When rock ’n’ roll was being invented, the guitars used were often the hollowbodies that were originally designed for jazz – just check out early photos of Scotty Moore, Chuck Berry and, of course, Eddie Cochran.
In many cases, the harmonic sophistication of jazz found its way into some guitar parts and solos, too, which you’ll hear on the early Elvis recordings, plus Bill Haley’s Rock Around The Clock. Brian Setzer is a great example of a more contemporary player who clearly has a good knowledge of his jazz voicings, as evidenced on Stray Cat Strut or his version of Route 66 with The Brian Setzer Orchestra.
