Man can this guy swing!
One of the true living jazz legends of the guitar. His chord melody conceptions are second to none. He can sound like a whole horn section, just by the way he "comps" with chords.
In my early years had a chance to study with Barney for a whole week, and I jumped at the chance. Eventually, I got to play with Barney in front of an audience, it was great!
Barney is one of the most positive people I know, and one of the first to deal with the mental aspects of learning jazz. He has always been encouraging, and very supportive to me much to my amazement, I was only a struggling guitar player, trying to be better. The fact he remembered me after years had passed, impressed the heck out of me. I wonder if he has a photographic memory like Oscar Peterson?
His attitude was severely challenged recently when he suffered a rather bad stroke.
I was very saddend to hear him struggle trying to speak when he called me one day.
I had a million questions to ask him that day, but I just couldn't put him through all that. It was enough that he called and wanted to know how I was doing.
He is a real human being. And you know what? He still had that positive outgoing attitude. With that attitude, he will always be a winner. And speaking of winner, he won many jazz polls, and recorded the Jazz Poll winners series of recordings that are just wonderful.
Anyway, he is one of the great jazz masters that is definitely worth checking out.
A few quotes from Barney:
"Playing scales is like a boxer skipping rope or punching a bag. It's not the thing in itself; it's preparatory to the activity"
"I'm not interested in a marketable product: I'm interested in what I know from my life experience to be standards of excellence"
Barney's Bio and CD list
Discography
Young Barney Picture and short bio
If you want to leave any words of appreciation and support to Barney, just drop me some email and I will see he get it.
NEW!! the magazine Just Jazz Guitar is going to have a special issue just on Barney Kessel! Reserve your issue now!
Click here for a report of the Tribute to Barney Kessel gathering.
Kessel Stories is the page where I post letters to Barney. |
