George Barnes And His Octet - Guitar In Velvet, Blue Vinyl LP
George Barnes And His Octet - Guitar In Velvet, Blue Vinyl LP
Factory Sealed (New)
Plush textures woven by a true guitar master!
This luxurious collection features virtuoso Barnes and his Octet at their sophisticated best, in a dozen pieces that highlight Barnes’ matchless technique, impressive innovations, and superb arrangements that explore the full range of musical emotions, in this first-ever reissue of a brilliant jazz classic.
After his discharge from the army in 1946, electric guitar pioneer George Barnes returned to his hometown of Chicago and formed The George Barnes Octet. He had established himself before the war as a radio star on others’ shows; but now, he was given a 15-minute program of his own on the ABC Radio Network.
In 1951, Barnes was offered a comprehensive contract by Decca Records, and moved east, establishing himself as a first-call guitarist in the recording studios of New York City, where he worked with, and befriended, the finest musicians in the industry. The players who’d comprised his Chicago octet were first class; but the four reed players were from the Chicago Symphony, and Barnes had to teach them how to swing! In 1957, he began to write octet arrangements again. Barnes’ new arrangements were calibrated to the new era, and his experimentation with time signatures, contrapuntal writing, and harmonic structures in the late 1940s bore fresh fruit in the late 1950s. Guitar In Velvet is the superb result, owing not only to Barnes’ musical ingenuity, but to his fellow masters.
