The Jazz Guitar of Joe Puma (2LP on 1CD)

Joe Puma (1927-2000) was a guitarist of imagination and skill that, despite emerging from New York under the shadow of Tal Farlow and Jimmy Raney, made some excellent recordings as a leader with some great and inventive jazzmensuch as Bill Evans, Eddie Costa, Don Elliott, Oscar Pettiford and Paul Motian. This CD is a swinging, warm set of well-thought out sessions, that manage to retain essential spontaneity meaningfully throughout the solos. Pumas approach is tasteful, gentle and unpretentious, and his finely-etched, sensitive guitar playing garnered the respect of his fellow musicians and such critical acclaim as the 1957 New Star award for his instrument in the poll conducted by Metronome magazine.