- Format: CD
- Label: Fantasy
- Genre: Jazz
Barney Kessel (1923-2004) was 16 years old when he met Charlie Christian, the father of modern jazz guitar, whom he acknowledged as his first and only influence. Like Christian, Kessel was raised in Oklahoma, but by the 1950s he had become a firmly established figure in both the pop and jazz worlds in Los Angeles. In these sessions he is in typical, hard-swinging form, leading two combos. The two dates were among the first to use the flute as a major voice in modern jazz (Bud Shank on the first date, Buddy Collettte on the second). Of the 11 works presented, five are the products of Kessel's fertile pen; two others are Duke Ellington standards.
Track listing: Easy Like, Tenderly, Lullaby of Birdland, What Is There to Say?, Bernardo, Vicky's Dream, Salute to Charlie Christian, That's All, I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart, Just Squeeze Me, April in Paris, North of the Border, plus CD bonus tracks Easy Like (alternate), North of the Border (alternate)
