Barney Kessel looked the guitar geek part openly, resembling in his youth the possible lovechild of Peter Lorre and Alfred E. Neuman with a penchant for tweed coats and turtlenecks. As one of Norman Granz’s favored plectrists he took part in a steady series of dream dates with aging giants of the swing era, everyone from Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins to Roy Eldridge and Lionel Hampton. A record deal with Contemporary allowed for a contemporaneous outlet for his own work, though even there standards and show tunes served as preferred menu items. That back-story and the resultant body of excellent, if mostly orthodox, work is part of what makes this later session for the label both a curiosity and breath of fresh air. Kessel had grown disillusioned with his lucrative position as a professional LA session man. His search for higher-octane surroundings led him to tap a crew seemingly incongruous with his earlier career. The title on this album announces the personal transformation in rhetorical fashion, as the tunes aren’t “free” in the sense of Ayler or late-Coltrane. But Kessel does launch himself enthusiastically out of his previous comfort zone. The crucible is Elvin Jones, who holds nothing back in the way of muscle or momentum, building mighty polyrhythms without censure. Kessel responds by cranking his amp up and tossing welcome pinches of gravel into his previously whistle clean tone. Bassist Chuck Domanico plays complex LaFaro influenced lines and Bobby Hutcherson brings the cogent blend of harmonic creativity and luminosity that graces so much of his Blue Note work. The set list is a mix of pop hits, one by Bacharach, another by Simon, and originals geared to emphasize the casually emancipated interplay. Kessel also enforces a credo of minimal multiple takes, preferring to leave minor mistakes in rather than compromise the consistent élan. His “free” phase wouldn’t last long, but the brief stroll on the “wilder” side would inform the remainder of his lengthy career.
Posted by derek on November 4, 2007 7:45 PMI love this album, and from listening to the music, it seems like a book could be filled just on the making of it. Listening to Elvin on these tunes is interesting, because you can hear people getting lost in the tune, and Elvin taking solos in weird spots, and they just keep playing until they get through it. Kessel's other album's are great, but this one just has a real sense of drama throughout, and while it might not all be intentional, it makes for a strong record. Good Times!
Posted by: Scott Burton at November 11, 2007 9:55 PMGood point on the periodic gaffes, Scott. Parts of the record are pretty ‘messy’ from a technical standpoint – I mean, just the idea of Kessel and Jones playing together seems to guarantee a certain degree of incongruity – but as you note, it’s that seat-of-the-pants quality that also makes it so great. I had fun comparing the guitar/drums interaction here to that between Kessel & Manne on some of the Poll Winners dates. Night and day in terms of overall compatibility, though the reunion album Straight Ahead (1975) does have some surprisingly loose (‘free’) passages on it & a fair bit of stretching out. Makes me think Kessel might’ve been thinking back to this date when he made it & it makes the title kind of funny too.
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