with a big band fronted by Chico Marx (1943), was fortunate enough to appear in the classic jazz short Jammin' the Blues (1944), and then worked with the big bands of Charlie Barnet (1944-1945) and Artie Shaw (1945); he also recorded with Shaw's Gramercy Five. Kessel became a busy studio musician in Los Angeles, but was always in demand for jazz records. He toured with the Oscar Peterson Trio for one year (1952-1953) and then, starting in 1953, led an impressive series of records for Contemporary that lasted until 1961 (including several with Ray Brown and Shelly Manne in a trio accurately called the Poll Winners). After touring Europe with George Wein's Newport All-Stars (1968), Kessel lived in London for a time (1969-1970). In 1973, he began touring and recording with the Great Guitars, a group also including Herb Ellis and Charlie Byrd.
During the 1950s, Tal Farlow recorded a wonderful series of albums that established him as one of the premiere bop/cool guitarists. He recorded less frequently in the '60s, '70s, and '80s, preferring to stay out of the limelight. Autumn Leaves consists of two discs Farlow recorded for Concord: Tal Farlow '78 and The Legendary Tal Farlow (1985). When a great player like Farlow revives his career 20 years later, it seems customary, though a bit impolite, to ask: can he play as well as he once could? The easy answer is yes, he plays with the same finesse and speed (though it's hard to tell: his fingers move extremely fast), but this should be qualified by noting that his overall approach has mellowed during the interval. On the first disc Farlow is joined by bassist Gary Mazzaroppi and drummer Tom Sayek for a straight-ahead trio set…