[krikor]

Sean Blackman... and if you are ever in the Detroit area you can usually catch him live.
seanblackman.com

[simoon]

Is Ralph Towner under-the-radar?

ANYTHING by Ralph Towner is worth owning.

If you're not familiar, you may want to start with -

Solo Concert

He's loosely considered a 'jazz' guitarist, but he also incorporates many other influences, including the Western classical traditions.


How about The California Guitar Trio?

All of their releases are worth owning.

They combine many influences. They are associated with the progressive music world, opening for King Crimson, touring with Tony Levin playing with them. Their choice of music is also quite varied. They do acoustic (instrumental) versions of Yes's Heart of the Sunrise and Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. They also perform things like:Toccata in Fugue, Pictures at an Exhibition, and others, with guitars doing all the parts.

[dburna]

I'd recommend Al Petteway.

Gerry -- I got my acoustic from Dream Guitars in Asheville, NC, so I am familiar with Al Petteway's name (he works there....or with them in some capacity).  However, could you recommend any particular one of his albums?  I know he is a wonderful (and under-publicized) player, but I don't know which of his recordings to try first.

Thanks, -dB 

[dburna]

RE: previous recommendations.  I love CGT, Ralph Towner, and Kaki King.  I have a bunch (but not all) of all three.  Perhaps I should go back and get some more.  I have some Hedges and Preston Reed (way too undervalued outside of his rabid cult following), but some of these other names require investigation.

Monsieur LW: I loved the Gareth Pearson recommendation.  As for Ewan Dobson, is it possible to play too fast?  If so, I think he has gotten there.  Incredible speed and technique, but I found him (at least the Amazon samples for that album) a little hard to warm up to.

-dB

[dflee]

Don't know how far under the radar but Russ Barenberg is definitely one of my favorites.

[WGH]

Rainer is no longer with us, his music lives on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R25pkpz1gXM&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=MLGxdCwVVULXe0LHErxthDcTC0QO-LlPxM

Robert Plant and Rainer Ptacek Whole Lotta Love



From his Wiki:

Rainer Ptacek was born in East Berlin to a family of Czech and German descent. His family fled East Germany for the United States when he was five years old. They eventually settled in Chicago, where young Ptacek was first exposed to blues music. He moved to Tucson in the early 1970s, where he began his own musical career, most often solo, but sometimes he plugged in and led a trio as Rainer & Das Combo. He co-founded Giant Sandworms with Howe Gelb in the late 1970s. When the band decided to move to New York, he opted to stay in Tucson to make sure that he would not disrupt his then-new family. Although he never became well known in the United States, he became more and more recognized in Europe. Billy Gibbons was so impressed with the singer-guitarist that he arranged to have Kurt Loder review Ptacek's "Mush Mind Blues" cassette in Rolling Stone. Robert Plant, similarly impressed, flew Ptacek to England for the sessions for B-sides to supplement the singles from Fate of Nations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainer_Ptacek

[hndaaudio]

Jukka Tolonen & Coste Apetrea-Touch Wood

Have not seen this on cd but if you are into vinyl it can be found.They also have a concert performance on DVD.

Jan Akkerman-Tabernakel

Adrian Legg

Paco de lucia

[rockadanny]

Rory Block

John Jorgenson

Adrian Legg (good call hndaaudio!)

Have seen all of these folks live, and in person are truly astonishing, far more than on recordings. But worthy recordings nonetheless.

[dburna]

Y'all have cost me around $100 so far, but I thank you nonetheless.   

I appreciate all the great recommendations.

-dB

[Len_Dreyer]

Here's a few more:

Kelly Joe Phelps, Chris Smither, Davy Graham, Jesse Cook, Ottmar Liebert

[dflee]

Another great guitarist in the blues tradition is Cory Harris.
And there's Roy Bookbinder.

[dflee]

Forgot to mention Alvin Youngblood Hart.

[dburna]

Saw Corey Hart and Alvin Youngblood at the Blues Tent at the Jazz & Heritage Fest (New Orleans) in 2004.  Wonderful experience, topped only by the gospel tent next door.

-dB

[dburna]

Sean Blackman... and if you are ever in the Detroit area you can usually catch him live.
seanblackman.com

Really dug the Sean Blackman disc and ordered one up today.  I can't wait until it gets here.

-dB

[hndaaudio]

Leo Kottke is another good one.

[GerryD]

dburna...

I recommend "Caledon Wood" and "Shades of Blue" by Al Petteway.  Of course, those are the only two I have. LOL

[jazdoc]

Dean McPhee "The Brown Bear"
Jack Rose "The Black Dirt Sessions"

[pardales]

Michael Hedges....try his album, Aerial Boundaries.

[dburna]

Dean McPhee "The Brown Bear"
Jack Rose "The Black Dirt Sessions"

I think "Black Dirt Sessions" is about the only Jack Rose I don't have.  I have never seen it on CD -- does anyone know where I can find same on disc?  I can find it on MP3 but am not a fan of the format.

Thanks, -dB

[bunky]

Brooklyn New York's own Steve Stevens who played for Billy Idol and has done a couple of projects with Terry Bozio and Tony Levin is a bonafied acoustic guitar virtuoso  he is highly sought after as a session guitarist.