CD1
Tracks 1-12: "Easy Like"
1. Easy Like
2. Tenderly
3. Lullaby Of Birdland
4 What Is There To Say?
5. Bernardo
6. Vicky’s Dream
7. Salute To Charlie Christian
8. That’s All
9. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
10. Just Squeeze Me
11. April In Paris
12. North Of The Border
Tracks 13-24: "Barney Kessel Plays Standards"
13. Speak Low
14. Love Is Here To Stay
15. On A Slow Boat To China
16. How Long Has This Been Going On?
17. My Old Flame
18. Jeepers Creepers
19. Barney’s Blues
20. Prelude To A Kiss
21 A Foggy Day
22. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
23. I Didn’t Know What Time It Was
24. 64 Bars On Wilshire
CD2
Tracks 1-10: "To Swing Or Not To Swing"
1. Begin The Blues
2. Louisiana
3. Happy Feeling
4. Embraceable You
5. Wail Street
6. Indiana
7. Moten Swing
8. Midnight Sun
9. Contemporary Blues
10. Don’t Blame Me
Tracks 11-22: "Music To Listen To Barney Kessel
By"
11. Cheerful Little Earful
12. Makin’ Whoopee
13. My Reverie
14. Blues For A Playboy
15. Love Is For The Very Young
16. Carioca
17. Mountain Greenery
18. Indian Summer
19. Gone With The Wind
20. Laura
21. I Love You
22. Fascinating Rhythm
The Avid label continues
to bring us remarkable gifts in the shape
of double CDs packed with good things. This
set consists of the first four albums recorded
by guitarist Barney Kessel as leader between
1953 and 1956, under the aegis of Lester Koenig
(although Twelfth Street Rag is omitted
from the third album). Barney had already
recorded a couple of albums under his own
name for the Atomic and Clef labels but Lester
gave him the chance to record regularly. All
four albums were recorded in Los Angeles,
where Kessel had established himself among
the West Coast crowd that included the likes
of Bud Shank. Bob Cooper, Claude Williamson
and Shelly Manne.
Inspired mainly by Charlie
Christian, Barney had mastered the bebop style,
which is clearly audible on a track like Bernardo,
where the theme (based on All the Things
You Are) is stated in unison by Kessel's
guitar and Bud Shank's alto sax. Kessel had
already played with Charlie Parker and served
his memorable year's membership of the Oscar
Peterson Trio, as well as working with big
bands and doing studio work - and he plays
nice clean single-note lines as well as blending
in well with the other musicians. It is good
to hear him with such players as trumpeter
Harry Edison and tenorist Bill Perkins on
a track like Wall Street.
On Music to Listen to
Barney Kessel By, he leads a nine-piece
band with a front line consisting entirely
of woodwind, which makes for an intriguing
sound. At its extremely reasonable budget
price, there's no reason why any jazz fan
should miss snapping up this memorable set.
Tony Augarde
CD Reviews
Avid
AMSC 921
