Barney Kessel - How to Mix Swing & Bebop

This Barney Kessel Guitar Lesson breaks down three examples of the great mix of swing and bebop in his playing. Barney Kessel is a guitarist that has been around for a huge part of Jazz Guitar history. He has played with everybody from Charlie Parker to Sonny Rollins and done a lot of sideman stuff!

The idea for this video came from a student bringing in the video and the transcription in a lesson. While there are things that this track are not a great example of it also showcases some of the things that are truly great about Barney Kessels playing and something that everybody should check out! Melodies with great interesting rhythms and how to use that in a jazz context! His mix of swing guitar licks and bebop is really a worthwhile study.

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[JensLarsen]

If you have ideas for guitarists to do a video then let me know 🙂

[verandi]

Barney Kessel is truly a master of his craft, i love his chord melody improvisation, i think some repetition can make some licks really more interesting to hear to catch the attention of the listener, that motif was pretty much a great example about that, i also think that's what makes some hard bop sound so pleasant, thank you for the great lesson.

[philipiacone]

Thanks for making a video on my favorite jazz guitarist!

[DojoOfCool]

So glad I got to see Barney live, not only great guitarist and really funny guy. He definitely one of the best.

[Silviossb]

I love music of Barney Kessel. This lesson was very pleasing to me. Thank you Jens Larsen!

[lesserbrother]

I love Barney. He's one of the guitarists that got me into playing jazz. I saw an old VHS tape of him and was very impressed.

[jduncan]

Back and the early 80s I got to know Barney and he showed me a few things on the guitar. Very interesting person. He really loved Charlie Christian's playing and claimed him as his greatest influence. Thanks for the lesson, Jens!

[smbatman]

Thank you for making this Barney Kessel is one of my biggest inspirations. His album Autumn Leaves was my first jazz album

[jameserret]

Thanks, Jens! This is one of my favourites

[johnnyjolijt]

Another great video!
Tal Farlow next time?

[essadapalmeira]

Thanks for making a vdo on Kessel, the creator ir my favorite jazz liks. In the cd Ella Fitzgerald sings the Cole Porter song book, there's an alternate version of " you're the top" in which he plays. That intro just blows my mind! 😍

[philiplee]

Your videos are very helpful Jens! I noticed you talk about lines as if there are "better" examples and "awkward" examples. What do you think about Billy Bean's or Tal Farlow's jazz lines, who are less famous compared to other greats you mentioned? I was thinking about copying their solos, but I don't think I can perfectly distinguish great examples yet, so I'm just curious😁

[atomicflamethrower]

"you can say a lot with a few notes in jazz even after charlie parker"...excellent news

[DojoOfCool]

The great Howard Roberts and more Grant Green would be good.

[sonicdeviant]

I understand having your own taste, but why do a video analyzing a legend’s playing if you’re just going to do it dismissively? Barney played guitar alongside Charlie Parker, and Bird was so impressed that he carried Barney’s amp to his car for him. Do a Google search for Wrecking Crew and Barney Kessel’s obituary. I think his resume and biography speak for themselves. His music certainly does.