Barney Kessel
Electric Guitar Solo on
Ad Lib Blues

About

Barney Kessel's electric guitar solo is the third of four solos on "Ad Lib Blues" from The President Plays with the Oscar Peterson Trio. Kessel takes four choruses of blues in C at a driving 219 BPM, following extended statements by Lester Young and Oscar Peterson. The guitarist's position in the solo order allows him to build on the energy established by the two preceding soloists, bringing a different timbral color to the blues exchange with his amplified guitar tone. Kessel was one of the premier jazz guitarists of the era, and his contribution adds a third distinct voice to this collaborative improvisation.

Barney Kessel was 28 to 29 years old at the time.