Bruce Forman Acquires Barney Kessel's Guitar

[@freddymclain]

I have a great 'Barney Story.' I started out trying to sound like John Lee Hooker, but one day a friend and mentor took me aside and offered to GIVE ME a Fender Deluxe If I'd learn one tune from 'Kessel Plays Standards.' -verbatim(that was the 'catch.') The year was 1962. It was quite a challenge, but I took the album home and picked 'Our Love Is Here to Stay.' A ballad right? I figured that would be the easiest one. Wrong! It took weeks just to figure out the first eight bars or so. (I can still play it in my sleep.) when I finally had it pretty much togethe3rr, I went to the music store where my friend worked to show him and collect my free amp, he was GONE. Fast forward to 1968, and I was out in L.A., so I went to Barney's music store near Hollywood Blvd. and Vine. St. When I entered the shop, I saw the great man talking with someone , and I didn't want to barge into their conversation. Rather, I picked up a blonde L-7 and sat down on the other side of the shop and played 'Our Love....' When I looked up, Barney was standing there and he said, 'That all sounds very familiar.' I told him the amplifier story and he laughed hard. He asked his friend over and made me relate the story and play the tune again. He asked me if I got the amp, but I told him no, but I got something better, i.e., his arrangement-a course in jazz guitar 101.

[@jazzguitartoday]

Cool story! Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@pallhe]

Wow, great story!

[@JazzStrat781]

@@pallhe That's an awesome story 🎸👍

[@jazzguitartoday]

@@pallhe Indeed! Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@frakognome4434]

This IS definitely a story!

[@titobattaglia7932]

Coming to the record, it's true that Mr. Forman sounds like himself, different from Mr. Kessel. But the guitar + amp tone is SO close to Barney's lush, glorious 50s tone - my favorite jazz guitar tone in recorded history. And the musical homage is deep: the melodicism, deep pocket, the use of chord melody to pepper single-note lines… the sublimation in a very personal style of everything that makes Barney's playing so compelling. Hats off to Bruce Forman!

[@jazzguitartoday]

Glad you liked this Tito! Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@stephenhenion8304]

This is Once in a Lifetime stuff... and why we love music. 🎶🎵🎶

[@jazzguitartoday]

True that Stephen! Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@ronlee2606]

Great story and great guitar!

[@Danny-nm9sn]

I listened to all the jazz guitar players, tried to play some myself, but Barney's fun style always seemed the most right. He could play some really fun rock and roll too - they say it's him jamming his @$$ off on an episode of Andy Griffith, where James Best plays a guitar player passing through town. Yes Barney's style was the most right and there's nothing more right in my mind than Bruce Forman winding up with this guitar. 😊

[@jazzguitartoday]

Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@frakognome4434]

30 years ago I met Barney Kessel, talked with him (about Charlie Christian's downstrokes technique) and TOUCHED that guitar!

[@jazzguitartoday]

Nice Frako! Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@michaelroche5744]

Lovely story

[@jazzguitartoday]

Glad you liked it Michael! Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@J.Dove3D]

Love gear stories. More gear talk please.

[@jazzguitartoday]

But of course! Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@Robowx]

I am so glad and happy that Bruce Forman got Barney’s guitar!!!! ❤️

[@jazzguitartoday]

Indeed Robert! Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@JazzStrat781]

Love these kind of gear stories too 👍🎸

[@jazzguitartoday]

Glad you do! Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@Gutbucket3000]

Saw Bruce play it tonight in a little bar in Altadena. Couldn't be in more deserving hands.

[@jazzguitartoday]

That must have been fun! Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@tombrian2529]

Just saw Barney playing this guitar on a Perry Mason rerun (season 5 episode 3)! Amazing version of the wedding march at the end.

[@jazzguitartoday]

Very cool Tom! Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@rodleaverton]

What an awesome story!

[@jazzguitartoday]

Agreed! Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@nickcirillo6191]

Good people still exist 🙏🏼

[@jazzguitartoday]

For sure Nick! Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@RonnieScott-z6i]

I believe Barney came to Vancouver where I saw him once but that guitar had been damaged and I think a gentleman named Ed Myrinik did some repairs on it, and if I remember correctly Barney praised him for his work....

[@jazzguitartoday]

NIce, Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@peterandrews7434]

Many years ago I saw Barney in Ronnie Scott’s club in London.

[@jazzguitartoday]

@@peterandrews7434 NIce! Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@pallhe]

I'm glad the guitar found exactly the right home. Only Bruce Forman can play that thing so that it starts reeking of Barney's aftershave.

[@jazzguitartoday]

For sure! Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@icecreamforcrowhurst]

Never mind the guitar I want one of Barney’s paisley neck scarves!

[@jazzguitartoday]

Understandably! Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@michaeldinunzio3002]

Cool! Cool! Cool! Story!

[@jazzguitartoday]

True that Michael! Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@EdVanMeyer]

Check out Aquarius by Barney Kessel from the Hair is beautiful instro album, been playing along to this track 40 years.

[@jazzguitartoday]

Thanks for the advice Ed! Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@L4sleeko]

I was watching one of Barney’s many videos this morning and was wondering if he had multiple guitars like this. I noticed one has the pickup mounted right next to the fingerboard end. Another had about a one inch gap between the two. One had what appears to be a switch in the lower bout like this one, another not etc. Then I thought maybe there’s more than one? Anybody know?

[@jazzguitartoday]

Great question. we will see if any one chimes in. Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@L4sleeko]

@@jazzguitartoday will do thank you! 🤠👌

[@jazzguitartoday]

@@L4sleeko Excellent! :)

[@L4sleeko]

See here; kzbin.info/www/bejne/maGncottist0e8U

[@L4sleeko]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYmTqYiYZrKfbLc

[@MrLfingers]

No one deserves it more...It found a good home!

[@jazzguitartoday]

True that Larry! Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@sclogse1]

Catching up, and this is too much!

[@jazzguitartoday]

Hopefully too much in a good way. Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@christopherhanna5754]

There are rare instruments that simply belong in certain special human hands. It's where it should be.

[@edcherry9282]

What kind of amp did barney use? I know back in the 70s he used a big univox combo amp..

[@jazzguitartoday]

If Bruce see this question, he might be able to respond. Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@titobattaglia7932]

I think that his classic 50s records were made with a Gibson GA-50. Jim Hall played one too.

[@zavanmusic6378]

But some of Bruce's double stop and chord phrasing sounds a lot like Barney's.

[@jazzguitartoday]

Maybe a bit... Thanks for watching and for your input! Please feel free to Like, Share and Subscribe to our channel.

[@whimpypatrol5503]

So, in a way Bruce Foreman got a bit of a deal and Barney Kessels heirs got a bad advice selling it at auction on Heritage

[@jazzguitartoday]

Perhaps... :)

[@whimpypatrol5503]

What is it with collectors. Are they expecting to have celebrity guitar players attend their lush house parties where they can open up their vaults and display cases pretending to be cool? Or are they a network of investors who sell vintage gear back-and-forth to keep driving up the prices. In case you may not know, on a live stage an authentic D'Angelico will sound no better than an Eastman or an Ibanez.

[@jazzguitartoday]

Collectors may have a different criteria for wanting an instrument than just sound.