Prestige Rara Avis: Kenny Burrell and Frank Wess

Over the past decade, music lovers and jazz collectors have enjoyed a wealth of opportunities thanks to the ongoing vinyl renaissance. Back in the 1980s and '90s, Fantasy Records became a favorite among enthusiasts with its Original Jazz Classics series, reissuing nearly a thousand titles from its vast catalog, which included Prestige, Riverside, and Contemporary. After going dormant for a time following Concord's acquisition of the vaults, Craft Recordings revived the OJC imprint in 2023 with a slate of meticulously produced reissues. Now, in 2025, the label is enjoying its most diverse and ambitious year yet, bringing renewed attention to overlooked gems of the hard bop era.

Kenny Burrell
Kenny Burrell
Craft Recordings
1957

Detroit native Kenny Burrell was immersed in music from an early age. Before enrolling in Wayne State University's celebrated jazz program, the guitarist honed his craft in local combos across the city. By 1956, with pianist Tommy Flanagan alongside him, Burrell made the leap to New York. Within a year, he was recording for Blue Note at just twenty-five. At the dawn of 1957, he entered Rudy Van Gelder's studio once again—this time for producer Bob Weinstock and the Prestige label.

Though simply titled Kenny Burrell, the album stands out for its striking Reid Miles cover design—one of the few he created for Prestige. The session drew heavily from Burrell's Detroit circle, with Doug Watkins on bass, a young Elvin Jones on drums, and baritone saxophonist Cecil Payne rounding out the lineup. Rather than opening with fireworks, Burrell eases in with a soulful, blues-drenched take on Erskine Hawkins' "Don't Cry Baby." Even at this early stage, his warm, burnished tone and inventive phrasing distinguished him from his peers.

The set's centerpiece, "Drum Boogie"—most famously linked with Gene Krupa—launches with bold guitar block chords before Burrell and Payne state the melody in unison. At over nine minutes, it gives ample space for Flanagan, Watkins, and the still-developing Jones, whose drumming hints at the singular voice he would soon become. Other highlights include Burrell's lush, harmonically rich reading of "All of You" and his original "Perception," a prime example of hard bop in its formative, hard-driving glory.

Frank Wess
Wheelin' and Dealin'
Craft Recordings
1958

Producer Bob Weinstock often assembled large ensembles of his marquee artists for sessions that played like convivial jam gatherings. He did this frequently with swing-era musicians on his Swingville subsidiary, as well as on iconic Prestige All Stars albums such as All Night Long and All Day Long. One of the last of these dates, Wheelin' and Dealin', is usually credited to Frank Wess but also features John Coltrane and Paul Quinichette. Anchoring the session is what could be called the Prestige house rhythm section of Mal Waldron on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Art Taylor on drums.


A versatile multi-instrumentalist best known for his tenure with the Count Basie Band, Wess brings his flute to the fore on a relaxed stroll through Ellington's "Things Ain't What They Used to Be." Coltrane's searching tenor contrasts neatly with the airy, breath-like approach of Quinichette, nicknamed "Vice Prez" for his stylistic kinship to Lester Young, the original "Prez." The horns charge in together on Waldron's aptly titled "Wheelin.'" With Coltrane, Quinichette, and Wess all on tenor, the tune becomes a spirited workout in contrasting voices, chorus after chorus. Waldron contributes some striking high-register figures, and Taylor seizes a few bars before the band returns to the theme.

Wess again highlights the flute on Illinois Jacquet's "Robbins' Nest," reminding listeners why he was among the first to lend the instrument true street credibility in jazz. When Quinichette enters, his timbre nearly suggests an alto saxophone, forming a sharp foil to Coltrane's muscular tone—one of the album's enduring pleasures. Waldron's "Dealin'" hints at the darker muse that would come to define much of his later work. Too often overlooked, Waldron was every bit as iconoclastic and original as Thelonious Monk or Andrew Hill.

As with the other titles in Craft's reissue program, these albums were cut from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and pressed at RTI. The results are consistently excellent: flat, defect-free vinyl with improved fidelity over earlier editions. Housed in glossy tip-on jackets and offered at a fair price, they stand alongside Blue Note's Tone Poet series as the crème de la crème of contemporary jazz reissues.

Tracks and Personnel

Kenny Burrell

Tracks: Don't Cry Baby; Drum Boogie; Strictly Confidential; All Of You: Perception.

Personnel: Kenny Burrell: guitar; Cecil Payne: baritone sax; Tommy Flanagan: piano; Doug Watkins: bass; Elvin Jones: drums.

Wheelin' and Dealin'

Tracks: Things Ain't What They Used to Be; Wheelin'; Robbins' Nest; Dealin.'

Personnel: Frank Wess: tenor sax and flute; John Coltrane: tenor sax; Paul Quinichette: tenor sax; Mal Waldron: piano; Doug Watkins: bass; Art Taylor: drums.

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