Vibraphonist
Chuck Redd came to prominence as part of
the Charlie Byrd Trio and made a wonderful contribution to one of
Byrd's last albums,
Au Courant. Here,
Redd pays tribute to
Barney Kessel, another great guitarist who came to the forefront in the 1950s. He's joined by two guitarists,
Howard Alden and
Gene Bertoncini, but neither make their appearance before the fourth cut.
Redd's vibraphone, then, takes the place of the guitar on "Laura" and "Cry Me a River," providing a mellow, fluid reference to
Kessel's bop-based style.
Redd is joined by a number of players, but only bassist
Hassan Shakur joins him on every track. Alternately, pianists
Monty Alexander and Robert Redd appear on three-quarters of the tracks, and drummer
Jeff Hamilton plays on all but two of the selections. The collection really takes off when
Alden joins
Redd for an upbeat take of "On a Slow Boat to China" for an incendiary workout. The two players are a remarkable match on cuts like
Kessel's "Swedish Pastry" and "64 Bars of Wilshire."
Bertoncini, on the other hand, provides a much lighter, acoustic touch, reminding one of
Redd's old partner,
Byrd.
Remembers Barney Kessel is a good and enjoyable recording, and folks will want to stick around for the ten-minute take on "Slow Burn" at the very end. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.