Charlie Byrd Music

This meeting of three jazz guitar giants does not disappoint. Herb Ellis and Barney Kessel are fluent in the Charlie Christian/Les Paul vocabulary; Charlie Byrd plays in a mostly Latin style. Supported by Joe Byrd on bass and John Rae on drums, the entire quintet plays only three songs together: "Undecided", "Topsy", and "Benny's Bugle".

"O Barquinho (The Little Boat)" is performed by Charlie Byrd and the rhythm section; it's a nice little bossa nova number that lets John Rae demonstrate his versatility. Then Byrd moves out and Kessel and Ellis join the rhythm section for "Slow Burn", a bopping Kessel composition.

Charlie Byrd performs his own composition "Charlie's Blues" backed by bass and drums. The tune starts off with a polite guitar intro, then turns into a slippery Blue Note-style funky groove - I would never have believed that something like this could be played on a 12-string guitar - literally a jawdropper. Whenever I play it for anyone the response is stunned silence followed by the question "was that just ONE guitarist?"

Kessel and Ellis perform as a duet for three songs. On "Latin Groove" Ellis provides some amazing percussion work on his archtop guitar - tapping the body, picking muted strings - I've never heard anyone do this better. This is followed by a sublime blues duet "Down Home Blues". Then Ellis and Kessel play boogie-woogie piano riffs on "H And B Guitar Boogie" - on guitars of course. Kessel tells the crowd about how much they both love boogie-woogie piano but since the piano player couldn't make it they would play his part; dividing the duties of the right and left hands between them, Kessel tells the audience "It takes two good guitarists to sound like one very ordinary piano player." Actually, there is nothing ordinary about it - it's great.

The quintet reunites and Herb Ellis plays one of his best solos ever in the Charlie Christian song "Benny's Bugle"; maybe the best bop guitar solo ever. The song ends with the guitarists trading fours - and listener sitting in stunned amazement.

Recommended for anyone interested in jazz guitar - this was my introduction to jazz and I've never looked back.

This meeting of three jazz guitar giants does not disappoint. Herb Ellis and Barney Kessel are fluent in the Charlie Christian/Les Paul vocabulary; Charlie Byrd plays in a mostly Latin style. Supported by Joe Byrd on bass and John Rae on drums, the entire quintet plays only three songs together: "Undecided", "Topsy", and "Benny's Bugle".

"O Barquinho (The Little Boat)" is performed by Charlie Byrd and the rhythm section; it's a nice little bossa nova number that lets John Rae demonstrate his versatility. Then Byrd moves out and Kessel and Ellis join the rhythm section for "Slow Burn", a bopping Kessel composition.

Charlie Byrd performs his own composition "Charlie's Blues" backed by bass and drums. The tune starts off with a polite guitar intro, then turns into a slippery Blue Note-style funky groove - I would never have believed that something like this could be played on a 12-string guitar - literally a jawdropper. Whenever I play it for anyone the response is stunned silence followed by the question "was that just ONE guitarist?"

Kessel and Ellis perform as a duet for three songs. On "Latin Groove" Ellis provides some amazing percussion work on his archtop guitar - tapping the body, picking muted strings - I've never heard anyone do this better. This is followed by a sublime blues duet "Down Home Blues". Then Ellis and Kessel play boogie-woogie piano riffs on "H And B Guitar Boogie" - on guitars of course. Kessel tells the crowd about how much they both love boogie-woogie piano but since the piano player couldn't make it they would play his part; dividing the duties of the right and left hands between them, Kessel tells the audience "It takes two good guitarists to sound like one very ordinary piano player." Actually, there is nothing ordinary about it - it's great.

The quintet reunites and Herb Ellis plays one of his best solos ever in the Charlie Christian song "Benny's Bugle"; maybe the best bop guitar solo ever. The song ends with the guitarists trading fours - and listener sitting in stunned amazement.

Recommended for anyone interested in jazz guitar - this was my introduction to jazz and I've never looked back.

that is a document of three legends of the jazz guitar but this should have been recorded at least 10 years before it was done, while they were still able to play decently.

Double the pleasure with guitar greatest in alphabectical order...Charlie Byrd ~ Herb Ellis ~ Barney Kessel, not to mention some high-class backup from Joe Byrd (bass), Jimmie Smith (drums) and Chuck Redd (drums). Two full albums on this 2-CD-Set..."Live At The Winery" (originally released in 1980)...and..."At Charlie's Georgetown" (originally released in 1983), featuring 19 great tunes that has "awesome" and "originality" stamped on it!

Need to fasten your seatbelt as we journey down this musical lane from the best in guitar-jazz ~ "AIR MAIL SPECIAL", a Mundy, Goodman and Charlie Christian swingin' tune...less we forget Rodgers/Hart ditty "YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF ME", simple acoustic guitar solo, just great..."SHEIK OF ARABY", this toe-tapper was always a winner, just listen to the fantastic finger-pickin'..."THE TALK OF THE TOWN", remember this Gus Kahn and Chester Cohn song, as if it was yesterday..."NEW ORLEANS", written by Hoagy Carmichael, harmony and "pure guitar jazz", they're having a ball on this one..."WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN", a one-of-a-kind arrangement by Charlie Byrd is the showstopper..."OPUS ONE", made the top music charts by the Mills Brothers, but just wait and see what this group does when they get going..."GET HAPPY", get ready for some swingin'-latin handywork as every member gets into the act ~ we close this gig with some low-down-blues "TROUBLE IN MIND", gets better and better the more you play it, try it and see if you don't agree!

Total Time: Disc One 44:26 on 9 Tracks & Disc Two 48:59 on 10 Tracks ~ Concord Jazz CCD2-4958-2 ~ (2001)

**Special note...if you enjoyed this Concord recording, why not try ~ "Great Guitars" (CCD-6004), "Great Guitars II" (CCD-4023), "The Return Of The Great Guitars" (CCD-4715) and "The Concord Jazz Heritage Series" (CCD-4832-2) ~ check this site amazon.com/music for reviews.

A landmark album..., (changed my life). Bucky P.'s work alone is worth the price.