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Evgeny Pobozhiy, Russian Prodigy, Wins International Jazz Guitar Competition : NPR

Dec 3, 2019: "Evgeny Pobozhiy, a virtuoso guitarist with a busy profile on the Moscow jazz scene, has won the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Guitar Competition. As winner of the prize, one of the most prestigious of its kind, he'll receive $30,000 in scholarship funds and a recording contract with the Concord Music Group....Pobozhiy, who will turn 31 later this month, secured his win with "502 Blues," composed by Jimmy Rowles and best known for a version recorded in 1966 by Wayne Shorter; and "Falling Grace," a Steve Swallow composition also recorded that year."

Many congratulations to him. I was surprised by this result and the conduct of the competition in general.?
This guy is a good player, he has a good sound, a smattering of metheny - esque concepts but questionable engagement with the harmony and a lack of depth of knowledge of the tradition.?
I hope he prospers. But truly there are better out there. O

He reminded me of Metheny, modern sound. It's hard to say what he's like or what the judges heard in him compared to others from the limited amount online. But I tend to agree with your sentiment of "questionable engagement with the harmony". For me it lacked solid depth, more modal skating. I certainly feel there are many more accomplished players out there, but then they probably didn't apply to the competition or were not eligible.

Tom

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I like that "modal skating" term. Kinda of sad to an unabashed old timer. My intro to jazz guitar was around 1970 when the difference between hearing Burrell, Farlow, Wes, Barney, Pass and the like was a mind blowingly rich harmonic & rhythmic revelation compared to my thinking I was getting to be pretty hot stuff with my folk/rock guitar picking. If this kind of thing had been my intro to "jazz guitar" I don't think I would ever been grabbed by it.? I am advanced enough to understand exactly what he is doing and can never figure out why some would think this kind of stuff is a musical advancement/improvement over the aforementioned.?
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Peter Crist

Juan - fun to be back chewing the fat a bit. Certainly part (most?) of it is simply the type of music that my ears grew to appreciate at an early and eager age. I never got there with this vein of jazz (Metheny, Scofield, etc.) - perhaps if that had been my early exposure I would appreciate it more.? It just bothers me a bit these days when someone asks what I do, and then what kind of music I play and I hesitate to just leave it at saying 'jazz guitar' - because it does't say much. One kid said - oh like Django Reinhardt?? I said I love Django, but really don't play that style.? ???The other thing I would say that sets those old guys apart is their (again to my biased ears) unmistakable "voice". For example Birelli Lagrene is a tremendous player. He can seemingly match the sound of anybody. What does he sound like?? I'll grant you I know Scofield when I hear him....but that's an amplifier setting thing.?
On Kessel - he gets that rap a lot - he was generally at his tastiest and cleanest in the 50s. "Kessel Plays Standards Vol 2" was my first jazz love. He did great work with Billie Holiday in those days too.

Peter Crist