Top Picks
Barney Kessel-Red Mitchell Duo: Two Way Conversation, Sonet.
Barney Kessel Quartet: Barney Kessel’s Swingin’ Party at Contemporary, OJC/Contemporary. Gary Peacock, bass
Barney Kessel Quintet: Red Hot and Blues, OJC/Contemporary. Bobby Hutcherson, vibes; Kenny Barron, piano; Rufus Reid, bass
Barney Kessel Small Groups: Let’s Cook, OJC/Contemporary. Victor Feldman, vibes; Hampton Hawes, piano; Leroy Vinnegar, bass; Shelly Manne, drums; Frank Rosolino, Trombone; Jimmy Rowles, piano
The Poll Winners With Ray Brown and Shelly Manne, OJC/Contemporary.
The Poll Winners Ride Again, OJC/Contemporary. Ray Brown, bass, and Shelly Manne, drums
Poll Winners Three!, OJC/Contemporary. Ray Brown, bass, and Shelly Manne, drums
Hampton Hawes Quartet: Four! Hampton Hawes!!!!, OJC/Contemporary. Red Mitchell, bass; Shelly Manne, drums
Sarah Vaughan: Sarah + 2, Roulette. Joe Comfort, bass, of Frank Sinatra fame
Superior
Barney Kessel Quartet
Feeling Free, OJC/Contemporary. Bobby Hutcherson, vibes; Chuck Domanico, bass; Elvin Jones, drums
Spontaneous Combustion, OJC/Contemporary. Monty Alexander, piano
The Poll Winners: Exploring the Scene, OJC/Contemporary. Ray Brown, bass, and Shelly Manne, drums
Harry “Sweets” Edison: Sweets, Verve. Ben Webster, tenor sax; Jimmy Rowles, piano; Joe Mondragon, bass
Oscar Peterson Trio: The Oscar Peterson Trio Set: Jazz at the Philharmonic, Verve. 2 sets beautifully contrasting the trios with either Barney Kessel or Herb Ellis, guitar
Oscar Peterson Quartet: Oscar Peterson Quartet, No. 1, Verve. Ray Brown, bass; Alvin Stoller, drums
Lester Young: With the Oscar Peterson Trio, Verve. Actually the Oscar Peterson Quartet, as J.C. Heard, drums, is added to the trio
Excellent
Barney Kessel Trio
Jellybeans, Concord
Soaring, Concord. Monty Budwig, bass; Jake Hanna, drums
Barney Kessel Quintet: Kessel Plays Standards, OJC/Contemporary. Bob Cooper, oboe; Claude Williamson or Hampton Hawes, piano; Monty Budwig or Red Mitchell, bass; Shelly Manne, drums
Barney Kessel Small Groups
To Swing or Not to Swing, OJC/Contemporary. Georgie Auld or Bill Perkins, tenor sax; Harry Edison, trumpet; Jimmy Rowles, piano; Red Mitchell, bass; Shelly Manne, drums
Some Like It Hot, OJC/Contemporary. Art Pepper, reeds; Joe Gordon, trumpet; Jimmy Rowles, piano; Shelly Manne, drums
Lionel Hampton All-Stars: Gene Norman Presents: Just Jazz, Decca. Charlie Shavers, trumpet; Corky Corcoran, tenor sax, Slam Stewart, bass
Julie London: Julie Is Her Name, Vols. 1-2, EMI America. Also contains tracks featuring exceptional guitarist Howard Roberts
Dodo Marmarosa: Dodo’s Bounce, Fresh Sound
Buddy Rich and Harry “Sweets” Edison: Buddy and “Sweets”, Verve. Jimmy Rowles, piano
Sonny Rollins: Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders, OJC/Contemporary. Hampton Hawes, piano; Leroy Vinnegar, bass; Shelly Manne, drums
Questionable
Once again, there are recordings too numerous to list that feature Kessel in settings where the musical content isn’t questioned, but they remain superfluous to all but guitar or Kessel completists.