Backgrounder: Kenny Burrell - Jazzmen Detroit

Jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell turned 93 on July 31 and is a national treasure. Kenny always plays with an elegant soul and a understated and lovely swing style. Best of all, he combines firm thumb picking with hushed, lush chords to fill space.

One of his lesser-known albums is Kenny Burrell: Jazzmen—-Detroit. Recorded over two sessions in April and May 1956, for Savoy the LP featured a superb quintet: Pepper Adams (bar), Tommy Flanagan (p), Kenny Burrell (g), Paul Chambers (b) and Kenny Clarke (d). The French release was entitled Kenny Burrell: Jazzmen From Detroit.

On this record, Adams dials down his usual fury on the baritone sax to get in sync with Kenny's approach, framing the guitarist instead of running him over. In this regard, the album is a fascinating blend of the tenderest of jazz instruments, the guitar, and the bossiest. 

And then we have a stunning rhythm section. Flanagan is the dean of artful accompaniment, Paul Chambers is woody and meaty, and Clarke, one of bebop's earliest drummers, throws down flurries of uneven rhythms in the bop tradition.

Here's the complete Kenny Burrell: Jazzmen From Detroit without ad interruptions...