| To Swing or Not to Swing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Barney Kessel | ||||
| Released | 1956 | |||
| Recorded | March 28 & July 26, 1955 | |||
| Studio | Contemporary Records Studio, Los Angeles, California | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 40:24 | |||
| Label | Contemporary C3511 | |||
| Producer | Lester Koenig | |||
| Barney Kessel chronology | ||||
| ||||
To Swing or Not to Swing (subtitled Barney Kessel Volume 3) is an album by guitarist Barney Kessel released on the Contemporary label which was recorded at sessions in 1955.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  |
| Disc | |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings |  |
The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow states: "the overall result is a recording highly recommended to fans of straight-ahead jazz".
Track listing
All compositions by Barney Kessel, except as indicated
- "Begin the Blues" - 4:29
- "Louisiana" (J. C. Johnson, Andy Razaf, Bob Schafer) - 3:57
- "Happy Feeling" - 3:58
- "Embraceable You" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) - 3:24
- "Wail Street" - 4:25
- "Back Home Again in Indiana" (James F. Hanley, Ballard MacDonald) - 3:13
- "Moten Swing" (Bennie Moten, Buster Moten) - 3:58
- "Midnight Sun" (Sonny Burke, Lionel Hampton) - 3:10
- "Contemporary Blues" - 4:09
- "Don't Blame Me" (Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields) - 2:58
- "Twelfth Street Rag" (Euday L. Bowman) - 2:55
- Recorded at Contemporary's studio in Los Angeles on March 28, 1955 (tracks 3, 5 & 9) and July 26, 1955 (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6-8, 10 & 11).
Personnel
- Barney Kessel - guitar
- Harry Edison - trumpet (tracks 2, 3 & 6-10)
- Georgie Auld (tracks 2, 6, 7 & 12), Bill Perkins (tracks 3, 5 & 9) - tenor saxophone
- Jimmy Rowles - piano
- Al Hendrickson - guitar
- Red Mitchell - bass
- Irv Cottler (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6-8, 10 & 11), Shelly Manne (tracks 3, 5 & 9) - drums
References
- Contemporary Records discography accessed May 25, 2015
- ^ Yanow, Scott. To Swing or Not to Swing – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- Hall, Tony (29 March 1958). "Its appeal is broad". Disc. No. 8. p. 18.
- Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 820. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.