Swing Hard in Good Company
Kessel keeps with the other all-stars, swinging hard while paying tribute to Charlie Christian's legacy.
Let's Cook! drops you into a room full of musicians who know exactly what they're doing. Barney Kessel leads a tight ensemble through sessions that crackle with the kind of ease that only comes from serious players respecting each other's chops. Ben Webster's saxophone carries weight, Frank Rosolino's trombone cuts cleanly, and Hampton Hawes and Jimmy Rowles trade piano duties with the kind of fluidity that keeps things breathing. Shelly Manne drives the whole enterprise forward without ever overplaying, while Leroy Vinnegar anchors everything with a solid bass line. Victor Feldman's vibraphone adds shimmer when it appears, never cluttering the sound.
The recordings came together in 1957, a year when Kessel was at an interesting point in his career — too skilled to be anything but respected, but working in a jazz landscape where the avant-garde was beginning to shift attention elsewhere. These tracks sit comfortably in the post-bop mainstream, the kind of date where the focus is on musicianship and swing rather than innovation. Kessel's approach here is straightforward: he plays with clarity and taste, neither trying to revolutionize the instrument nor settle for competent accompaniment. The guitar work recalls the lineage of Charlie Christian, filtered through Kessel's own sensibility — melodic, rhythmically sharp, always in service of the tune.
This isn't a landmark album that changed jazz history, but it's solid work from a guitarist who understood his role in an ensemble. For listeners curious about Kessel's playing or just wanting good, unpretentious mainstream jazz from the late 1950s, this is worth the time. It's exactly what the title promises: musicians cooking together, no gimmicks, no pretense.
Who's playing
Leroy Vinnegarbass
Hampton Hawespiano
Jimmy Rowlespiano
Barney Kesselguitar
Ben Webstersaxophone
Frank Rosolinotrombone
Shelly Mannedrums
Victor Feldmanvibraphone
Where next?
More by Barney Kessel
Barney Kessel, Volume 3: "To Swing or Not to Swing" 1955
Barney Kessel, Volume 1: Easy Like 1956
Some Like It Hot 1959
Feeling Free 1969
The musicians on this record
Coleman Hawkins encounters Ben Webster 1959
Ben Webster
plays saxophone here
plays saxophone here
The Drum Sessions 1975
Shelly Manne
plays drums (drum set) here
plays drums (drum set) here
For Real! 1961
Hampton Hawes
plays piano here
plays piano here
♫
Kinda Groovy! 1962
Jimmy Rowles
plays piano here
plays piano here
