Barney Kessel Appreciation Thread

[jameslovestal]

I have been planning on posting but didn't know how to get my point across. You did with "Just the deftness of how he gets chords in there".

As others have noted all professional jazz guitar players use chords in their solo (even Grant Green, ha ha), but most typically either start or end a passage with a chord, or the entire passage is chords (Wes); I.e. single line solo then a solo using mostly chords.

Barney gets his chord 'in there' often in unexpected places (well at least to me on the first listen of a recording).

[radiofm74]

And just because I'm studying Barney's immortal masterwork "Satin Doll", I'll just give this thread a bump and put it out there that he is my favorite jazz guitarist bar none. There are others I love almost as much (the unfairly obscure Remo Palmieri being one), and others that dazzle me more (Wes for instance) but given the choice to only listen to one guitarist for the rest of my day I'll take Barney – quirks included.

As for being sloppy – I call that "taking risks and following your musical idea to its end no matter what". These are qualities, not weaknesses for an improviser. That mindset (and the head-hand connection that goes with it) is the reason why Barney's package includes (along the occasionally dirty lines) an overflow of swinging, lyrical, humorous, whimsical, intricate – always musical – phrases. His going berserk on the 3rd chorus of
Satin Doll and then giving that massive hit on the brakes at the end of the chorus? Genius.

And don't get me started on him as a chord soloist ;D

I'd have loved to get to meet him personally.

[Greentone]

I agree, Barney wasn't afraid to take risks

[guitouttaheah]

Barney burnin'.

[Rob MacKillop]

My homage to Barney:

[citizenk74]

Beautiful! Thanks for posting this, Rob!

[Kirk Garrett]

Barney particularly shines for me when he’s all by himself, with no other accompaniment. His tuneful arrangements and his guitaristic approach really set him apart.

[Kirk Garrett]

My favorite Barney on record:

Whoa — I had never heard this. It isn’t on Spotify. Thanks for posting!

[Oscar67]

BK being a member of the Wrecking Crew I was of course aware of him and I’d heard some of his work with Oscar Peterson. Then I saw a video of Bruce Forman telling about acquiring Barney’s old guitar and Bruce mentioned the intro to Cry Me A River. So I checked that out. Then I replayed that whole song five times just to hear what BK’s doing. Then I dropped everything and started to learn it. As far as accompaniment goes, this is _it_ for me. Deep down I’d love to be a good accompanist so this stuff resonates with me. BK’s doing so much more than comping. The Poll Winners stuff is also incredible. What a talent.

[AndyV]

Kudos to Bruce for his thoughts and overall community-building and to my pals at FJ for this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x05lZhZuGx8

[radiofm74]

Well, Bruce Forman's "Reunion!" album and all the Barney (and ES-350!) celebration that has happened around it sure is the best homage that could be payed to the master. Especially because the music is so great, and without there being one bar of slavish imitation you hear that same flow and intermingling of swinging single note runs and chord stabs.

[Bop Head]

While having the “Vol.3 To Swing Or Not To Swing”, “Blue Soul”, and “Summertime in Montreux” albums as cheap vinyl reissues I also like the very early stuff.

This one I got as a christmas present in form of a single from the 50ies from a friend of my parents more than 30 years ago:

And recently I discovered this one — High Gain Barney jamming with Dexter Gordon and others.

[MarkRhodes]

Love to hear Barney play.

[MarkRhodes]

And when Barney and Herb played together, well, that's about as good as it gets.

[ThatRhythmMan]

And when Barney and Herb played together, well, that's about as good as it gets.

Fantastic shredding from both there.


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[AndyV]

When Barney played with Herb there was a synergy from their mutual Charlie Christian influence but while I respect his bluesy fluidity, Herb's playing never intrigues me. Barney just had a lot more arrows in his musical quiver. However, when the tempo is pushed, he seems to struggle ever so slightly - more reliance on sweep picking licks. I agree with other posts that I love his guitarist approach to the instrument and his uses of open strings.

[P.J.]

Love me some Barney K!!

[pdfiddler]

I appreciate Barney Kessel!

[eronchel]

I've listened to Kessel for decades. I go through cycles of not being able to get enough of him and then not being able to stand him. He is a very complete musician but his "guitaristic" moves, the slurs, chord stabs, etc. that are brilliant tools in his hands are all to easily assimilated into my own playing as crutches and substitutes for playing clean. Kessel could play super-clean--he did studio work!-- so his slurs and such are intentional, not "sloppy." But I find that stuff gets into my playing and I don't deploy them with the taste and verve that BK did.

He's a fantastic player but if you listen to him, you will soon sound like him, sometimes not in the best ways.

I haven't said this well... maybe someone can help me out here.

I agree about Barney Kessel playing, it was so musical.
I would like to know other players doing same chord line thing in a so cool swing way. I know Bruce Forman but no others

[jameslovestal]

I agree about Barney Kessel playing, it was so musical.
I would like to know other players doing same chord line thing in a so cool swing way. I know Bruce Forman but no others

Forman has a new recording Reunion - The Poll Winners Revisited where he plays the Kessel's guitar (same one he used for those classic 50s recordings). John Clayton plays bass and Jeff Hamilton is on drums.

When Bruce plays chords backing the others, I'm transported back in time since I can't tell much difference to the sound Kessel had on those recordings. The single line soloing is clearly that Forman sound.

5 of the songs are Forman originals and the other standards like Stardust, April in Paris, Green Dolphin Street, etc..

I really enjoy the Forman originals since they have that poll winners sound and thus it was like they were recorded during that time period. (my favorite jazz guitar era being the 50s and early 60s).

[Mick-7]

I always remember Howard Roberts comment about Barney, he said he used to drape a dinner napkin over his fretboard when other jazz guitarists visited his club sessions, so that they could not see how he was playing passages, but I imagine that's something he only did early on and later dropped (no pun intended). Howard thought it was silly.

I love Barney's playing but he did get sloppy at times with the sweep picking.

[AndyV]

If it happened, it was clearly a joke on Barney's part.

[Kirk Garrett]

…I love Barney's playing but he did get sloppy at times with the sweep picking.

I tend to like this. Someone recently posted Jimmy Bruno playing Poinciana, and it sounded rather anemic. I caught myself wishing his playing more resembled his prickly personality.

This is not an excuse for sloppy playing, of course. I just feel one of the things that makes guitarists a little limited in a jazz ensemble is how damned polite they can be.

[AndyV]

I posted Poinciana which, ironically, is one of the few Bruno performances to make an impression. But I do see your point. Barney had so much feeling, swing, texture, personality and guitaristic flourish to his playing.

[Oscar67]

I just feel one of the things that makes guitarists a little limited in a jazz ensemble is how damned polite they can be.

Well said. I’m still recovering from seeing Julian Lage perform this week. That was exhilarating.