Kenny Burrell

The Soundwaves Vinyl Of The Week is Midnight Blue by Kenny Burrell.

 

When it comes to guitar-centric albums that crosses genres from jazz to blues and back, Kenny Burrell’s Midnight Blue is one of the best, if not the best. Don’t get me wrong, I have a number albums by the likes of Grant Green, Pat Metheny, Joe Pass, Larry Carlton, Pat Martino, Herb Ellis, Wes Montgomery, T-Bone Walker, and George Benson. They all have that special something that takes jazz to another level. But this album, Midnight Blue, in my opinion, it is the guitar equivalent to Miles Davis album Kind of Blue. It also happens to be the very first jazz album that my guitar teacher suggested I listen to when I was learning to play the blues, but was looking for something slightly outside the box.

 

From the catchy bossanova track "Chitlins Con Carne" that kicks off this album to the tender follow up, "Mule", each phrase and every note is a vocal line that hooks you like an angler catching a fish. Accompanying tenor sax, a double bass, and the smooth brushes on the drums cascade throughout this album. "Soul Lament" is just Kenny and his guitar, and in a way, it’s like he’s creating a call and response—presenting a question to the listener and then formulating an answer as melodically as he can.

 

The title track "Midnight Blue" has a catchy, up-tempo repeated rhythmic phrase that he plays a few times before rolling into a wonderfully charged improvisational solo that fills much of the track before going back to the original rhythmic phrase. "Wavy Gravy" is as close to a jazzy blues waltz as it gets. And no, this track had no affiliation with the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor.

 

"Gee Baby Ain’t I Good To You" is an old jazz standard. And when I say old, I’m talking’ thirty years prior to this album’s original release (1963). Burrell’s mixture of phrasing in between chord choices seamlessly replaces vocal lines creating yet another captivating instrumental piece. "Saturday Night Blues" wraps up this album with a tight groove as Stanley Turrentine takes the main stage and lets his sax do the talkin' while Burrell and his band sit back, keep the beat, and let him blow.