People in the office (and some outside as well) are probably aware that I am obsessed with Lenny Breau’s rendition of Hoagy Charmichael’s “Georgia On My Mind” performed on Canadian TV show A Touch of Jazz. The influential yet relatively unknown guitarist (compared to many guitarists of his day, of course) plays both rhythm and melody in this song, and if I didn’t watch the video I would have thought there were two guitarists.

Funny enough, this episode of the CBC-Canada program wasn’t a feature on Lenny Breau as a band leader, he was a part of saxophonist Bob McMullin’s quartet. In the episode, the rhythm section (consisting of Lenny Breau on guitar, Dave Young on bass, and Wayne Finucan on drums) was given the spotlight, and performed this wonderful song.

I cannot pick apart Breau’s guitar playing in a technical manner, but to me, he manages to hit the right notes in his melodies to keep listeners engaged, and the subtle chords he simultaneously plays not only complements and emphasizes the melodies, but also adds an emotional drive to the song. I don’t really know what else to say besides that it is beautiful.

The video above features the full episode of A Touch of Jazz featuring Bob McMullin and his quartet, as well as a video of the “Georgia on My Mind” performance, click the left and right arrows to switch between them.