The Best Jazz Guitar Music on YouTube

Looking for the best jazz guitar music on YouTube? Check out our top picks for the best channels to get your fix of jazzy tunes.

Best Jazz Guitarists on YouTube

Here are some of the best Jazz guitarists on YouTube.

Charlie Christian

Charlie Christian was an astonishingly talented guitarist who helped to define the sound of jazz guitar. His use of electric guitar and his mastery of the bebop idiom influenced generations of guitarists who came after him. Sadly, Christian died young, at the age of 25, but his legacy lives on in the many recordings he made with the Benny Goodman Sextet and Quartet.

Wes Montgomery

Wes Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the greatest jazz guitarists of all time, and one of the most important guitarists in the history of jazz. His playing style influenced many other guitarists and helped to revolutionize jazz guitar. Montgomery was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and began playing guitar when he was six years old. He first recorded with a band in 1945, and his first solo album was released in 1959. He recorded a series of highly acclaimed albums throughout the 1960s, and toured with many of the leading jazz musicians of his day. He died of a heart attack in 1968, at the age of 45.

Django Reinhardt

Django Reinhardt was one of the first prominent jazz guitarists and is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time. He was born in Belgium in 1910 and started playing guitar at the age of 12. He quickly developed his own style of playing, which combined elements of gypsy music, swing, and French musette. He gained international fame with his band, the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, which also featured violinist Stéphane Grappelli. Django Reinhardt died in 1953, but his music continues to influence guitarists today. You can find some great Django Reinhardt videos on YouTube.

Best Jazz Guitar Songs on YouTube

Jazz guitar can be a great addition to any music lover’s library. There are many great jazz guitar songs on YouTube, but which ones are the best? In this article, we’ll count down the top 10 best jazz guitar songs on YouTube.

“So What” by Miles Davis

Miles Davis’ “So What” is one of the most iconic and well-known jazz songs of all time. The tune was first recorded on Davis’ 1959 album Kind of Blue, and has been covered by countless artists since.

The YouTube version that we’ve chosen to feature here is a guitar cover by Al Di Meola, one of the greatest jazz guitarists of all time. Di Meola’s playing is absolutely masterful, and he brings a unique energy and fire to this classic tune.

“All Blues” by Miles Davis

“All Blues” is a tune composed by Miles Davis for his 1959 album Kind of Blue. It is one of the best examples of modal jazz, which was Miles Davis’ favorite style of composition. The main theme is based around the Dorian mode, and the entire tune is played with a ii-V-I chord progression.

“In a Sentimental Mood” by Duke Ellington

“In a Sentimental Mood” is a ballad composed by Duke Ellington in 1935. The song has been recorded by many artists, but Ellington’s recording with John Coltrane in 1962 is arguably the most famous. “In a Sentimental Mood” is a beautiful and moving song that any jazz fan is sure to enjoy.

Best Jazz Guitar performances on YouTube

As a jazz guitarist, you’re always on the lookout for new music to listen to. YouTube can be a great place to find new artists and songs. In this article, we’ll share some of the best jazz guitar performances that we’ve found on YouTube.

“So What” by Miles Davis

“So What” is a jazz standard composed by Miles Davis and is the first track on the 1959 album Kind of Blue. The composition features one chord throughout, making it perfect for beginner jazz guitarists to learn. The chords are simply A7 to D7, then back to A7. The melody is built around the A minor pentatonic scale with some chromaticism thrown in for good measure.

“All Blues” by Miles Davis

“All Blues” is a song by Miles Davis from his 1959 album Kind of Blue. It is harmonically similar to “So What”, the first track on the album, which is why Davis chose to use the same chord progression for both songs. The chord progression is based on the twelve-bar blues form, but with a different ending. The melody for “All Blues” was written by Miles Davis, but credit is also given to Joe Zawinul, who was a member of Davis’s band at the time. The melody is mostly improvised, with only the first four bars being written out.

“In a Sentimental Mood” by Duke Ellington

“In a Sentimental Mood” is a 1933 composition by Duke Ellington. It remains one of his most popular and enduring compositions. The song has been recorded by many artists over the years, including Coleman Hawkins, King Pleasure, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis.

Guitarist Charlie Christian was a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra when “In a Sentimental Mood” was first performed. Christian’s solo on the tune is considered to be one of the finest examples of jazz guitar playing.

The YouTube video below features Christian’s solo from a 1939 recording of “In a Sentimental Mood.”