jim hall

Prop. Noun- Jazz guitarist, perhaps the greatest player of the instrument in the post bop years and beyond. Born in 1930 in Buffalo, NY, Hall held a command of harmonic structures and a higher knowledge of compositional development techniques in addition to a refined guitar technique. Though not known for extreme virtuoso playing, Jim Hall's ability to develop motives within his improvised solos are often regarded as superior to his contemporaries. He studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music, concentrating in composition but also studied classical guitar. His playing proves the merit of formal musical education in terms of the guitar, rather than learning entirely by ear and without the benefit of reading music or knowing theoretical foundations.