Howard Roberts
Electric Guitar Solo on
The Nearness Of You

About

Howard Roberts's partial-chorus electric guitar solo opens the improvisation on this gentle ballad reading of Hoagy Carmichael's beloved standard. Roberts solos over the A sections of the 36-bar AABA' form at 60 BPM in F, his warm, rounded tone and tasteful melodic embellishments perfectly suited to the ballad tempo. As the first of two solos, Roberts develops a patient, lyrical narrative over the slowly unfolding changes, demonstrating exceptional abilities as a jazz improviser beyond his well-known studio work. The brevity of his statement reflects a commitment to serving the song's inherent beauty rather than pursuing extended improvisation.

Howard Roberts was 25 to 26 years old at the time.