Tal Farlow
Background information
Birth name	Talmage Holt Farlow
Born	June 7, 1921
Origin	Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
Died	July 25, 1998 (aged 77), New York City, New York
Genres	Mainstream jazz, bebop, cool jazz
Occupations	Guitarist, Sign Painter
Instruments	Guitar
Associated acts	Red Norvo, Artie Shaw

Talmage Holt Farlow (June 7, 1921 – July 25, 1998) was an American jazz guitarist. Nicknamed the "Octopus", for his extremely large hands spread over the fretboard as if they were tentacles, he is considered one of the all-time great jazz guitarists. Where other similar players of his day combined rhythmic chords with linear melodies, Farlow preferred placing single notes together in clusters, varying between harmonically richened tones based on a startling new technique.

Biography[link]

Farlow was born in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1921. Nearly as famous for his reluctance to perform publicly as for his outstanding abilities, he did not take up the instrument until he was 21, (actually, his father introduced him to the mandolin, which is tuned in fifths instead of fourths, where he showed Tal a few basic chords. from here he was self taught. He switched the a full size guitar as a teenager, around the time he started working as a sign painter(a fall back source of cash for many years). but within a year (by which is meant, after several years of working as a part time giging musician in his home town) was playing professionally and in 1948 was with Marjorie Hyams' band. While with the Red Norvo Trio (which originally included Charles Mingus) from 1949–1953, Farlow became famous in the jazz world. His huge hands and ability to play rapid yet light lines, which earned him the nickname "Octopus", made him one of the top guitarists of the era. After six months with Artie Shaw's Gramercy Five in 1953, Farlow put together his own group, which for a time included pianist Eddie Costa.

In 1958, Farlow retired from full-time performing and settled in Sea Bright, New Jersey, returning to a career as a sign painter. He continued to play occasional dates in local clubs, however.^[1] In 1962 the Gibson Guitar Corporation, with Farlow's participation, produced the "Tal Farlow" model in their prestigious Artist Model line. The guitar seen in the picture at right is a prototype model. The production model has a mandolin-style scroll at the top of the body.

Farlow only made one record as a leader during 1960–1975, but emerged a bit more often during 1976–1984, recording for Concord fairly regularly before largely disappearing again. He was profiled in the documentary film, Talmage Farlow, made in 1980/81. The guitarist can be heard on his records for Blue Note (a 10" LP in 1954), Norgran (later Verve, 1954–60), and Prestige (1969), aa well those for Concord. He died of cancer at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City on July 25, 1998 at the age of 77.^[2]

Discography[link]

• The Tal Farlow Quartet (1954; Blue Note)
• The Tal Farlow Album (1954; Norgran)
• The Artistry of Tal Farlow (1955; Norgran)
• The Interpretations of Tal Farlow (1955; Norgran)
• A Recital by Tal Farlow (1955; Norgran)
• Swing Guitars (1955; Norgran)
• Poppin' and Burnin' (1955; Verve)
• Guitar Player (1974; Prestige)
• Tal (1956; Norgran)
• Fuerst Set (1956; Xanadu Records)
• Second Set (1956; Xanadu)
• Metronome All-Stars, 1956 Verve MGV 8030
• The Swinging Guitar of Tal Farlow (1957; Verve)
• This is Tal Farlow (1958; Verve)
• The Guitar Artistry of Tal Farlow (1960; Verve)
• Tal Farlow Plays the Music of Harold Arlen (1960; Verve)
• The Return of Tal Farlow (1969; Prestige Records)
• Trinity (1976; CBS Sony)
• A Sign of the Times (1977; Concord)
• Tal Farlow '78 (1978; Concord)
• On Stage (1981; Concord)
• Chromatic Palette (1981; Concord)
• Cookin' on all Burners (1983; Concord)
• The Legendary Tal Farlow (1985; Concord)
• All Strings Attached (1987; JazzVisions)
• Standards Recital (1993; FD Music)
• Project G-5: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery (1993; Evidence Records)
• Jazz Masters 41 Tal Farlow (1995; Verve)
• Tal Farlow (1996; Giants of Jazz)
• Chance Meeting (1997; Guitarchives Tal Farlow & Lenny Breau - Music from the Soundtrack of Talmage Farlow.)
• Live at the Public Theatre (2000; Productions A-Propos The Tal Farlow Trio (with Tommy Flanagan & Red Mitchell - Music from the Soundtrack of Talmage Farlow.)
• Tal Farlow's Finest Hour (2001; Verve)
• Tal's Blues (2002; Past Perfect)
• Two Guys with Guitars (2004; Frozen Sky Records)
• The Complete Verve Tal Farlow Sessions (2004; Mosaic)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Tal Farlow page at Allmusic
• [ Tal Farlow film site]
• [ Tal Farlow] at Find A Grave

Barney Kessel
Background information
Born	(1923-10-17)October 17, 1923
Origin	Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA
Died	May 6, 2004(2004-05-06) (aged 80) San Diego
Genres	Jazz, pop
Occupations	Guitarist
Instruments	guitar
Years active	1940's–1992
Associated acts	Chico Marx, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Sonny Rollins, Phil Spector, The Beach Boys, The Monkees, The Wrecking Crew, many others

Barney Kessel (October 17, 1923 – May 6, 2004) was an American jazz guitarist born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA. Generally considered to be one of the greatest jazz guitarists of the 20th century,^[1] he was noted in particular for his vast knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies. He was a member of many prominent jazz groups as well as a "first call" guitarist for studio, film, and television recording sessions. Kessel was a member of the group of session musicians known as The Wrecking Crew.

Biography[link]

Kessel began his career as a teenager touring with local dance bands before moving on to bands such as that led by Chico Marx. He quickly established himself as a key post-Charlie Christian jazz guitarist. In 1944 he participated in the film Jammin' the Blues, which featured Lester Young, and in 1947 he recorded with Charlie Parker's New Stars on the Relaxin' at Camarillo session for Dial Records. He is featured on the compilation Charlie Parker on Dial.^[2] He was rated the No. 1 guitarist in Esquire, Down Beat, and Playboy magazine polls between 1947 and 1960.^[3]

Barney Kessel is known for his innovative work in the guitar trio setting. In the 1950s, he made a series of albums called The Poll Winners with Ray Brown on bass and Shelly Manne on drums. He was also the prominent guitarist on Julie London's definitive recording of "Cry Me a River". Also from the '50s, his three Kessel Plays Standards volumes contain some of his most polished work.

Kessel was also a member of the Oscar Peterson Trio with Ray Brown for a year, leaving in 1953. The guitar chair was called the hardest gig in show business since Peterson often liked to play at breakneck tempos. Herb Ellis took over from Kessel. Kessel also played with Sonny Rollins in the late '50s and can be heard on the Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders album on songs like "How High the Moon".

A "first call" guitarist at Columbia Pictures, during the 1960s Kessel became one of the most in-demand session guitarists in America, and is considered a key member of the group of first-call session musicians now usually known as The Wrecking Crew. In this capacity he played on hundreds of famous pop recordings including albums and singles by Phil Spector, The Beach Boys, The Monkees and many others. He appeared in an acting part playing a jazz guitarist named "Barney" in one episode of the Perry Mason TV show. He also wrote and arranged the source music, including a jazz version of "Here Comes the Bride", provided by the jazz combo that figured in the story.

In 1961 The Gibson Guitar Corporation introduced The Barney Kessel model guitar onto the market and continued to make them until 1973.

One custom instrument Kessel played was essentially a 12-string guitar neck attached to a mandolin body (similar to Vox's mando guitar), which may have been played on the intro to The Beach Boys' "Wouldn't It Be Nice."

He played Mister Spock's theme on bass, which first appeared in the Star Trek episode Amok Time.

During the 1970s, Kessel presented his seminar 'The Effective Guitarist' in various locations around the world, and he performed extensively with Ellis and Charlie Byrd as the "Great Guitars."

Kessel's sons David and Daniel also became session musicians, working with Phil Spector during the 1970s.^[4] He was married to B. J. Baker.

On Pete Townshend's 1983 album Scoop, Townshend paid homage to the guitarist with the instrumental song "To Barney Kessel".

Kessel died of a brain tumor in San Diego. He had been in poor health after suffering a stroke in 1992.

Discography[link]

As leader[link]

Kessel playing a Guild guitar.

• Vol. 1: Easy Like (Contemporary 1953/1955)
• Vol. 2: Kessel Plays Standards (Contemporary 1954/1955)
• Vol. 3: To Swing or Not to Swing (Contemporary 1955) with Sweets Edison, Georgie Auld, Jimmy Rowles
• Music to Listen to Barney Kessel by (Contemporary 1956)
• The Poll Winners (Contemporary 1957) with Shelly Manne, Ray Brown
• Let's Cook! (Contemporary 1957)
• The Poll Winners Ride Again (Contemporary 1958) with Shelly Manne, Ray Brown
• Kessel plays Carmen (Contemporary 1958)
• The Poll Winners Three! (Contemporary 1959) with Shelly Manne, Ray Brown
• Some Like It Hot (Contemporary 1959) with Art Pepper
• The Poll Winners – Exploring the Scene! (Contemporary 1960) with Shelly Manne, Ray Brown
• Barney Kessel's Swingin' Party at Contemporary (Contemporary 1960)
• Bossa Nova (1962)
• Workin' Out with the Barney Kessel Quartet (Contemporary 1961)
• Feeling Free (Contemporary 1969) with Bobby Hutcherson, Elvin Jones
• Autumn Leaves (Black Lion Records, 1969)
• The Poll Winners – Straight Ahead (Contemporary 1975) with Shelly Manne, Ray Brown
• Solo (Concord Records, 1981)
• Spontaneous Combustion (Contemporary 1987) with the Monty Alexander Trio
• Red Hot and Blues (Contemporary 1988) with Bobby Hutcherson, Kenny Barron, Rufus Reid, Ben Riley

As sideman[link]

With Milt Jackson

• Ballads & Blues (Atlantic, 1956)

With Oliver Nelson

• Soulful Brass with Steve Allen (Impulse!, 1968)

With Sonny Rollins

• Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders (Contemporary, 1958)

References[link]

External links[link]

Biography portal

• Barney Kessel biography at Allmusic
• http://members.aol.com/kenbrowgtr/kessel.html
• "Barney Kessel". Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8729480. Retrieved August 10, 2010. 

Leonard Harold "Lenny" Breau (August 5, 1941 – August 12, 1984) was a musician, guitar player, and music educator. He was known for blending many styles of music including: jazz, country, classical and flamenco guitar. Breau, inspired by country guitarists like Chet Atkins, used fingerstyle techniques not often used in jazz guitar.

Biography[link]

Breau was born August 5, 1941, in Auburn, Maine. His francophone parents, Harold "Hal Lone Pine" Breau and Betty Cody (née Coté), were professional country and western musicians who performed and recorded from the mid-1930s until (in Hal Breau's case) the mid-1970s. Their son began playing guitar at the age of eight. When he was twelve years old he started a small band with friends, and by the age of fourteen he was the lead guitarist for his parents' band, billed as "Lone Pine Junior", playing Merle Travis and Chet Atkins instrumentals and occasionally singing.^[1] Breau made his first professional recordings in Westbrook, Maine at the age of 15 while working as a studio musician.^[2] Many of these recordings were released posthumously on a CD appropriately titled Boy Wonder.

The Breau family moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1957, and their new band travelled and performed around the city and province as the CKY Caravan. Their shows were broadcast live on Winnipeg's CKY on Saturday mornings from various remote locations.^[2][3] One of their regular listeners was Randy Bachman, who was sixteen years of age at the time. On one occasion Bachman bicycled to a Caravan performance in his West Kildonan neighborhood and ended up meeting Breau. Breau and Bachman soon became friends, and Breau informally began teaching Bachman, who has since described those lessons as "...the beginning of my life as a guitar player."

Around 1959 Lenny Breau left his parents' country band after his father slapped him in the face for using jazz improvisations on stage,^[4] and sought out local jazz musicians, performing at Winnipeg venues including "Rando Manor" and the "Stage Door". He met pianist Bob Erlendson, who began teaching him more of the foundations of jazz. In 1962 Breau left for Toronto and soon created the jazz group Three with singer/actor Don Francks and Eon Henstridge on acoustic bass.^[2][3]

Three performed in Toronto, Ottawa, and New York City. Their music was featured in the 1962 National Film Board documentary Toronto Jazz. They recorded a live album at the Village Vanguard in New York City and appeared on US-network television on the Jackie Gleason and Joey Bishop shows.^[2] Returning to Winnipeg, Breau became a regular session guitarist recording for CBC Radio and CBC Television, and contributed to CBC-TV's Teenbeat, Music Hop, and his own Lenny Breau Show.^[3] To many Canadians, Breau's jazz is still an evocative memory of the sound of CBC in the sixties.

In 1963 and 1964, Breau appeared at David Ingram's Fourth Dimension at 2000 Pembina Highway in Fort Garry, a suburb of Winnipeg.^[2] Every Sunday night was a hootenany open to all. Another regular at the club on Sunday Nights at the same time was Neil Young and his band with Vancouver CKNW's Rick Honey as his drummer.

Breau's fully matured technique was a combination of Atkins' and Travis' fingerpicking and Sabicas-influenced flamenco, highlighted by extraordinary right-hand independence and flurries of artificial harmonics. His harmonic sensibilities were a combination of his country roots, classical, modal, Indian, and especially jazz, particularly the work of pianist Bill Evans.^[5]

In 1967, recordings of Breau's playing from The Lenny Breau Show had found their way into the hands of Chet Atkins. The ensuing friendship resulted in Breau's first two LP issues, Guitar Sounds from Lenny Breau and The Velvet Touch of Lenny Breau. Live! on RCA.^[6][7] He lived in various Canadian cities until 1976 when he returned to the United States. He spent the next several years moving between Nashville, Maine, Stockton, California and New York City eventually settling in Los Angeles in 1983.^[2]

These years were spent performing, teaching, and writing for Guitar Player magazine. During this time, he had custom 7-string guitars made, one classical and one electric. At the time, no company made a string that could be tuned to the high B on his classical guitar. Lenny used fishing line of the correct gauge, until La Bella began making a string for him.^{[citation needed]} Only a few more solo albums and albums recorded with fiddler Buddy Spicher and pedal steel guitarist Buddy Emmons were issued during his lifetime.

Death and legacy[link]

Breau had continual drug problems from the mid-1960s, which he managed to get under control during the last years of his life.^[2] On August 12, 1984 his body was found in a swimming pool at his apartment complex in Los Angeles, California.^[8] The coroner reported that he had been strangled. His wife, Jewel Breau, was the chief suspect in the case but she was never charged with his murder and the case is still unsolved.^[2]

Many live and "lost" recordings have been issued since Breau's death. His studio recordings have also been reissued. Thanks to the efforts of Randy Bachman of Guitarchives, Paul Kohler of Art of Life Records and others, a whole new generation of listeners have access to his music.^[5]

A documentary entitled The Genius of Lenny Breau was produced in 1999 by Breau's daughter Emily Hughes. It includes interviews with Chet Atkins, Ted Greene, Pat Metheny, George Benson, Leonard Cohen, and Randy Bachman, as well as family members. One Long Tune: The Life and Music of Lenny Breau by Ron Forbes-Roberts (University of North Texas Press 2006) is considered the definitive work on Breau. Nearly 200 people were interviewed for the book which includes a thorough analysis of Breau's music and an extensive comprehensive discography of his recordings.

CBC Radio presented a documentary-soundscape on Lenny Breau entitled "On the Trail of Lenny Breau" (the title is in reference to Breau's parent's song "On the Trail of the Lonesome Pine"). It was first broadcast on September 13, 2009 as part of a regular weekly program called Inside the Music. It was narrated by Lenny's son Chet Breau. The one-hour feature was produced in Montreal by John Klepko.

Discography[link]

Lenny Breau made numerous appearances and recordings throughout his short life. An extensive discography is available at his official web site.

• 1968: Guitar Sounds from Lenny Breau RCA
• 1969: The Velvet Touch of Lenny Breau - Live! RCA, (1994) One Way
• 1978: Minors Aloud (Buddy Emmons with Lenny Breau) Flying Fish Records (2005) Art of Life
• 1979: The Legendary Lenny Breau... Now! Sound Hole
• 1979: Lenny Breau Direct-Disk Labs, (1985) Adelphi LP (1999) Adelphi-Genes CD (Released as Lenny Breau Trio)
• 1979: Five O'Clock Bells Adelphi Records, (1987) Genes
• 1981: Mo' Breau (1981) Adelphi, Genes
• 1981: Standard Brands RCA (with Chet Atkins)
• 1983: Legacy Relaxed Rabbit Records (also released as Live at Bourbon St. by Guitarchives in 1995)
• 1984: When Lightn' Strikes Tudor Records, (2005) Art of Life (Released as Swingin' on a Seven-String)
• 1985: Quietude Electric Muse (also released as Live at Bourbon St. by Guitarchives in 1995)
• 1986: The Living Room Tapes, Vol. 1 Livingroom Records (with Brad Terry) (1988) Musical Heritage Society Records (1995) DOS Records
• 1988: Last Sessions Genes
• 1990: The Living Room Tapes, Vol. 2 Musical Heritage Society Records (with Brad Terry)
• 1995: Live at Bourbon St. Guitarchives Records
• 1997: Cabin Fever Guitarchives Records
• 1997: Chance Meeting Guitarchives Records (Recorded live at The Sign of the Times in Rumson, NJ on May 21, 1980)
• 1998: Boy Wonder Guitarchives Records
• 2000: Live at Donte's String Jazz (recorded live, May 1969)
• 2001: Pickin' Cotten Guitarchives (with Richard Cotten. Recorded live at the Blue Bird in Nashville September 23 & 24, 1977)
• 2003: The Complete Living Room Tapes Art of LIfe (2 CD set with Brad Terry)
• 2003: The Hallmark Sessions Art of Life (recorded 1961)
• 2004: At the Purple Onion Art of Life (with Don Francks and Eon Henstridge)

Quotations[link]

• "The sound of silence is intense."

• "It's got words to it...but it's more of an instrumental - with lyrics." from the song Five O'Clock Bells.

• "...I approach the guitar like a piano. I've reached a point where I transcend the instrument. A lot of the stuff I play on the 7-string guitar is supposed to be technically impossible, but I spent over twenty years figuring it out. I play the guitar like a piano, there's always two things going on at once. I'm thinking melody, but I'm also thinking of a background. I play the accompaniment on the low strings."

• "What I'm trying to do is make impressions. I think of myself as a colourist, adding different colours and shades by using different techniques and touching the guitar in different ways. I'd like to play sounds you can see if you've got your eyes closed. I'll always be a student, because I think of music as never ending."

See also[link]

	Biography portal
32x28px	Music of Canada portal

• Music of Canada
• Canadian Music Hall of Fame

References[link]

External links[link]

• "Lenny Breau Remembered" by Jim Ferguson, Guitar Player Magazine, November 1984.
• lennybreau.com
• Guitarchives
• NEMS Book Early Lenny Breau
• CBC Radio documentary from Inside the Music
• The Genius of Lenny Breau (PDF document) Retrieved July 3, 2009.
• Lenny Breau at Find a Grave

Charlie Byrd
Charlie Byrd performing with his trio in July 1997.
Background information
Birth name	Charlie Lee Byrd
Born	(1925-09-16)September 16, 1925 Suffolk, Virginia, USA
Died	December 2, 1999(1999-12-02) (aged 74)
Genres	Bossa nova, Brazilian jazz, Latin jazz, Swing
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	Guitar
Associated acts	Stan Getz Keter Betts

Charlie Lee Byrd (September 16, 1925 – December 2, 1999) was an American guitarist. His earliest and strongest musical influence was Django Reinhardt, the gypsy guitarist. Byrd was best known for his association with Brazilian music, especially bossa nova. In 1962, Byrd collaborated with Stan Getz on the album Jazz Samba, a recording which brought bossa nova into the mainstream of North American music.

Byrd played fingerstyle on a classical guitar.

Early life[link]

Charlie Byrd was born in Suffolk, Virginia, in 1925 and grew up in the town of Chuckatuck, Virginia. His father, a mandolinist and guitarist, taught him how to play the acoustic steel guitar at age 10. Byrd had three brothers, Oscar, Jack, and Joe, who was a bass player. In 1942 Byrd entered the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and played in the school orchestra. In 1943 he was drafted into the United States Army for World War II, saw combat, then was stationed in Paris in 1945 where he played in an Army Special Services band.

After the war, Byrd returned to the United States and went to New York, where he studied composition and jazz theory at the Harnett National Music School in Manhattan, New York. During this time he began playing a classical guitar. After moving to Washington, D.C. in 1950, he studied classical guitar with Sophocles Papas for several years. In 1954 he became a pupil of the Spanish classical guitarist Andres Segovia and spent time studying in Italy with Segovia.

Byrd's greatest influence was the gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt, whom he saw perform in Paris.^[1][2][3]

Career[link]

In 1957 Byrd met double bassist Keter Betts in a Washington, D.C., club called the Vineyard. The two began doing gigs together, and by October they were frequently performing at a club called the Showboat. In 1959 the pair joined Woody Herman's band and toured Europe for 3 weeks as part of a State Department-sponsored "goodwill" tour. The other members of the band were Vince Guaraldi, Bill Harris, Nat Adderley and drummer Jimmy Campbell.^[4] Byrd also led his own groups that sometimes featured his brother Joe. Byrd was also active as a teacher in the late 1950s; he trained several guitar students at his home in D.C., each being required to 'audition' for him, before he decided if they had potential enough to warrant his input.

Byrd was first introduced to Brazilian music by his friend radio host Felix Grant who had established contacts in Brazil in the late 1950s and who was well-known there by 1960, due to the efforts of Brazilian radio broadcaster Paulo Santos. Following a spring 1961 diplomatic tour of South America (including Brazil) for the State Department, Byrd returned home and met with Stan Getz at the Showboat Lounge. Byrd invited Getz back to his home to listen to some bossa nova recordings by João Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim that he had brought back. Getz liked what he heard and the two decided they wanted to make an album of the songs. The task of creating an authentic sound, however, proved much more challenging than either had anticipated.^[5][6]

Getz convinced Creed Taylor at Verve Records to produce the album, and Byrd and he assembled a group of musicians they both knew to create the recordings. These early sessions did not turn out to either man's liking, so Byrd gathered a group of musicians that had been to Brazil with him previously and practiced with them in Washington, D.C. until he felt they were ready to record. The group included his brother Gene Byrd, as well as Keter Betts, Bill Reichenbach and Buddy Deppenschmidt. Bill and Buddy were both drummers, and the combination made it easier to achieve authentic samba rhythms. Finally the group was deemed ready and Getz and Taylor arrived in Washington D.C. on February 13, 1962. They recorded in a building adjacent to All Souls Unitarian Church because of the building's excellent acoustics.^[5]

The recordings were released in April 1962 as the album Jazz Samba, and by September the recording had entered Billboard's pop album chart. By March of the following year the album had moved all the way to number one, igniting a bossa nova craze in the American jazz community as a result. It should be noted that the term bossa nova did not become used in reference to the music until later. The album remained on the charts for seventy weeks, and Getz soon beat John Coltrane in a Down Beat poll. One of the album's most popular tunes was a Jobim hit, titled "Desafinado".^[5]

In 1963 Byrd did a European tour with Les McCann and Zoot Sims, among others.^[7] Either in 1964 or 1965 Byrd appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival with Episcopal priest Malcolm Boyd, accompanying prayers from his book Are You Running With Me Jesus? with guitar.^[8] In 1967 Byrd brought a lawsuit against Stan Getz and MGM, contending that he was unfairly paid for his contributions to the 1962 album Jazz Samba. The jury agreed with Byrd and awarded him half of all royalties from the album.^[9]

His earliest trios included bassist Keeter Betts and drummers Buddy Deppinschmidt and Bertel Knox. In the early 1960s Betts joined Ella Fitzgerald and Byrd's brother Gene H. (Joe) Byrd became bassist for the group. Joe Byrd played with his brother until Charlie Byrd's death in 1999 of cancer. Byrd's trios also included drummers Billy Reichenbach for over ten years, Wayne Phillips for several years and for the last 19 years Chuck Redd.

In 1967, or more likely 1968, his quartet was on a state department tour in Asia, which included Katmandu, Nepal. Upon invitation by the pastor, that stop included him playing both Bach and a spiritual at the worship service of the (International) Protestant Congregation on Sunday morning.

In 1973 Byrd moved to Annapolis, Maryland, and in September of that year he recorded an interesting album with Cal Tjader titled Tambú, the only recording the two would make together.^[10] That same year Byrd joined guitarists Herb Ellis and Barney Kessel and formed the Great Guitars group, which also included drummer Johnny Rae.^[10][11] Byrd collaborated with Venezuelan pianist and composer Maestro Aldemaro Romero on the album Onda Nueva/The New Wave.

From 1980 through 1996, he released several of his arrangements to the jazz and classical guitar community through Guitarist's Forum (gfmusic.com) including Charlie Byrd's Christmas Guitar Solos, Mozart: Seven Waltzes For Classical Guitar, and The Charlie Byrd Library featuring the music of George Gershwin and Irving Berlin. He also collaborated with the Annapolis Brass Quintet in the late 1980s, appearing with them in over 50 concerts across the United States and releasing two albums.

A jazz supper club in Georgetown, DC also bore his name, "Charlie's". When he died, he was "at home" in the King of France Tavern of the Maryland Inn.

Upon his death, a scholarship was endowed in his name at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University.

Byrd played for several years at a jazz club in Silver Spring, Maryland, called The Showboat II which was owned and managed by his manager, Peter Lambros. He was also home-based at the King of France Tavern nightclub at the Maryland Inn in Annapolis from 1973 until his death in 1999. In 1992 the book "Jazz Cooks"—by Bob Young^{[disambiguation needed ]} and Al Stankus—was published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang, a compilation of recipes that include a few recipes from Byrd.^[12] He also authored the 1973 publication Charlie Byrd's Melodic Method for Guitar.

Personal life[link]

Byrd was married to Rebecca Byrd, and has two daughters from previous marriages, Carol Rose of Charlotte, NC, and Charlotte Byrd of Crownsville, MD. He loved sailboating, and owned a twenty-six foot boat called "I'm Hip" that he sailed to various parts of the world. Charlie Byrd died of lung cancer on December 2, 1999 at his home in Annapolis, Maryland.^[13]

Awards[link]

• 1999 - Knighted by the government of Brazil as a Knight of the Rio Branco
• 1997 - deemed a "Maryland Art Treasure" by the Community Arts Alliance of Maryland

Discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Classic Jazz Guitar
• Guitar Planet's Monthly Revival: Charlie Byrd

• Pixinguinha