Track Listing

1. Chitlins con Carne
2. Mule
3. Soul Lament
4. Midnight Blue
5. Wavy Gravy
6. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You
7. Saturday Night Blues
8. Kenny's Sound
9. K Twist [Not Part Of The Original Album]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1980 in Music
• Released on: 1999-03-09
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered

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.

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

Customer Reviews

Guitar sings of the blues
As far as jazz guitar on Blue Note records goes, there are two names you must know: Grant Green and Kenny Burrell. And while Grant's discography for Blue Note is humungous, Kenny did much of his recording as a sideman. But the numbers are all irrelevant when you listen to this masterpiece -- seven tunes that reach deep, deep into the blues and achieve that wonderfully lazy, after hours groove.

The performances are all classic, from the Latin groove of "Chitlins con Carne", to the brisk swing of the title track, to the solo guitar of "Soul Lament". Stanley Turrentine's soulful saxophone playing is among his finest, and the bass/drums/conga rhythm section is impeccable at setting up a groove. And the leader provides tasty guitar playing that mixes bebop lines and bluesy feeling perfectly. As far as hearing some classic jazz guitar, Midnight Blue and Grant Green's Idle Moments album are a perfect start.

Ultra-Cool Blues Masterpiece
This recording, and "Midnight Blue" in particular, is the greatest expression of late-night "bluesy" jazz guitar playing I have ever heard in 35 years of listening. Kenny Burrell was, and is, the master of this style. His touch, tone and rhythmic placement of notes -- all are immaculate. He is joined by Stanley Turrentine on tenor, Ray Barretto on congas,Major Holley and Bill English -- a perfect group. Lots of mid-tempos and minor keys. Sometimes I listen to the "Midnight Blue" track over and over. I have transcribed most of it, chords and solo lines -- Fm7, Gm7, Abmaj7, Gm7, etc. It takes me to a different place and time. The recording is magnificent, as if the musicians are in your living room, you are lounging at your table 3 feet away, nursing a Tom Collins . . . It doesn't get any cooler.

Jazzy Blues or Bluesy Jazz? Who Cares?! Buy It!
You'll never go back to silly, boring, 3-chord blues after hearing what Kenny Burrell can do. None of the songs here are really traditional blues at all, but there is a relaxed bluesy FEEL in these songs. Burrell has the most incredible guitar tone and his note placement is perfect. This music is both relaxed and low-key AND dramatic all at the same time. Listen to Soul Lament and then Midnight Blue and you'll feel it too. He's the best.