Barney Kessel – Biography, Discography & Instruments

Biography

Barney Kessel was a jazz musician who played guitar. Barney Kessel was born on 17 October 1923 in Muskogee and died on 6 May 2004 in San Diego. The music is usually filed under jazz and Gypsy jazz. Record labels: Columbia Records, Concord Records, Mercury Records and RCA Victor. The discography here lists 37 albums, from “Barney Kessel” (1954) to “Live At The Jazz Mill 1954, Vol. 2” (2018). Honours include Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame (1999).

Barney Kessel (October 17, 1923 – May 6, 2004) was an American jazz guitarist. Known in particular for his knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies, he was a member of many prominent jazz groups as well as a "first call" guitarist for studio, film, and television recording sessions. Kessel was a member of the group of session musicians informally known as the Wrecking Crew.

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Discography

Studio and live albums

Barney Kessel 1954 · Contemporary Kessel Plays Standards 1954 · Contemporary Barney Kessel, Volume 3: "To Swing or Not to Swing" 1955 · Contemporary Barney Kessel, Volume 1: Easy Like 1956 · Contemporary Music to Listen to Barney Kessel By 1957 · Contemporary El Tigre 1958 · Charlie Parker Records Modern Jazz Performances From Bizet's Carmen 1959 · Contemporary Some Like It Hot 1959 · Contemporary Let's Cook! 1962 · Contemporary Contemporary Latin Rhythms 1963 · Reprise Records On Fire 1965 · Emerald Feeling Free 1969 · Contemporary Hair Is Beautiful 1969 · Atlantic Reflections in Rome 1969 · RCA Victor What's New... Barney Kessel? 1969 · Mercury Records Kessel's Kit 1970 · RCA Victor Swinging Easy! 1971 · Black Lion Records Summertime in Montreux 1973 · Live · Black Lion Records Two Way Conversation 1974 Just Friends 1975 · Sonet Live at Sometime 1977 · Live · Trio Poor Butterfly 1977 · Concord Records

Shiny Stockings 1977

Barney Kessel's Swingin' Party at Contemporary 1978 · Contemporary Solo 1983 · Concord Jazz In Concert 1985 · Laser Red Hot and Blues 1988 · Contemporary Barney Kessel & Friends 1990 · Concord Jazz Spontaneous Combustion 1991 · Contemporary Soaring 1992 Autumn Leaves 2000 · da music Yesterday 2003 · Live · da music Blue Guitar 2004 · Fuel 2000 Records Barney Kessel: Live at the Jazz Mill 1954 2017 · Modern Harmonic

Live At The Jazz Mill 1954, Vol. 2 2018

Barney Kessel In Concert · Live

To Swing or Not to Swing / Blue Soul

Also plays on

Albums where Barney Kessel is credited as a sideman

1952	Billie Holiday Sings — Billie Holiday	guitar, electric guitar
1952	Solitude — Billie Holiday	guitar, electric guitar
1953	The Astaire Story — Fred Astaire	guitar, electric guitar
1953	Oscar Peterson Plays George Gershwin — Oscar Peterson	guitar
1953	Oscar Peterson Plays Cole Porter — Oscar Peterson	guitar
1953	Oscar Peterson Plays Duke Ellington — Oscar Peterson	guitar
1953	Cosmopolite — Benny Carter	guitar
1953	King of the Tenors — Ben Webster	guitar
1954	Billie Holiday — Billie Holiday	electric guitar, guitar
1954	Recital by Oscar Peterson — Oscar Peterson	guitar
1954	The President — Lester Young	guitar
1954	Lester Young with The Oscar Peterson Trio #1 — Lester Young with The Oscar Peterson Trio	guitar
1955	Music for Torching — Billie Holiday	electric guitar, guitar
1955	Julie Is Her Name — Julie London	guitar
1955	East Coast - West Coast Scene — Al Cohn And His "Charlie's Tavern" Ensembleand Shorty Rogers And His Augmented "Giants"	guitar
1955	Swing Guitars — Oscar Moore, Barney Kessel, Tal Farlow	guitar
1956	Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings — Bing Crosby & Buddy Bregman	guitar
1956	Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Song Book — Ella Fitzgerald	guitar
1956	Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book — Ella Fitzgerald	guitar
1956	Lady Sings the Blues — Billie Holiday	guitar
1956	Pick Yourself Up With Anita O’Day — Anita O’Day	guitar
1956	Ballads & Blues — Milt Jackson	guitar
1956	Jazz - U.S.A. — Sonny Criss	guitar
1957	Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book — Ella Fitzgerald	guitar
1957	Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book, Volume 2 — Ella Fitzgerald	guitar
1957	Body and Soul — Billie Holiday	guitar
1957	Gee Baby Ain’t I Good to You — Harry Edison	guitar
1957	Music to Listen to Red Norvo By — Red Norvo	guitar
1958	Songs for Distingué Lovers — Billie Holiday	guitar, electric guitar
1958	Jazz Giant — Benny Carter	guitar

Standards written by Barney Kessel

Title	Key	Form	Groove
Here's That Sunny Day	A major	AABA · 72	Bossa nova

Awards

1999 Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame

Historic 78 rpm records

SUGAR (THAT SUGAR BABY O'MINE) WINGY MANONE'S ORCH. · Wingy Manone · Nick Fatool · Stanley… archive.org ↗
NOBODY KNOWS THE TROUBLE I'VE SEEN CHARLIE VENTURO & HIS SEXTET · Charlie Venturo · Willie Smith · Red… · 1945 archive.org ↗
WHO'S SORRY NOW CHARLIE VENTURO & HIS SEXTET · Charlie Venturo · Willie Smith · Red… · 1945 archive.org ↗
S'WONDERFUL CHARLIE VENTURO & HIS SEXTET · Charlie Venturo · Willie Smith · Red… · 1945 archive.org ↗
Jazz Gems Vol. I Red Callender · Barney Kessell · Nick Fatool · Barney Bigard · Milt… · 1946 archive.org ↗
Atom Buster Barney Kessel's Allstars · Kessel · Barney Kessel · Dodo Marmarosa ·… · 1946 archive.org ↗
SUGAR (THAT SUGAR BABY O'MINE) WINGY MANONE'S ORCHESTRA · Wingy Manone · Nick Fatool · Stanley… · 1946 archive.org ↗
BLACK MARKET BLUES WINGY MANONE'S ORCH. · Wingy Manone · Nick Fatool · Stanley… · 1946 archive.org ↗

Frequently asked questions

What instrument did Barney Kessel play?

Barney Kessel is known for playing guitar.

When and where was Barney Kessel born?

Barney Kessel was born 17 October 1923 in Muskogee.

What are Barney Kessel's best-known albums?

Albums in our database include Barney Kessel (1954), Kessel Plays Standards (1954), Barney Kessel, Volume 3: "To Swing or Not to Swing" (1955), Barney Kessel, Volume 1: Easy Like (1956) and Music to Listen to Barney Kessel By (1957).

External links

Data compiled from open sources; see the source links below. Spotted an error? Let us know.