To avoid double entendres, I won't list Flamenco and Gypsy Swing guitarists on this page. In general, the musicians here defy categorization which makes cataloging them by style completely impossible. Instead, you'll find them listed by instrument. Needless to add, the gaping holes are a function of personal taste and the status quo of my music library at the time of this compilation. As always, reader recommendations or suggestions are welcome and encouraged.


Oud, bouzouq & Middle-Eastern violin: Anouar Brahem, Thierry 'Titi' Robin, Ara Dinkjian, Simon Shaheen
  • Anouar Brahem - Le Pas du Chat Noir | ECM 1792 - Oud, piano, accordion; elegiac meditations
  • Thierry 'Titi' Robin - Le Regard Nu | Silex/Auvidis Y 225059 - Solo oud and bouzouq improvisations
  • Night Ark - Treasures | Traditional Crossroads 80702-6000-2 - Middle-Eastern crossover of the first order
  • Simon Shaheen & Qantara - Blue Flame | Ark21 186 850 022 2 - Oud and violin virtuoso with his own ensemble; includes oud sonata with string quartet

Lute, guitar, violin & Middle-Eastern ensemble: Eduardo Egüez, Eric Hansen, Nedim Nalbantoglu, Bustan Abraham
  • Eduardo Egüez - The King's Teacher | m.a. recordings 064A - Baroque works by Louis XIV's teacher
  • Eric Hansen - Without Words | Neurodisc 0499 2 50222 2 3 - Nuevo Flamenco guitar arrangements by a classically trained guitarist with unusual compositional talents
  • Nedim Nalbantoglu - Müzik Kimé Aittir | Al Sur 206 - Turkish Jazz violin in very unusual compositions
  • Bustan Abraham - Fanar | Nada 13 - An Arab/Hebrew ensemble of master instrumentalist with oud, qanun, violin, acoustic and electric guitars, flute, drums and special guests Zakir Hussain and Hariprasad Chaurasia

Harp, clarinet: Andreas Vollenweider, Deborah Henson-Conant, Richard Stoltzman, Kol Simcha
  • Andreas Vollenweider - Cosmopoly | Sony Classical 89096 - The man who revolutionized the harp for WorldBeat use; one of his best
  • Deborah Henson-Conant - Talking Hands | GRP Records 9636 - The queen of the concert harp in true Jazz fusion
  • Richard Stoltzman - Brasil | BMG 60708-2 - Crossover clarinet tunes in excellent arrangements
  • Kol Simcha - Klezmer Soul | WorldClass 11303-2 - Concertized ballads from the Klezmer traditions

Jazz clarinet & vibes; steel drums, saxophone, violin: Eddie Daniels & Gary Burton; Andy Narell, Jan Garbarek, Zoltán Lantos
  • Eddie Daniels & Gary Burton - Benny Rides Again | GRP Records 9665 - A swingin' tribute to Benny Goodman that absolutely rocks
  • Andy Narell - Fire in the Engine Room | Heads Up 3056 - Andy revolutionized the Caribbean pans for Jazz and this is one of his hottest outings
  • Jan Garbarek - Visible World | ECM 1585 - The father of the neo-tribal sax ballad in one of his best efforts
  • Zoltán Lantos - MirrorWorld | Fono 047-2 - Mysterious Slavic violin in very ambient-rich settings

Sarod, Indian violin, Indian slide guitar, nuevo Tango ensemble: Ali Akbar Khan, L. Subramaniam, Vishwas Mohan Bhatt, Será una Noche
  • Ali Akbar Kahn - Garden of Dreams | Wordily Music 7199-2 - A very clever crossover effort by the greatest living sarod player
  • Ry Cooder/V.M. Bhatt - A Meeting by the River | Waterlily 29 - A legendary album between two legendary guitarists
  • L. Subramaniam/Larry Coryell - From the Ashes | Waterlily 59 - Equally legendary meeting between Western Jazz guitarist and Eastern violin virtuoso
  • Será Una Noche | m.a recordings 052A - This and the follow-up are some of the best albums in the entire m.a. Recordings catalogue. Modern tango with a deconstructionist less-is-more approach.

Shakuhachi, tin whistle, pan flute, Dutch Folk Ensemble: John Kaizan Neptune, Carlos Nuñez, Ulrich Herkenhoff, Flairck
  • John Kaizan Neptune - Tokyosphere | JVC 3316 - Shakuhachi Jazz that uses traditional instruments in very non-traditional tunings and expressions
  • Carlos Nuñez - Brotherhood of the Stars | BMG 74321-45375-2 - One of the best whistle blowers and bagpipe players alive who places his instruments into their little-known Galician context
  • Ulrich Herkenhoff - To Rumania with Love | Discques Cellier 018 - Takes off where Gheorge Zamfir left us - the first pan flutist to emerge from a German Conservatory, here with Marcel Cellier on organ
  • Flairck - Gevecht met de Engel/Circus | Polydor 831 638-2 - A high-octane Dutch formation with monster chops who'd fit right into the Circque de Soleil

Double bass, Jazz piano, bandoneon, ney: Renaud Garcia-Fons, Jacques Loussier, Juan-Jose Mosalini, Omar Faruk Tekbilek
  • Renaud Garcia-Fons - Entremundo | Enja 9464-2 - Another colossal session from one of the world's best upright bass players, here in an expanded Flamenco vein with a good-sized ensemble
  • Jacques Loussier Trio - The Bach Book, 40th Anniversary Album | Telarc 83474 - From the pianist who invented the 'Jazz Bach' style comes a conclusive retrospective in his ubiquitous Jazz trio format
  • Juan-Jose Mosalini - One Man's Tango | Shanachie 64097 - Astor Piazzolla's got nothing on this cat
  • Omar Faruk Tekbilek - One Truth | WorldClass 11309-2 - Turkish multi-instrumentalist with strong Sufi leanings which permeate his art in very tangible fashion; one of his best albums

With this listing, you can duplicate some of my favorite instrumental albums. Once you identify personal favorites, you'll be all set to back load - some of these musicians have released more than seven albums each. As you can see, this is just the beginning. Happy trails.