Barney Kessel – Modern Jazz Performances From Bizet's Carmen (E/E) – LP, AU 1959

Modern Jazz Performances From Bizet's Carmen is an LP by Barney Kessel from 1959 released on the Contemporary Records label.

About this album

Barney Kessel’s Modern Jazz Performances From Bizet’s Opera Carmen turns Bizet’s opera into bright, hard-swinging West Coast jazz. Recorded in 1959, the album reimagines familiar themes with Kessel’s clean guitar tone, fluent improvisation and a relaxed but assured ensemble feel. Rather than treating Carmen as a novelty, Kessel uses the source material to build lively modern jazz pieces that balance sophistication with melody. The result is one of his most distinctive concept albums, showing how post-bop players could draw on classical repertoire without losing rhythmic drive or jazz identity.

Genre: Jazz