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Jazz Articles about Kenny Burrell

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Radio & Podcasts

String Players: From Django Reinhardt to Joe Morris and Beyond

Read "String Players: From Django Reinhardt to Joe Morris and Beyond" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


This program focuses on string players of all types, mostly guitarists but with some bassists and violinists also thrown in. The show ranges from classic players like Kenny Burrell and Barney Kessel to modernists like Joe Morris and Mary Halvorson. There is even a set on gypsy/Western swing. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) Bill Frisell “Monroe" from History, Mystery ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Listeners’ Favorites

Read "Listeners’ Favorites" reviewed by Marc Cohn


This week (drum roll....), it's listeners' favorites from shows 431 to 440. From classic jazz to today's music, our listeners have discerning and eclectic taste—never forgetting the blues and funk. Enjoy the show! Playlist Don Braden, Karl Latham “Grover Miles" from Big Funk Live (Creative Perspective) 00:00 Grant Green “Let The Music Take Your Mind" from Alive! (Blue Note) 08:49 Houston Person “Snake Eyes" from Soul Dance (Prestige) 17:12 David Sanborn “Benny" from Upfront (Elektra) 23:08 Kenny ...

8
Reassessing

Back At The Chicken Shack

Read "Back At The Chicken Shack" reviewed by Thomas Fletcher


Back At The Chicken Shack celebrates 60 years since its recording date at the Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs. The same session produced Midnight Special (Blue Note, 1961), though Back At The Chicken Shack would have to wait three years for its release. The label's co-founder, Alfred Lion, later revealed that the healthy sales of this album, alongside many others from Jimmy Smith, kept the record company afloat. The album features, at the time, a youthful but ...

6
Reassessing

Piano

Read "Piano" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Following his debut as a leader on, Wynton Kelly: New Faces -New Sounds (Blue Note, 1951), pianist Kelly surfaced again some seven years later, this time on Riverside Records, with the simply titled Piano. The length of time between leader recordings is a testament to the pianist's value in a supporting role for artists like Dinah Washington (with whom he recorded almost exclusively between 1952 and 1955) Lester Young, and Dizzy Gillespie. During this same period Kelly contributed to several ...

2
Album Review

Kenny Burrell: Unlimited 1, Live at Catalina's

Read "Unlimited 1, Live at Catalina's" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Guitarist Kenny Burrell, who isn't generally known for hanging out with big bands, now has one of his own: the Los Angeles-based Jazz Orchestra Unlimited, for which he serves as music director on its debut album, Unlimited 1, Live at Catalina's. While the ensemble is splendid, individually and collectively, there's no doubt that Burrell is the star attraction. Any misgiving about that is erased by the fact that the names of orchestra members aren't listed in the Catalina's booklet except ...

12
My Blue Note Obsession

Kenny Burrell: Blue Lights – 1958

Read "Kenny Burrell: Blue Lights – 1958" reviewed by Marc Davis


The name on the cover is Kenny Burrell, but Blue Lights isn't really a Kenny Burrell album. He may be the leader, but the stars are everyone else. This is truly a democratic 1950s jam session. I came to Blue Lights fresh from Burrell's Midnight Blue, expecting another laid-back blues guitar vehicle. Not even close. Midnight Blue is where Burrell wound up in 1963. Blue Lights is where he came from in 1958 --a pretty straightforward hard bop ...

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My Blue Note Obsession

Laid-Back Jazz Guitar: Kenny Burrell and Grant Green

Read "Laid-Back Jazz Guitar: Kenny Burrell and Grant Green" reviewed by Marc Davis


When I'm in the mood for jazz guitar, I have two go-to albums: Kenny Burrell's Midnight Blue and Grant Green's Idle Moments. It always surprises me. Growing up in the 1960s and '70s, I was a big fan of hard and fast rock guitars. Who wasn't? Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Pete Townsend. The Clash. The Pretenders. Joan Jett. Prince. Chuck Berry and George Harrison. It's got a backbeat you can't lose it. So when ...


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