Any of us who made $50 a weekend in high school playing weddings dread Bach's "Air for the G String" (Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068) nearly as much as 'Pachelbel's Canon.' But Milt Jackson's dazzling solo over this first half of this old standby, followed by John Louis's devotional variation on the second half, make this recording among my all-time favorites.

Here, I took a crack at transcribing both solos, including the traditional notes of the air as an accompaniment. Pretty much any nimble melodic instrument can play the top part. A violin actually sounds quite nice.