Davy again ten years later in another B&W video:

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Davy was heavily influenced by middle east music:

this is on a shirley collins/Davy Graham album in the early 60's

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This cut, Nottamun town, shows Davy playing in the style that Bert Jansch and John Renbourn took over in the later super group Pentangle:

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Here is Pentangle, Jacquie McShee, John Renbourn, Bert Jansch, Danny Thomas:
You can hear Davy's influence in their playing here:

Light Flight

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Another piece, Bert taking the lead, train song, more Davy influence:

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Bert Jansch just a few years ago doing Black Waterside:

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This concert was Bert's 60th birthday tribute:

The Riverbank

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Here is the first part of a Bert Jansch documentary:

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Part two:

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Part 3:

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