Blue Notes

Modern jazz guitar is a broad church, as new releases from four of its leading exponents demonstrate.

Bill Frisell and John Scofield emerged in the 1980s as two of the most influential jazz guitar stylists after Pat Metheny, and it is fair to say that while many other fine players have come to the fore since, none are of comparable originality.

The trio continue to be role models for aspiring jazz guitarists, and they all have new albums out.

Metheny's comprises compositions from John Zorn's - a catalogue of Jewish klezmer-influenced jazz compositions - and as such is something of an anomaly, even given a repertoire as wide-ranging as Metheny's. Frisell's and Scofield's albums fit into more logical patterns of career progression.

Frisell's teams him with three quarters of a string quartet - his guitar replaces one of the violins - and drummer Rudy Royston. It is a studio recording of music composed for and originally performed at the 2012 Monterey Jazz Festival.

takes its inspiration from the scenery and culture of California's central coast, and it's a perfect soundtrack for anybody taking a road trip down Highway One from San Francisco to Los Angeles.