Jazz Guitar

As far as the jazz world goes, the guitar may not boast the iconic stature of the sax, but ever since the world paid witness to the electrified swing of trailblazer Charlie Christian — lettin' loose here on "Solo Flight" with Benny Goodman — the six-string music-maker has been an indispensable instrument. Not to mention versatile, as Joe Pass takes a virtuoso solo turn on "Blues for Alican," the Pat Metheny Group does some post-bop boundary stretching on "Bright Size Life," and the Johnny Smith Quintet keeps it cool and silvery on the standard "Moonlight in Vermont."

Those are just the Basics — more jazz-guitar greatness awaits in Next Steps.

Next Steps sends you off to the clouds with gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt's sumptuous signature song, "Nuages," while Kenny Burrell works a different kind of musical magic with the tight-bop seduction of "Love, Your Spell Is Everywhere." Beloved session man Bucky Pizzarelli takes the six-string one better, working a tart 'n' tasty "Tangerine" on the seven-string; and honorary boys-club member Mary Osborne pays tribute to icon Charlie Christian by swinging "Rose Room" to its cool and colorful max.

Don't stop here — go deep into the world of jazz guitar in Deep Cuts.

Explore the far reaches of jazz guitar in Deep Cuts, where one cut can slide you to the beaches of Brazil (Baden Powell's bossa nova "Consolacao"), while another tracks a jazz seeker as he mines fresh ground closer to home (Bill Frisell and a new-school "On the Street Where You Live"). We've got breakouts from future greats (a 21-year-old George Benson and "Will You Still Be Mine?") and standouts from longtime icons (Tal Farlow and the breezy flow of "Gibson Boy"). When it comes to jazz guitar, Tuck & Patti say it all on the too-cool swinger "Better Than Anything."

Think of the guitar, and monster-rock shredders might come more easily to mind than true jazz greats. Thing is, it takes a master to make that six-string sing a tricky jazz tune, to leave off the pyrotechnics and get to the heart and soul of a standard, or set off on an exploratory journey through intricate new sounds. Gathering the best of them into one long-playing set? That takes iTunes Essentials, your one-click library stacked with everything from the incomparable electric swing of "Seven Come Eleven" from jazz-guitar icon Charlie Christian to the sensitive acoustic soloing of Ralph Towner on the classic "Waltz for Debby" to the melodic warmth and thumb-picking improv of Wes Montgomery and his landmark "Four On Six."