Barney

[AcornHouse]

I would have to rate Barney Kessel as my overall favorite jazz guitarist. Just sublime, with a blustery touch when the mood strikes.

 

[GGJaguar]

Yup, mine too!

 

[fronobulax]

I'll hijack this now. Maybe there will be resolutions about precise titles as a response?

 

[GGJaguar]

1965

 

[Canard]

I would have to rate Barney Kessel as my overall favorite jazz guitarist. Just sublime, with a blustery touch when the mood strikes.

I am most sad to say that the one time I saw him he was quite boring. It was a major disappointment as I liked his recorded stuff so much. He was doing a duet thing with Herb Ellis, another of my favourites. Ellis was also having an off night. It was almost as if the two of them were overly tired, sulky, and resentful. No charm. No enthusiasm. It was entirely a flat contractual obligation sleepwalking delivery of technique. No fire. No sparkle. I wish I hadn't seen it. It is not pleasant to see heroes stumble.

 

[AcornHouse]

I'll hijack this now. Maybe there will be resolutions about precise titles as a response?

It’s like you don’t really know us at all.

 

[Nuuska]

He was friendly and polite, too.

When we met before gig he came to me - shook hands and said : "Hello - I'm Barney Kessel." Then he had only one request : "Use your own discretion - however I do not like too much reverb." After the show he thanked me. What a gentleman.

 

[walrus]

I always thought that more than most of his contemporaries, he looked like a jazz guitarist. The beard, the clothes, his style, etc. He was cool, man!

He also had great left hand "touch"...





walrus

 

[GGJaguar]

he looked like a jazz guitarist.

Except when he looked like a stock broker.

 

[walrus]

Except when he looked like a stock broker.

Not the image I think of when I think of Kessel, but point taken!

walrus

 

[Teleguy61]

Classic Christian-derived style--downstrokes only.
Fine musician for sure.