BOOK: Masters of the Plectrum Guitar

The pre-bebop styles of block-chord solos and solo guitar chord melody are almost completely lost arts. There are few living practitioners, and few resources to learn from. However, there is one book out there which is still in print that provides a great deal of insight, as well as a multitude of transcriptions:

Masters of the Plectrum Guitar (Mel Bay)

Transciptions of Eddie Lang, Carl Kress, Dick McDonough, George M. Smith, Carmen Mastren, and Tony Mattola, as well as couple duet pieces. Modern technology also provides you the opportunity to check out the book before you by it at Google Books.

Masters of the Plectrum Guitar (Google Books Preview)

I particularly suggest taking a look at the full transcription of "Sutton Mutton" by Carl Kress on pgs. 42-45. I still haven't gotten around to learning the slow section, but I love the first section, and it's often the first thing I play when testing out an acoustic archtop. Thanks to Mike Faltesek for bringing it to my attention.

Masters of the Block-Chord Solo

UPDATE: Links fixed - however, you may need to save them to play them for reasons I can't quite figure out.

Here are some recordings of acoustic chordal solos that I consider essential (and are easily linked to at Classic Jazz Guitar). Yeah, it's lame that these are just clips, but you should just go by the tunes now. Go on itunes or amazon.com and just buy all of them now. Go. I'll wait.

Allan Reuss - Beside being one of, if not the best swing rhythm guitar player, Reuss was also my favorite Block-Chord Soloist. The solo on "Bye Bye Blues" is amazing. Reuss had many gems on record through out the years.
Arnold Ross Quintet f/Benny Carter - Bye Bye Blues
Lionel Hampton - Rhythm, Rhythm
Jack Teagarden Orchestra - Pickin' for Patsy
Coleman Hawkins - Stuffy
Benny Goodman Orchestra - Rosetta

George Van Eps - Although he is now mostly famous for inventing and playing 7-string guitar, Van Eps was a fantastic 6-string rhythm and chordal player. He was a cooler player that Reuss, and he approached the guitar more like a "lap piano". Still, he had some great block-chord solos on record.
Adrian Rollini Orchestra - Somebody Loves Me
George Van Eps - Ain't Misbeavin'
Jess Stacy - Indiana

Carmen Mastren - Another great rhythm player, Mastren started out with Wingy Manone, but most famously he played with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and even did some arranging for the band. He later joined the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band during World War II. Here are his two most famous block-chord solo breaks are with two one-off quartets.
Delta Four - Swingin' on that Famous Door
Bechet-Spanier Big Four - If I Could Be With You

Carl Kress - Kress' chordal style descended from extented Tenor Guitar / Banjo tuning. He famously recorded duets with Eddie Lang. After Lang's death in 1933, he partnered with Dick McDonough, until that guitarist's death in 1938. Kress also did duets with Tony Mattola, and later George Barnes. Most of his well known recordings are duets or solo pieces. Here are two examples with a band, and no other guitar player.
Edmund Hall All Star Quintet - Seein' Red
Edmund Hall All Star Quintet - Rompin' in '44
(ok, here's one solo piece) Carl Kress - Sutton Mutton