Paw-kneading tail-tappers

On this day 32 years ago, my father walked into the playroom of the house where our family lived from 1975-1989 and said, "I got this cat..."  He was an orange tabby that we named Rusty.  I wrote in a previous post about Rusty's penchant for singing during rests when I played the bass.  During his 17 years and change with the family, Rusty also enjoyed listening to music, especially jazz and swing guitar instrumentals, as far as I could tell.  Some of the best guitar-based selections that were music to Rusty's ears and would likely soothe most human ears are:

• Tal Farlow's "Yardbird Suite."  It's a brisk, uptempo number that's among Farlow's best tracks.
• "Avalon" by Duke Robillard and Herb Ellis.  Their version starts off in a midtempo groove but doesn't take long to pick up speed.  Given the strength of the song, virtually any instrumental or vocal version of it swings.  John Pizzarelli sings one of the strongest versions of it.
• virtually anything by Wes Montgomery.  "Polka Dots And Moonbeams" comes to mind first, though.
• just about anything by Earl Klugh.  His "Late Night Guitar," "Solo Guitar," and "Soda Fountain Shuffle" albums are especially consistent and easy on the ears.

If at least a few of those selections don't perk you up immediately, hopefully, they will on repeated listens.  I'm glad to have known a cat who kneaded his paws and tapped his tail in time to so many classy instrumentals.