Martin Taylor - Artistry (2004) [SACD]

Like Joe Pass' Virtuoso series, Artistry is a vehicle for Taylor's amazing technical ability. His transcriptions, particularly "Georgia On My Mind," are superb, but occasionally his playing feels cluttered, as he squeezes in too many details. Elsewhere he is terrific: "Teach Me Tonight" is subtle and swinging, and "The Dolphin" features an astonishing range of colors, from simultaneous chordal and single-note runs to harp imitations that are surprisingly true. It doesn't provide the pure pleasure of his work with Stephan Grapelli (where he is clearly most inspired), but Artistry is a great example of Taylor's incredibly refined, creative guitar work.