As we know, the exercise is heartbreaking, and not naming certain outstanding guitarists is a crime of lèse-majesté. But after our sounding, a leading trio clearly stands out: bluesman Steve Hill, jazzman Stéphane Tellier and jack of all trades Pierre Côté win the graces of our readers. The last two having been widely portrayed in our file, here are a few words about Steve Hill. “His recent YouTube shows with guest musicians make him even more accessible to us. And his “one man band”, wow! exclaims Patrick Bourgeois, who defines himself as an “intermediate basement guitarist”.
“Every time I watched and listened to Steve Hill play guitar, I couldn’t believe it. This agility, these high and low notes at an incredible speed, he surely worked a lot. He’s an impressive guitarist, he deserves to be recognized as the best in Quebec,” said Lorraine Lacombe. Another reader, Éric Lapointe (the singer or a namesake? mystery…), agrees. “Having seen Steve Hill perform on several occasions, what he accomplishes with his guitar is phenomenal. For me, it’s the best,” he says, although his heart swings between Hill and Jean-Claude Marsan, the guitarist of Plume Latraverse, also acclaimed by several other readers.
Many people who responded to our appeal to all were surprised that certain well-established names were not mentioned in our file. It is that the choices were, let us remember, difficult for our speakers. And it is true that the eclectic Michel Cusson and the inspired Jordan Officer would have found their place just as well, which many readers have not failed to point out. Like Francine Malo, also an admirer of Simon Godin: “Another great guitarist who makes me vibrate: Jordan Officer. What a guitarist! Beautiful style… more discreet, but so pleasant to listen to! Our reader Hélène Coulombe agrees. “Very surprising that his name was not mentioned, because he plays divinely well,” she says. As for Michel Cusson, we are reminded that he had shared the stage with the monuments Joe Satriani and Steve Vai during their visit to Quebec.
In the acoustic department, Patrick Norman won a large number of votes, music lovers appreciating his guitar lace. “He plays acoustic guitar with finesse and skill. His playing is subtle, full of beautiful intonations, remarkable for his “fingerpicking”, one can enjoy listening to him to get inspired by his playing. Maybe not the best guitarist, but certainly someone with a unique sound “, nuances Jean Rochette.
Where are the women ? Also on the stage, our readers with a penchant for Christine Tassan (jazz), Ariane Roy or Salomé Leclerc (pop-rock). “The best guitarist in Quebec, well yes, a woman! exclaims Clotilde Seille about the premiere. Swing, jazz, pop, world music, all in delicacy or virtuosity when the public asks for it. It’s crazy to see the male gender prevail once again. »
It is impossible to reproduce all of the choices of our readers here, but, apart from those mentioned above, here are some others among the most popular of our survey: Stéphane Dufour, Réjean Lachance, Frank Marino, Antoine Dufour and Jeff Smallwood. Quebec is still a long way from putting its guitars back in their cases!