Kent Kessler

Kent Kessler ( born January 28, 1957 in Crawfordsville ( Indiana)), is an American double bass player who has emerged primarily for his work in the Chicago scene of the Modern Creative since 1980.

Life and work

Kessler grew up in Cape Cod and began playing trombone at the age of ten years. Since he was thirteen, he lives in Chicago. As a student at St. Mary Center For Learning High School, he became interested in jazz and took private lessons on bass guitar. Together with percussionist Michael Zerang and guitarist Dan Scanlan and Norbert radio he founded in 1977 the neutrino Orchestra. Having to 1981 he lived in Brazil in 1980, he studied at Roosevelt University in Chicago; together with Zerang he formed the group Musica Menta, with which he appeared regularly locally.

Kessler, who switched to the double bass in the next few years, was brought in 1985 by Hal Russell NRG Ensemble in his, with whom he went to 1992 on European tours and recorded several albums for ECM. Since 1991 he has also worked Ken Vandermark in different groups, such as with Vandermark 5, the DKV Trio or its Territory band. He also worked with Hamid Drake, Fred Anderson, Joe McPhee, Jeb Bishop and Peter Brötzmann ( to the Chicago Tentet it belongs ), but also with Mats Gustafsson, Misha Mengelberg, George Gräwe, Guillermo Gregorio and Luc Houtkamp. Published in 2003, Kessler his solo album Bull Fiddle on Okkadisk.