Cardboard sleeve reissue with DSD mastering. Five bonus tracks. Rare and groovy work by Barney Kessel – originally recorded for a strange subsidiary of Phil Spector's record label! The album's quite different than some of Kessel's other albums of the earlier years – recorded live with a gritty feel that's really nice – a bit more edge on the strings of the guitar, and a rumbling tone that's a far cry from his lighter work for Contemporary in the 50s. Kessel still retains much of his ability to produce a bell-like tone on the guitar – but he rings out with a tremendous amount of force – spurred on by the crackling club rhythm section of Jerry Scheff on bass and Frank Capp on drums. Titles include 2 great originals – "Slow Burn" and "Sweet Baby" – plus an excellent version of "Recado Bossa Nova", and the tunes "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Just In Time", and "One Mint Julep". CD features five bonus tracks – including 'Fly Me To The Moon", "The Gypsy In My Soul", and "April In Paris".
Reissue with latest remastering. Comes with liner notes. Important early work from one of the greatest European saxophonists of the 50s – a seminal batch of music recorded for the Vogue label in the 50s! Wilen also recorded famously with American musicians during the 50s – including Miles Davis and Art Blakey – but this set features Barney's searing tenor in the company of an all-French group – with the boppish Maurice Vander on piano, plus Charles Saudrais on drums, and Bibi Rovere on bass. Titles include more than a few Monk tunes – including "Hackensack", "Think of One", and "Mysterioso" – plus other jazz standards like "Night In Tunisia" and "Blue N Boogie" – all given a new sort of voice by Wilen. The 6 bonus tracks include alternate versions of "Blue N' Boogie", "Nature Boy", "Hackensack" and "Blue Monk", plus "We See" and "Let's Call This".