Solo Guitar was the debut recording by virtuoso guitarist
Joe Diorio, a fine musician who has spent a good part of his career in jazz education, so his recordings haven't always received the attention they merited. On this 1975 session, he finds new facets within
Django Reinhardt's popular ballad "Nuages" in an intricate arrangement. He utilizes multi-tracking of several lines in his setting of
Chick Corea's "Windows" and
Bronislaw Kaper's standard "Invitation." His haunting treatment of
Johnny Mandel's "A Time for Love" gives it an unusually melancholy air. To achieve a Far Eastern sound in his original "India"
Diorio utilized a somewhat unconventional tuning, resulting in a tantalizing composition that still incorporates some of his rapid-fire improvised lines. Originally issued on LP by Spitball and long unavailable, this valuable solo session was finally re-released by Art of Life in 2006. ~ Ken Dryden