Swing Guitar Album Review: "Here Comes Mr. Jordan"

One of my favorite swing guitar albums has to be Steve Jordan's "Here Comes Mr. Jordan." The album features only Steve on guitar and vocals accompanied by Billy Goodall on double bass. This stripped down instrumentation allows the listener to really hear what great swing rhythm guitar playing is all about without piano or horns to get in the way.

The tunes on this album are mostly swing era standards with a few more obscure tunes thrown into the mix. Steve also plays one solo guitar piece composed by himself. Everything is performed by Jordan and Goodall in a fun, relaxed, swinging way. Steve also sings on all but a few of the tunes, allowing us to hear him as a vocalist as well.

For guitarists, though, the real highlight of this record is hearing Steve strumming away on his Gibson L-5. Though Steve always had a sweet tone on recordings he did as a sideman, that gorgeous acoustic sound of his is on full display here, unencumbered by any instrument that could get into its sonic space. I have always thought Steve Jordan had the best tone I have ever heard come out of an acoustic archtop. He has a wonderful ability to coax out such a sweet yet punchy and powerful tone from his Gibsons. Its the kind of tone that could make any acoustic guitarist envy the tonal possibilities of a well played archtop.

The album also gives us a chance to hear Steve as a chordal guitar soloist. Nearly all of the tunes here feature a chorus of Steve soloing in his own unique way. The only way I can describe his soloing style is to say it sounds like a dedicated rhythm guitarist taking a rhythm guitar solo! His soloing style is not really like the more virtuoistic chordal soloists such as Van Eps, Kress, or Reuss. His solos mainly consist of the rhythm chord forms he has been using in other parts of the tune as well as upper register forms of those chords. Steve's soloing style does, however, have its own charms and is certainly worth transcribing and learning from for those who are interested. It is simply a different take on chordal soloing on the guitar.

This album should appeal to all fans of swing oriented jazz, not just guitarists. In place of the standard jazz group setting we usually hear these tunes performed in, the ears are greeted instead with a stripped back, fresh approach to tunes both familiar and unfamiliar. This unique and simplified instrumentation lets the songs themselves really shine through. If you like classic swing music and get the chance, pick up this album. Its really a nice change of pace!