Great Guitars Live (2001)

"Herb Ellis, Barney Kessel, and Charlie Byrd made five recordings under the banner Great Guitars for Concord between 1976 and 1982; this two-CD set combines both of their concert performances. With bassist Joe Byrd and either Jimmie Smith or Chuck Redd on drums, the guitarists complement one another's playing throughout both shows, with the two former Oscar Peterson sidemen on electric guitar and Byrd sticking to acoustic guitar. They primarily stick to standards of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s during the 1980 set taped at the Paul Masson Mountain Winery. Byrd, best known for helping to launch the bossa nova craze during the early '60s, shines in the extended workout of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "So Danço Samba" and a solo performance of "You Took Advantage of Me." The second disc comes from a 1982 concert at Charlie's Georgetown in Washington, D.C., and features a more wide-ranging program. Starting with a breezy take of "Where or When," the guitarists are in top form." (Ken Dryden, Allmusic)