Charlie Byrd, Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis - Great Guitars (1974) [2002]

Charlie Byrd was teamed up with Barney Kessel and Herb Ellis (along with bassist Joe Byrd and drummer John Rae) for this rather exciting concert. While Ellis and Kessel have three unaccompanied duets, the inclusion of Byrd (thought of as a Brazilian specialist rather than a bopper) is the wild card that makes this set a major success. While Byrd is excellent on his features "Charlie's Blues" and "O Barquinho," it is the three stomps featuring all the guitarists ("Undecided," "Topsy" and "Benny's Bugle") that are most memorable.


Tracks:

01. Undecided (Shavers) - 6:49
02. O Barquinho (Menescal-Boscoli) - 4:54
03. Slow Burn (Kessel) - 5:40
04. Charlie's Blues (Byrd) - 8:30
05. Topsy (Battle-Durham) - 6:46
06. Latin Groove (Kessel) - 4:52
07. Down Home Blues (Ellis-Kessel) - 4:05
08. H and B Guitar Boogie (Ellis-Kessel) - 4:18
09. Benny's Bugle (Goodman-Christian) - 7:12

Personnel:

Charlie Byrd, Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis - guitar
Joe Byrd - bass
John Rae - drums

Recorded live at Concord Boulevard Park, Concord, CA on July 28, 1974.