Kent Kessler

Who is Kent Kessler?

Kent Kessler is an American jazz double-bassist, best known for his work in the Chicago jazz and avant garde music scene.

Kessler, born in Crawfordsville, IN, grew up on Cape Cod and began playing trombone at age ten. He and his family moved to Chicago when he was 13, and a few years later Kessler became intensely interested in jazz. While attending St. Mary Center For Learning High School, he began taking lessons from Kestutis Stanciauskas in electric bass and jazz theory in the middle of the 1970s. In 1977 he formed the ensemble Neutrino Orchestra with percussionist Michael Zerang and guitarists Dan Scanlan and Norbert Funk. He spent a year in Brazil in 1980-81 and spent time studying off and on at Roosevelt University in Chicago; he and Zerang also formed a group called Musica Menta, which played regularly at local Chicago venue Link's Hall.

Kessler began playing double bass in the 1980s and it became his primary instrument when he was asked in 1985 to join the NRG Ensemble, who toured Europe and recorded for ECM Records under the leadership of Hal Russell until his death in 1992.