The Gibson ES175 guitar, with its distinctive Florentine cutaway and classic lines, has become a jazz icon, one which Adrian Ingram, senior lecturer in guitar at Leeds, compares to the Volkswagen Beetle and Levi 501s. His painstakingly well prepared study sets the 175 (first produced, in 1949, for $175 – hence the designation) in a context which stretches from the Florentine cutaway of Gibson’s 1919 ‘O’ model to the much-modified 1960 ES175N inseparably associated with Pat Metheny. Ingram details the evolution of the 175 from earlier instruments, the sales boom which followed its adoption by Herb Ellis, Jim Hall and Howard Roberts, its decline during Norlin’s stewardship of the Gibson marque (1969-86), the restoration of quality under new ownership and its continuing currency in the hands of Metheny and a host of lesser-known players.
Ingram applies the exactitude of the trainspotter throughout this uniquely informative book, dedicating a separately headed subsection to the rubber grommet which appeared under the pickup selector switch in the late fifties. At the same time he is well able to let Herb Ellis, who has long favoured a 1953 model, generalise about the 175’s appeal: ‘It gets the kind of sound I like and it’s “even” to play. The high notes come out as good as the low notes and it just works good. It’s what I call an “honest” guitar.’
James Sallis, whose book was first published in 1982, is musically less specialised, focusing rather on the cultural impact of his 15 or so subjects and speaking only generally about the peculiarities of their styles. The subtitle, One Instrument And Its Masters In American Music, sits oddly with articles on such as Roy Smeck and Mike Bloomfield, but Sallis explains that their inclusion, and the omission of Hendrix, McLaughlin et al results from a desire to examine neglected figures. He does, however, cover Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery, and the rest of his motley crew are early Mississippi bluesmen, Lonnie Johnson, Eddie Lang, Riley Puckett, T-Bone Walker, George Barnes, Hank Garland, Ralph Towner and Lenny Breau. Sallis confesses that he has done little original research, but nevertheless he offers a useful synthesis of secondary sources, freshened with a bit of speculation.
Unlike many guitar encyclopedias, Cliff Douse’s book neither neglects nor pays lip-service to jazz players. Douse is a jazz-inclined contributor to various guitar periodicals, and alongside the usual Claptons, Hendrices and Van Halens he provides substantial and informed entries on most of the jazz players you’d expect plus infrequently featured people like Joe Diorio and Ray Russell.
Ian Cruickshank’s book is a fascinating and highly browsable compilation of photographs, reviews, anecdotes and comments on Django and other gypsy jazz players. Many of the images are rare, and the book includes a gallery of Django’s own paintings. Although Django’s story is summarised in the introduction, this book would be the perfect complement to Charles Delaunay’s full-blown Django biography, published by Ashley Mark.
The Gibson ES175. By Adrian Ingram, Music Maker Books Ltd, Alexander House, Forehill, Ely, Cambs CB7 4AF. Tel 01353 665577. Hb, 77pp, £10.99. ISBN 1 870951 115
The Guitar Players. By James Sallis, University of Nebraska Press, Academic and University Publishers Group, 1 Gower St, London WCIE 6HA. Pb, 288pp, £8.95. ISBN 0-8032-9225-2
The Guitarist Book Of Guitar Players. By Cliff Douse, Music Maker Books Ltd, Alexander House, Forehill, Ely, Cambs CB7 4AE. Tel 01353 665577. Pb, 145pp, £12.99. ISBN 1870951 22 0
Django’s Gypsies – The Mystique Of Django Reinhardt And His People. Compiled by Ian Cruickshank. Ashley Mark Publishing. Olsover House, 43 Sackville Rd, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE6 5TA. Tel 0191 276 0448. Pb, 138pp, £15.99. ISBN 0 872639 06 2
