Jim Hall

Jazz Guitar (Pacific Jazz Records 1227) was Jim Hall’s first album as a leader. Later releases would differ considerably from the original recording. The first LP edition contained ten songs, while the second had only nine tunes (“This Is Always” was omitted from the previous edition) and presented edited versions of many tracks (mainly editing out piano or bass solos). A later release of this music, transformed the trio into a quartet, dubbing a drum track by Larry Bunker over the original music. The current edition reproduces the original issue in its entirety with the tunes in their complete unedited form. Carl Perkins’ playing was influenced by his polio-affected left arm, which he held parallel to the keyboard, as can be seen in this photo. Perkins would die of a drug overdose on March 17, 1958, at the age of 29.