Chet Atkins was ahead of his time in so many ways that he continues to amaze us after he left this world back in 2001. One example is his home studio, built back in the early 1950's when such a thing was almost unheard of. This was a private sanctuary for Chet to record whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. After his passing, a huge trove of unknown master recordings were discovered, lying casually on the shelves, containing some of Chet Atkins' finest recordings. Chet's grandson Jonathan Russell, long-time sideman and master guitarist Paul Yandell, and expert engineer Mike Poston took on the task of cataloging these performances and selecting the finest for this magnificent 2-CD set.
You can read Mike Poston's account of the project here.
Rather than go through every song, I will give you an overview of the CDs. This is Chet at his best, just him and his guitar. Some of these are new versions of songs he recorded elsewhere, while others have not been available before. There are fantastic versions of jazz standards such as Yesterdays, Ol' Man River, Bye Bye Blackbird, Polka Dots and Moonbeams, As Time Goes By, But Not For Me, and Embraceable You. I find the new versions of Mr. Bojangles, To Be or Not To Be, and Sukiyaki particularly interesting. There are inspired arrangements of public domain tunes like In the Good Old Summertime, Danny Boy, Arkansas Traveler, Bicycle Built for Two, and Amazing Grace. There's a "Cowboy Medley", a couple of Scott Joplin tunes (Magnetic Rag is oustanding!), and Chet's own composition "Dear Ol' Dad". La Vie en Rose is a terrific version of the Edith Piaf standard that shows how Chet could make virtually any style his own. And finally I have to mention the wonderful version of Walk Don't Run.
Walk Don't Run is the great Johnny Smith tune that became an enormous hit for the Ventures in the 1960s. Many people do not realize that Chet's version is the link here. His was the version that inspired the Ventures to do their arrangement, and it is a testament to Chet that before he would play his version, he had to audition it for Johnny Smith to get the blessing of the great jazz guitarist to do his song fingerstyle. This type of professional courtesy and deference is all but lost in our world of sampling and lawsuits.
What more is there to say? Here is a 2-CD set of intimate recordings by one of the all-time great guitarists, solo. Any guitarist should have a copy, as should any music lover who has ears to appreciate Chet Atkins. Not many musicians are able to revolutionize the way their instrument is used, and we will not see another Chet Atkins in this world.
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