Barney Kessel

小簡介
Barney Kessel是位在 bop和cool這兩項風格的頂尖爵士樂手和作曲家，搖擺樂的風格也是他偶有的表現(xiàn)，他彈奏高技巧和豐富創(chuàng)造力的即興和絃，喜歡吉他的爵士樂迷不可錯過他。到了六十多歲時依然處於顛峰的狀態(tài)，演奏流暢熟練，但是後來因中風而奪去他的演奏能力。
Barney Kessel出生于1923年10月17日的美國奧克拉荷馬州，2004年去世。在14歲的時候母親買了一把吉他和擴大機，之後和一些黑人樂手演奏，而他是唯一不是黑人的樂手。1943年Chico Marx的大樂團，1944-45年在薩克斯風手 Charlie Barnet的大樂團，1945年和小號手Artie Shaw合作,Barney Kessel是一位忙碌的音樂家，因為有太多人要找他合作（許多電影的配樂有他的吉他，像是貓王的電影便有四部有他的演出），這段時間也曾參與名製作人 Norman Granz的 Jazz at The Philharmonic的系列專輯。1947年與 Charlie Parker共同演奏與錄音。1952-53年之間是鋼琴手Oscar Peterson三重奏的一員，有一年的時間他們做巡迴演出。1973年是the Great Guitar團體中的一員，他們在各處巡迴表演,團員中包括 Herb Ellis和 Charlie Byrd。
在史蒂芬格拉佩里美妙動聽同時又散發(fā)著輕快、詼諧氣息的演奏中，聽者心中的種種煩憂總會不知不覺地煙消云散。有人說他的琴聲就像溫暖的陽光，可以照亮每一個蜷縮在陰冷黑夜里的靈魂。他奏出的旋律總是能讓人發(fā)自內(nèi)心地莞爾一笑，頓悟快樂其實就是這么簡單?；顫姷奶懸獾娜嘞?、無懈可擊的音準，讓人難以相信這是出自一位八旬老人之手，小提琴音色溫暖醇厚，松香味兒十足。
One of the finest guitarists to emerge after the death of Charlie Christian, Barney Kessel was a reliable bop soloist throughout his career. He played with a big band fronted by Chico Marx (1943), was fortunate enough to appear in the classic jazz short Jammin the Blues (1944), and then worked with the big bands of Charlie Barnet (1944-1945) and Artie Shaw (1945); he also recorded with Shaws Gramercy Five. Kessel became a busy studio musician in Los Angeles, but was always in demand for jazz records. He toured with the Oscar Peterson Trio for one year (1952-1953) and then, starting in 1953, led an impressive series of records for Contemporary that lasted until 1961 (including several with Ray Brown and Shelly Manne in a trio accurately called the Poll Winners). After touring Europe with George Weins Newport All-Stars (1968), Kessel lived in London for a time (1969-1970). In 1973, he began touring and recording with the Great Guitars, a group also including Herb Ellis and Charlie Byrd. A serious stroke in 1992 put Barney Kessel permanently out of action, but many of his records (which include dates for Onyx, Black Lion, Sonet, and Concord, in addition to many of the Contemporaries) are available, along with several video collections put out by Vestapol. Kessel was diagnosed with inoperable cancer in 2001, which eventually took his life in May of 2004. He was 80 years old.