The late Lenny Breau was an uncrowned king of jazz fingerstyle guitar. A relatively unknown voice on the instrument, he startled newcomers to his music by his ability to comp chords behind himself sounding like two guitarists, ring out lengthy bell-like harmonic passages, tastefully blend his influences of country, jazz and flamenco and fluidly improvise in this style.

On August 12, 1984, he was found dead in a Los Angeles swimming pool. An autopsy revealed that he had been strangled in an unsolved murder that shocked those that knew this gentle, warm man. His friend and musical mentor Chet Atkins laments, "Lenny was one of the great little individuals and characters that's ever been in this world. Everybody loved him so much. Except the person who strangled him. I guess." Sadly, after a career of ups and mostly downs, Breau was just gaining greatly deserved respect and recognition, at least among guitar players. He leaves behind a representative but not easily found sampling of his music that is worth the search.