Midnight Blue

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Editorial reviews

Album Description
Alfred Lion considered this his favorite production and well he should have. Without piano, Burrell, Stanley Turrentine and company get a clean open sound and a deep groove on such now classic compositions as the title tune and "Chitlins Con Carne", which has become a blues band staple.

This RVG Series compact disc also includes extra photographs and 2 bonus tracks.

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Amazon.com
Kenny Burrell's music is a wonderful blend of elegance and conviction, musical inventiveness and thoughtful restraint. On this 1967 session, the guitarist is joined by regular associates--tenorist Stanley Turrentine, conga drummer Ray Barretto, bassist Major Holley, and drummer Bill English--and together they concentrate on the subtlest and deepest hues of the blues, combining strong rhythmic grooves with a feeling of late-night reflection. There's never a misstep or a superfluous note, from the funky Latin hit "Chitlins Con Carne" to Burrell's deeply felt solo "Soul Lament" and the concentrated swing of "Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You." The result is a masterpiece, and the 24-bit remastering by the original engineer, Rudy Van Gelder, adds to the spaciousness and intimacy that have always been hallmarks of the session. --Stuart Broomer

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Customer reviews

review by: late-to-jazz musician date: 2008-12-02 rating:
Quintessential blue is Midnight Blue
This is one of those really cool jazz recordings that, I think, tends to get overlooked. Whatever effect Kenny was trying to achieve by calling it Midnight Blue and then filling it with blues melodies and bluesy jazz tunes has been achieved several times over. As I've said in a number of my reviews, jazz guitar has never been my passion, and although Bill Frisell has done a lot to change that perspective, I must admit I continue to be dispassionate about most jazz guitar work. That's why I'm surprised (pleasantly so) at how much I like this recording. Maybe it's the blues emphasis that does it for me, or maybe it's the solid backing band that Kenny allows to come forward often enough that his guitar isn't bashing you over the head from start to finish. It could also be the cool blows of Stanley Turrentine, the swinging bass of Major "Mule" Holley, or the timelessness of the songs. Whatever, I also find Burrell's guitar not as honky-tonky as Wes Montgomery, and not as mercury-smooth as Frisell, so that Kenny's unique guitar sound in the context of these relatively familiar tunes keeps me at attention. Kenny's solo on Soul Lament is just dripping with blue something, and Chitlins Con Carne isn't a jazz standard for nothing. In short, I think this is a great sounding recording (as most Van Gelder Blue Note remasters are) with a talented band and leader doing a nice selection of classic blues tunes, and I really can't ask for much more in a jazz recording. I recommend this to jazz fans and non-fans alike.

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review by: date: 2008-09-11 rating:
Midnight Blue by Kenny Burrell
For the coolest of late night straight ahead "classic" jazz trio and combo grooves... this is the CD to grab immediately! Every cut and cat on this disc has something to say and I can't get enough! No wonder Stevie Ray Vaughan dug Kenny! Kick back and listen up! This is one of my all time favorites!

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review by: viljma date: 2008-07-22 rating:
A Jazz Guitar Classic
Kenny Burrell`s "Midnight Blue" is surely familiar to every Jazz lover. I found a very interesting aspect of his guitar playing listening to Illinois Jaquet`s recordings from the sixties. Excellent guitar playing, fine nuances, extraordinary emotional "Stimmung"!

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review by: date: 2008-04-27 rating:
IN THE MOOD FOR JAZZ?
If you are in the mood for jazz, get ready to enjoy! The musicians meld their individual skills into a colossal classic!


review by: Reverend Doctor Ukedude date: 2007-05-06 rating:
One of Burrell's best
Kenny Burrell is a great jazz guitarist, but he really shines on blues. This set is a quartet setting with bass, drums, guitar and tenor, and it's all blues in various forms. Stanley Turrentine really shines on this CD, too. If you love great blues, you will love this CD.

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