Billy Bauer was one of electric guitar's first major voices in jazz, a virtuoso who helped establish the instrument as a voice equal to horns in bebop and swing ensembles. Plectrist, released in 2000 on Verve Records, documents his command of single-note phrasing and harmonic sophistication at an advanced stage of his career. Bauer's approach to the guitar was cerebral, influenced as much by classical technique as by the hot sound of jazz tradition. Here, surrounded by sympathetic players, his crystalline tone and fleet articulation shine across bop heads and swing standards. The musicianship throughout is assured and unhurried, the kind of session where players are more interested in conversation than display. A limited pressing of a crucial guitarist's legacy.

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