Back in the late 1980s, I remember seeing an ad in the back of a jazz magazine, either a Downbeat or Jazziz, for an album with four guitarists with Workshop in the title. It was a small, innocous one-column, black-and-white display on the rail of one of the pages.

What I recall that stuck in my head was that Buzzy Feiten, from Full Moon and the Larsen-Feiten Band, along with Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter, who had played with Steely Dan in that group’s early days, were on the album. At that time, I was never able to track the record down, which was on JVC, a company known more for its electronic innovations in stereo and TV equipment than producing records.

At the dawn of the Internet whenever I recalled the album, I tried searching for it with no luck. One problem was I couldn’t remember the title exactly. But in recent years, after probably doing a search on Feiten or Baxter, I came across this Hidden Treasure, Guitar Workshop In L.A., which also includes Teddy Castellucci and James Harrah, two other well-known and respected session players.

The record turned out to be pretty much what I expected, a guitar workout with two tracks apiece for each player, then all four joining in on the two closing tunes. It’s a feast for lovers of funky and bluesy jazz-rock who can’t get enough melodic, tasty and proficient guitar playing from four outstanding soloists, all of whom work mostly on the West Coast but who also have East Coast roots. Count me in.

The added bonus is that is was recorded live to two-track by David Garfield and Alan Hirshberg, something that never fails to amaze me since the musicians capture the spontaneity of the moment while executing demanding charts with few if any flaws.

You’ll notice two Treasures are indicated in the headline. The second is a companion piece to Workshop of sorts, a live recording from Montreux, Switzerland at the 1982 Jazz Festival called Casino Lights,  which includes a plethora of ace musicians, including Feiten, his frequent collaborator keyboardist Neil Larsen, as well as guitarists Larry Carlton and Robben Ford, alto sax player David Sanborn, singers Al Jarreau and Randy Crawford, vibes man Mike Manieri and Yellowjackets.

It’s a mixed bag, all in a similar jazz-rock style combining L.A. and East Coast influences, all performed beautifully and caught live. Having two Larsen, Feiten tracks is worth the price of admission for me but if that’s not enough to entice you, rest assured the rest of the album is well worth the modest investment.

Four of the most interesting tracks on Workshop are the two Baxter tracks and the two with all four guitarists.  Beverly Hills, the only track produced by Baxter, features him on all instruments except acoustic piano, which is handled by Yohshinobu Kojima who wrote the tune with Baxter, so it’s the exception on this record. And although it has Baxter programming drums and bass, it still comes off as a natural, jazzy shuffle reminiscent of Steely Dan. Baxter’s playing is light and swinging with some trademarks sounds, phrasing and licks from his Dan days.

Roppongi is a beautifully lyrical statement played as a trio with Baxter, Kojima and producer Garfield on synthesizer. All three receive a writer’s credit. It’s dominated by the guitar and piano and the format, not the style, reminds of some of the great Gary Burton duets played with vibraharp and either guitar or piano.

Blues For Ronnie, written by Garfield, is a smoking shuffle with all four players getting their chance to stretch out. The album’s credits include where in the stereo spectrum each guitarists sits. After a simple, yet infectious melody, Baxter takes the first solo with the lightest tone of the four, again with heavy jazz and chord-based influences and exacting proficiency. Feiten is next up with his seering, stinging Fender Strat tone and a melding of melodicism and rapid-fire lines that bridge feel with technique.

Harrah has the most overtly rock-oriented sound and cuts through the smoldering rhythm with a tone that ranges between piercing and fuzzy. Castellucci, in contrast Harrah’s broad, thick tonality, has a razor sharp, penetrating tone. He like the others walks a line between blues and rock, and shows off admirable chops without ever venturing into excess. The tune is taken out with the four trading licks over two bars apiece in a slightly different order than the solos. The track serves as the album’s highlight and a nice showcase for all the players.

The second track to feature the four, Skunk Blues by Feiten and Garfield, is a softly, rocking shuffle with no accompaniment for the four guitars. It has a down home blues feel and with each musician using a lighter, partially amplified sound as opposed to the wailing tones on the rest of the record.

Other highlights include both of Feiten’s tracks, Donna and Bull Funk, Castellucci’s Take It All, the album’s opener, and Harrah’s Vicky’s Song. Many of the tunes use either an alto sax, provided by Brandon Fields, or Garfield’s keyboards to state the main themes and better set up the centerpiece guitar playing. Drummer Jeff Porcaro, from Toto, is featured on four tracks.

Casino Lights is a much-overlooked disc with very worthy performances, including Larsen and Feiten on E Minor Song and the title track, both written by Larsen. E Minor Song displays Larsen’s typically melodic signature over a Latin feel, graced with a rhythmic, dancing solo by Feiten, although Ford is credited. Marcus Miller also provides a funky, liquid solo that plays off the Samba rhythm, dripping with feel and opening up into a snapping, slapping climax.

Larsen’s ballad Casino Lights creates a spatial, eerie atmosphere with elegant, descending acoustic piano phrases and a Maineri vibes solo floating over the tune’s chord changes.

Other highlights include Carlton with Yellowjackets on his tune Last Night that features his trademark 335 sound, Yellowjackets on two tracks, Tee Time For Eric, on which Ford states the melody, and Momouth College Fight Song, which is anything but a school anthem, and David Sanborn on two tracks with his own Hideaway and Love Is Not Enough, a soundtrack tune.

Not to be overlooked are the three duets with Jarreau and Crawford, on which Larsen, Feiten, Carlton and Miller participate among others, with the Ashford-Simpson classic Your Precious Love the standout.

The album illustrates the L.A. jazz and soul sound from the early ’80s without the slick sheen that the area has sometimes produced. Workshop is long out of print and its prohibitive price on the market for a new copy, around $100, prohibited me from picking it up for a long time. But it is now readily available used but in near mint condition for as low as 10 bucks. Lights is easily obtainable and is selling in the normal CD price range of $12-$15. Both highly recommended.