If you were of the famed Wrecking Crew, what you wanted was going to be what you were going to get and then some. The ‘crew’ was of choice because of what they could do and the how well they could do it factor all the while making it sound like they were just in the time of a day’s moment.
Guitarist Barney Kessel was a Wrecking Crew member. His personal signature of precision defined his sound. He had a magnetic on point reliability with style all his own. These are two quotes about Kessel that put stamps on his artistry: This from Anita O’Day – “I remember first seeing Barney Kessel, in the 1940s, standing on the corner of Hollywood and Vine, in his cowboy boots, sun glasses and hipster threads, holding his guitar case man, you just knew that cat could wail!”, and this from B.B. King – “I’d listen to Barney Kessel records and my jaw would drop. I was awe-struck by the nature of his ad-libs. I followed Barney Kessel’s musical stories like a kid following a fairy tale.”
Barney Kessel, style on point.