1 “Silent Night,” Stanley Jordan
“It’s got a blues/funk vibe and amazing pentatonic hot licks that are worth taking the time to learn.” —Bayliss
2 “Looking On,” The Move
“Pre–Electric Light Orchestra, the genius of Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne is in full effect here, heavy and progressive. Wood is a true multi-instrumental monster.” —Cinninger
3 “Sultans of Swing,” Dire Straits
“Mark Knopfler’s tone is perfect, his phrasing is perfect and even when he’s squeezing lots of notes into a small space, each note is crystal clear.” —Bayliss
4 “I Set My Face to the Hillside,” Tortoise
“Jeff Parker sets a sleepy, ambient and tunneled guitar melody that is a total ear worm. Very cool production to boot—the playing children seem to be right next to the guitar take!” —Cinninger
5 “Mandeville,” Bill Frisell, Ron Carter, Paul Motian
“The guitar is so fluid it almost feels like a horn to me. I think I understand it but still couldn’t play like that if I tried.” —Bayliss
“I walk in and Hans has me sit down. And he goes, ‘Let’s just get down to business. I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately’”: After his spiritual awakening, Tim Henson is ready for anything – heavy Polyphia, trippy solo records and A-list film collabs
“There’s amazing players like Josh Smith and Eric Gales, and I thought, ‘OK, I’ve been missing out. I’m learning the blues’”: Tosin Abasi said he wanted to release a blues album – is it still on the cards?
