Magic Touch is the first studio album by guitarist Stanley Jordan, released in 1985 by Blue Note Records on vinyl; a CD edition was issued in 1990. Jazz fusion guitarist Al Di Meola produced it. The record spent 51 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's jazz chart, and went gold almost 20 years after its release. It earned Grammy nominations: Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist and Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal Or Instrumental.
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Artistry
Producer Al Di Meola granted Stanley Jordan had a "phenomenal" approach to guitar tapping, taking it "into another dimension." He pointed out, though, that Jordan's style was closer to a keyboardist than a guitarist, owing to the fact he doesn't use picks or strum chords either.
Critical reception
Daniel Gioffre at AllMusic awarded Magic Touch 4.5 stars out of 5, calling it "An instant classic, and one of the definitive moments of modern jazz guitar." He listed "Eleanor Rigby", "The Lady in My Life", "Freddie Freeloader", "'Round Midnight", and "A Child Is Born" as highlights.
Personnel
Stanley Jordan – guitar
Onaje Allan Gumbs – keyboard
Wayne Braithwaite – bass
Charnett Moffett – bass
Peter Erskine – drums
Omar Hakim – drums
Al Di Meola – cymbals
Sammy Figueroa – percussion
Bugsy Moore – percussion
Production
James Farber – engineer
Kenny Florendo – assistant engineer
Al Di Meola – producer
Christine Martin – producer