To Swing Or Not to Swing

Barney Kessel | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 1, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ojc
• ASIN: B00000GBSG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #171,965 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

No description available.
Genre: Jazz Music
Rating:
Release Date: 0000-00-00
Media Type: Compact Disk

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Barney and Friends, August 12, 2000

By 

William Faust (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To Swing Or Not to Swing (Audio CD)

I had to look twice to make sure that this wasn't a Norman Granz-produced JATP concert or Verve recording session because it sure swings like one and features many of the "usual suspects". Recorded in 1955, this red hot session features one of the era's best swing guitars (in the tradition of Herb Ellis, Tal farlow or Jimmy Raney) backed by a group of mostly west coast studio jocks and big band alumni. Edison is superb as always, Auld and Bill Perkins do a nice job on tenor respectively, Jimmy Rowles does his best Count Basie imitation (and a good one it is) with Red Mitchell and Shelly Manne down in the engine room. 11 charts in all, mostly up-tempo blues, swing standards and a ballad or two for Kessel to shine. There's a particularly tight version of Moten Swing that allows everyone lots of room to cut loose and a lovely duet between Kessel and Rowles on Midnight Sun. Highly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To Swing, indeed!, May 25, 2007

By 

M. Kubik "fat wax stax" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: To Swing Or Not to Swing (Audio CD)

The playing here is bright and upbeat if a little muted by the production. Kessel's work is impeccable on both the ballads and uptempo numbers displaying all aspects of his inimitable sound. The economy of the arrangements here are emphasized by the production as the horn section take a back seat and Barney is front and center. If you enjoy that cool west coast style of the 50's this one's for you.

4.0 out of 5 stars Barney Swings, February 4, 2012

By 

D.R.L. (Austin, Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To Swing Or Not to Swing (Audio CD)

~ Barney Kessel's guitar playing incorporates the best of swing, bop, and beyond. Through years of studio work backing a multitude of singers and instrumentalists he developed an unparalleled ability to accompany and solo in a variety of settings and styles. Oscar Peterson talked Barney into leaving the studios and joining his Trio for a brief one year spanning 1952-1953, after which Barney returned to studio work. Fortunately, Contemporary Records signed Barney to make a series of excellent jazz records from 1953 to 1961 (including several trio sessions under the name "The Poll Winners" with Ray Brown and Shelly Manne). Barney's Contemporary recordings just may be the best of his career as this CD clearly shows.

~ TO SWING OR NOT TO SWING presents a cool bob repertoire that includes standards such as "Louisiana", "Indiana," and "12th Street Rag" plus four Kessel originals: "Begin The Blues", "Happy Feeling", "Wall Street", and "Contemporary Blues". I am always pleased with Barney's compositions because they always contain catchy, memorable melodies. The personnel includes trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison (6 tracks), Georgie Auld (3 tracks) or Bill Perkins (3 tracks) on tenor, pianist Jimmy Rowles (all tracks), rhythm guitarist Al Hendrickson (all tracks), bassist Red Mitchell (all tracks), and Shelly Manne (all but 3 tracks) or Irv Cottler (3 tracks) on drums. All of the supporting cast is in excellent form. These session, recorded in March and July 1955, feature some excellent straight-ahead showcases for Kessel's guitar.

~ Recommended despite the fact that the recording quality is not on par with Barney's other Contemporary CDs - a few muted-trumpet solos are under-recorded, but other than that the recording standards are high.