The 10 top UK jazz guitarists

You check out guitar George, he knows all the chords. Mark these sultans of swing still based on the UK scene today

10 Chris Montague

Allan Holdsworth influenced guitar genius Chris Montague can play anything.

9 Jim Mullen

Scottish soul-jazz icon Jim Mullen these days is most often heard in an organ combo situation. His heyday in the 1970s was in jazz-funk guise coming out of pub-jazz with tenor titan Dick Morrissey in the much loved Morrissey-Mullen Up era, an album that featured vocals from Luther Vandross and Cissy Houston no less.

8 Nigel Price

Come on down yes the price is right - hard touring Wes Montgomery influenced stalwart of the scene. Superb on Road Song.

7 Shirley Tetteh

First heard to considerable effect with Jazz Jamaica

6 Phil Robson

Titanic leading from the front with Wiggy in Partisans

5 Dave Okumu

Burst on to the scene with Courtney Pine - now most known for The Invisible and check him out with London Brew

4 Rob Luft

Meeting of minds in recent years with Elina Duni, Byron Wallen and his O'Higness, he of the sax rather than orb and sceptre

3 Martin Taylor

World class custodian of the spirit of Django. Papa? Nicole

2 Mike Walker

Inimitably, definitively, Impossible

1 John Etheridge

No one comes close

John Etheridge, Soft Machine legendary force on the UK jazz scene for yonks. Photo: public domain

Beyond the UK scene the greatest UK player to make his mark globally is of course the Mahavishnu himself John McLaughlin significant in at the birth of jazz-rock fusion with Miles, later blowing allcomers away with his own hugely influential Mahavishnu Orchestra and an Indojazz innovator of distinction with Shakti.
More in the top heads series - see the UK drummer count down

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You wonder about which tribe Gearbox are aiming at on this serene detour away from the King's Cross label's usual jazz releases. Take 'Overheard' right at the end with its solemn piano beginning and almost seraphic vocals noodling, Ronnie & Clyde aka songwriters and production duo John Ross and Rob Fitzpatrick come from nowhere in terms of the label's usual artist consciousness. A key question could be how good, meaning memorable or hooky, are the songs? You aren't looking for lyrics really. But that's missing the point because the beats are so significant. These beats are solid, you get a laconic sense throughout and the vocals when they work best operate a woozy almost singalong extended form sensuousness. On 'Don't Forget to Breathe' (the longest track at just over five minutes) the wordless vocals are like instruments and the whole thing is an ever increasing lushly orchestrated strings bedecked panorama. Vocals as on 'This Heart of Mine' are heading towards a falsetto highness but at the lower end there is almost a monastic eeriness to the sonic wraparound. A downtempo sheen to the electro coated 'Sleeping City' is a high point and 'Silent Sea' has a contented opening. The production on 'Sour Plumb' with its synth sounding flute-ish chirping riffing set against a shaker-heavy rhythm track is impressive. Altogether a club friendly album a lot of which you'd guess is stacking up as a bookie's ante-post favourite for a few remixes. If you are adding it to a playlist line up something in a percussive electronica direction however contrasting by the likes of Minihi next. One to like? Enough to spend quality time with. Ronnie and Clyde, photo: Twitter

The 10 top UK jazz guitarists

Ronnie and Clyde, Nettlebed Skyline, Gearbox ***