Ok.

I'm sure that John Renbourn and Stefan Grossman would both find it enormously entertaining to hear them referred to as 'Celtic' guitarists.

The former has devoted most of his life to playing VERY English music with forays into jazz, blues, and various other things but I'm desperately wracking my memory for anything that I can think of as even faintly Celtic.

And Stefan Grossman? I learned a load of ragtime tunes from one of his albums; enjoyed some country blues; but I have that same block - which were the Celtic albums?

Russ Barenberg is a beautiful player.

I went to see John Etheridge play locally last year (wow) with Sweet Chorus. He is a startling musician with everything he does and Christian Garrick is wonderful. But one of the things that John Etheridge most pointed out was how wonderful Dave Kelbie is - presumably because most people wouldn't notice him as he was 'only playing chords' rather than playing intricate lines. Most people look at the soloists not the accompanists - but they are the oil in the engine that keeps it working.

If I could wave a magic wand and do the most to improve music in the worlds I come across it it would be to give everyone the ability to play in time and to change time WITH others as they play (ie listen and react in real time) rather than playing what they want it to be or think it should be. *sigh*

Dreams...