BURRELL, KENNY

Midnight Blue from 1963 is considered one of the most exciting recordings of Kenny Burrell's long and impressive career. With Stanley Turrentine's saxophone imbuing every note with a heady excess of soul and Ray Barretto's congas adding a Latin flavor to the blues-oriented music, Burrell heats up the mood and is heard at his most exciting and extroverted. His soulful playing on songs like "Chitlins Con Carne," "Saturday Night Blues" and "Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You" is so emotional and shows why both B.B. King and Duke Ellington often named Kenny Burrell as their favorite guitarist. This superbly recorded classic belongs in every jazz collection

Kenny Burrell is actually regarded as a pioneer of the guitar-bass-drums trio. But in the nine recordings he made for Blue Note Records between 1956 and 1964, he consistently presented himself with larger line-ups. The 1963 album "Midnight Blue" is considered by many critics and fans to be Kenny Burrell's best solo album.

Together with tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, bassist Major Holley, drummer Bill English and congalero Ray Barretto, the guitarist played his own bluesy compositions, including the classics "Chitlins Con Carne", "Midnight Blue" and "Saturday Night Blues", with one exception - the standard "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You?". However, his solo performance of "Soul Lament" is also a highlight.