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.

Oct 3, 2023 · Barney Kessel was a jazz guitarist and legend who graced the music scene from the 1940s until his death in 2004. Known for his improvisation skills, beautiful tone, and fast execution, Kessel has influenced generations of guitarists that have come after him.

May 8, 2004 · Barney Kessel, the innovative and influential jazz guitarist known for his lyrical voice and harmonic improvisation, has died. He was 80. A pioneer of the electric guitar, Kessel died Thursday...

May 8, 2004 · Barney Kessel, a guitarist who was both a celebrated jazz soloist and a ubiquitous but anonymous studio musician, died on Thursday at his home in San Diego. He was 80. The cause was brain cancer...

Jul 26, 2023 · Guitarist Barney Kessel fits his perfect trio featuring bassist Leroy Vinnegar and drummer Shelly Manne into one quintet with pianist Hampton Hawes and vibesman Victor Feldman and a sextet with tenor man Ben Webster, pianist Jimmy Rowles and …

Apr 7, 2020 · Barney Kessel was a masterful and highly influential jazz guitarist that played with Oscar Peterson, Artie Shaw, Frank Sinatra, and The Beach Boys.

Bands led by Charlie Barnet (in 1944 he can be heard on the band’s hit “Skyliner”) and Artie Shaw (1944-1945), followed by a short stint with Shaw’s side group, the Gramercy Five. Notably, in 1944, he appeared in the film Jammin’ the Blues alongside saxophonist Lester …

kessel, barney (1923–2004). When jazz historians look back at the twentieth century and the musicians who pioneered jazz as an art form, Barney Kessel will be considered third in the holy trinity of jazz guitarists, behind only Django Reinhardt and …

Oct 17, 2023 · Barney Kessel’s approach to the guitar was marked by technical brilliance and a keen sense of melody. He was known for his fluid single-note lines, inventive chord voicings, and an uncanny ability to convey emotion through his playing.

Barney Kessel (October 17, 1923–May 6, 2004) had a prolific, half-century-long career as a jazz guitarist, studio musician, cultural ambassador, and pedagogue. Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, to two Russian Jewish immigrants (nés Kesselman), he picked up the guitar at age twelve and started playing professionally just two years later.