Vestapol 13067 reviewed in Just Jazz Guitar

For those of you who are acquainted with Martin Taylor only through his CD’s, this video will be a treat for you. I’ve seen Martin perform for the past few years at the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society in Nashville, as well as at NAMM shows, and he never ceases to amaze me. Martin has the uncanny ability to combine bass lines, melody and chords and make it appear easy to do. You’ll swear he has about 15 fingers working the strings.

In this 75 minute video, recorded at a concert at the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild in Pittsburgh, PA, Martin plays his Yamaha archtop. He works his way through thirteen tunes including such gems as “Georgia” (probably the best version I’ve heard), the showstopper “I’ve Got Rhythm,” “Stella By Starlight,” “Can’t Take That Away From Me” and a swinging version of the rarely performed “Lulu’s Back In Town.”

What makes this video especially interesting to me is that he takes a break between tunes to discuss each one and his approach to playing, while demonstrating some of them on a Stromberg. Sit back, relax and enjoy. This one is a winner!