The Guitar Player
Sanctuary Records CMRCD622 (2003)

Album available as:-
(Sanctuary Records CMRCD622)

Graham established himself as one of the most innovative players in acoustic music with his 1963 debut, The Guitar Player. With this album, he became one of the first folk guitarists to fuse traditional virtuosity with cross-currents from contemporary jazz and blues. Accompanied by drummer Bobby Graham (a top British session man who played on many British Invasion rock records, including several by The Kinks), Davey invigorates pop and traditional standards, as well as compositions by Sonny Rollins, the Adderleys, and Ray Charles. Neither jazz nor folk, Graham displays eclectic bounce that was quite visionary for its time, and remains fresh today; in his subsequent 1960s recordings, he would branch out into Middle Eastern and psychedelic sounds as a natural extension of his experimental bent. As a significant bonus, the 1992 CD reissue of this album includes the three tracks from his rare 1962 EP, 3/4 A.D. One of these is the original version of "Anji," which was reworked by Simon & Garfunkel on one of their early albums; another features British blues-rock godfather Alexis Korner on second guitar.

- Richie Unterberger (AMG)

Track Listing:

1. Don't Stop The Carnival
2. Sermonette
3. Take Five
4. How Long, How Long Blues
5. Sunset Eyes
6. Cry Me A River
7. Ruby & The Pearl, The
8. Buffalo
9. Exodus
10. Yellow Bird
11. Blues For Betty
12. Hallelujah, I Love Her So
13. She Moved Thru' The Bizarre / Blue Raga - (live)
14. Misirlou - (live)
15. Hey Bud Blues - (live)
16. Anji
17. Fingerbuster
18. La Morena
19. Happy Meeting In Glory
20. Suite In D Minor

Davy Graham – Guitar
Bobby Graham – Drums