Kenny Burrell appeared on nearly 600 jazz record dates between 1950 and 2008, which is an eyebrow raiser. One of the busiest session guitarists of the '50s, 60s and '70s, many of his jazz dates were sideman jobs. Burrell was a favorite of leaders for his chameleon-like ability to be groovy, soulful, bluesy, swinging or lounge, depending on what was needed and the mood at hand.
But given Burrell's prolific role as a rhythmic force on other artists' albums, it's rare that you get to hear him up close and away from the thicket of other instruments. Soul Call, recorded in April 1964 for Prestige, is one of those rare occurrences. His playing is so clear and undisturbed that you feel as though just the two of you are out for a lunch.
On Soul Call, Burrell is joined by pianist Will Davis, bassist Martin Rivera, drummer Bill English and conga player Ray Barretto [pictured]. The album was recorded just after Burrell appeared on Jimmy Heath's On the Trail and right before Jimmy Smith's The Cat. Soul Call is special because you wind up with a full understanding of what Burrell can do and why he's so special.
Stripped of saxophones, trumpets and other frontline instruments, Burrell's guitar is front and center. What you learn is that Burrell had a powerful conversational style that was different from many of his peers. Grant Green [pictured] also had this same ability to talk through the guitar without ever raising his voice.
Burrell here is soft and supple, switching back and forth between blues and standards. On the blues, he shows off a range of impressive skills, from the uptempo Mark 1 by Will Davis to the loping title track, a Burrell original. On standards like I'm a Lucky So and So and Here's That Rainy Day, Burrell teases out every bit of melodic joy and rolls the essence around and around with a rolling pin of thick chord voicings. Dig the chord run-down at the end of the latter.
Intensive one moment and introspective the next, Burrell could be highly dynamic. He also is plenty tasteful, never overplaying or strumming a chord that isn't meaningful. Every idea on this album had meaning, and he often let the top string ring like a bell for lingering effect.
What's evident as well is that Burrell early in the '60s had an instinctive sense of soul. His picking could be reflective and at other times Mad Hatter. Regardless of the single-note lines he ran, Burrell always enjoyed enhancing those ideas with a full-house of chords that had a deliciously metallic sound.
Burrell was able to sound as delicate as a piccolo or as mighty as a pickup truck. On Soul Call, you hear all of Burrell's many sides entwined in a single, robust statement. By the end of the album, you're sure to wind up with a very different impression of him.
JazzWax tracks: Kenny Burrell's Soul Call (Prestige) is available as a download at iTunes and here.
JazzWax clip:Here's Kenny Burrell's Kenny's Theme from Soul Call. Dig his swinging soul...
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One of Burrell's most unusual albums is the 1964 "Guitar Forms" (Verve), accompanied by an orchestra arranged by Gil Evans.
He's also superb in a guitar-bass-drums format. I heard him in the late '70s with bassist Reggie Johnson and drummer Sherman Ferguson and he was (no pun intended) electrifying. Hear him with Richard Davis and Roy Haynes on the 1960 "A Night at the Vanguard" (Argo).
Burrell was also a pretty good vocalist, as evidenced by some of his later recordings. Among his earlier albums, one stand out is the 1958 Blue Lights album with a cover illustration by Warhol. It has quartet through septet tracks with a lot of extended blowing, including some great tenor work from Junior Cook and Tina Brooks. (Also Louis Smith, Duke Jordan or Bobby Timmons, Sam Jones, Blakey.)
I used to imagine that Guitar Forms was another Spanish/Latin album arranged by Gil for Miles--but that he'd moved on by then, leaving the tracks available for some other great soloist... et voila! Uncanny Kenny steps in. Bushwah, of course--the project undoubtedly Burrell's from the start, and with Evans involved on just half the tracks.
But, brother, the Burrell guitar and the Evans "giant guitar" together for "Lotus Land"? "Moon and Sand"? "Last Night When We Were Young"? Music can't get much lovelier than that. Why not a full album and a sequel too?
Many years later Kenny cut a pair of LPs in tribute to the Duke (that other leader who played his orchestra like a single instrument). Brilliant, of course, Burrell carefully building the tracks around changing guest players, and maybe the ghost of Gil hovering nearby? At any rate, late masterworks in the lengthy and always splendid Burrell career. All kudos to Kenny.
K.B. took his instrument, the guitar, to its highest plateau, and has had one of the most productive and creative careers in american music. Thank you, Mr. Burrell!
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Marc Myers writes frequently on music and the arts for the Wall Street Journal. He is author of "Why Jazz Happened" (University of California Press). In 2012, JazzWax was named the Jazz Journalists Association's "Blog of the Year."
One of Burrell's most unusual albums is the 1964 "Guitar Forms" (Verve), accompanied by an orchestra arranged by Gil Evans.
He's also superb in a guitar-bass-drums format. I heard him in the late '70s with bassist Reggie Johnson and drummer Sherman Ferguson and he was (no pun intended) electrifying. Hear him with Richard Davis and Roy Haynes on the 1960 "A Night at the Vanguard" (Argo).
Posted by: Bill Kirchner | May 23, 2011 at 09:36 AM
Burrell was also a pretty good vocalist, as evidenced by some of his later recordings. Among his earlier albums, one stand out is the 1958 Blue Lights album with a cover illustration by Warhol. It has quartet through septet tracks with a lot of extended blowing, including some great tenor work from Junior Cook and Tina Brooks. (Also Louis Smith, Duke Jordan or Bobby Timmons, Sam Jones, Blakey.)
Posted by: David | May 23, 2011 at 12:58 PM
I used to imagine that Guitar Forms was another Spanish/Latin album arranged by Gil for Miles--but that he'd moved on by then, leaving the tracks available for some other great soloist... et voila! Uncanny Kenny steps in. Bushwah, of course--the project undoubtedly Burrell's from the start, and with Evans involved on just half the tracks.
But, brother, the Burrell guitar and the Evans "giant guitar" together for "Lotus Land"? "Moon and Sand"? "Last Night When We Were Young"? Music can't get much lovelier than that. Why not a full album and a sequel too?
Many years later Kenny cut a pair of LPs in tribute to the Duke (that other leader who played his orchestra like a single instrument). Brilliant, of course, Burrell carefully building the tracks around changing guest players, and maybe the ghost of Gil hovering nearby? At any rate, late masterworks in the lengthy and always splendid Burrell career. All kudos to Kenny.
Posted by: Ed Leimbacher | May 23, 2011 at 02:07 PM
K.B. took his instrument, the guitar, to its highest plateau, and has had one of the most productive and creative careers in american music. Thank you, Mr. Burrell!
Posted by: Andy | June 01, 2011 at 08:10 PM