Slide Guitar Summit &Guitar Heroes

Arlen Roth—a superb slide guitarist—is joined by nine others on the first of two new guitar-heavy releases, Slide Guitar Summit (Aquinnah Records). The 14-track compilation is dedicated to the memory of Johnny Winter, who joined Roth on the stunning “Rocket 88” from what was his last session. Country/blues artist Lee Roy Parnell plays and sings effectively on the Robert Johnson classic, “Dust My Broom.” Cindy Cashdollar gives her lap steel a serious workout on “Steel Guitar Rag,” as does Roth, who teams up with the irrepressible David Lindley on lap steel (and vocals) for Professor Longhair's “Her Mind Is Gone.” And so it goes, as Roth and his guests'—who also include Rick Vito, Sonny Landreth, Jack Pearson, Jimmy Vivino and Greg Martin—sinuous guitars twine around each other in tremendous displays of six-string synchronism. The rightly acclaimed players on Guitar Heroes (Stony Plain Records) are James Burton, Albert Lee, Amos Garrett and David Wilcox, whose 11 songs were recorded at a Vancouver, B.C., festival in 2013. There's much to savor here, especially on “Polk Salad Annie,” where they all chase each other around. Burton shines on “Susie Q” by recreating his solo on Dale Hawkins' 1957 hit. Among the rest, Garrett's “Sleep Walk” is a real tour de force.