75th Birthday Bash Live

Kenny Burrell | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 19, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B000O5BP64
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #246,748 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Kenny Burrell turned 75 on July 31, 2006. That night he finished a five-day run at Yoshi's in Oakland and then the next day played with the Gerald Wilson Orchestra in Santa Cruz. This CD commemorates the occasion with performances from both nights, presenting Burrell’s sparkling guitar in settings that range from an intimate trio to fronting Wilson's 17 –piece band. The material reflects Burrell's long career and broad associations. Among the small group tracks, there's a beautiful quartet sequence of Wayne Shorter's "Footprints," J.J. Johnson's "Lament," and Miles Davis's "All Blues," each demonstrating Burrell's consummate lyricism and absolute mastery of the mainstream modern. The big-band tracks pick up on associations with Duke Ellington, including the elegant "Sophisticated Lady" and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," with the 88-year-old Wilson providing a sparkling foundation that has Burrell and company soaring. Best of all is the extended "A Night in Tunisia" with a septet that has organist Joey DeFrancesco and flutist Hubert Laws. --Stuart Broomer

Product Description

BURRELL KENNY 75TH BIRTHDAY BASH LIVE!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but not Great from a jazz Giant, March 6, 2008

By 

DJ Outro (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 75th Birthday Bash Live (Audio CD)

Kenny Burrell is a jazz giant, having recorded with dozens of the jazz greats of the bop era and earned a formidable reputation as both a leader and sideman. You would think, then, that when he got Blue Note to record a live show dedicated to his 75th birthday, that he would pull out all the stops. Unfortunately, a lot of the tracks on this album just don't SWING. To hear Burrell's real talent, seek out the more unusual tunes in the playlist: Viva Tirado (tk 1) is a dark, seductive piece with a latin flair; All Blues (tk 9) is a laidback track you'll recognize from Miles Davis' famous "Kind of Blue" album; Footprints (tk 7) is a Wayne Shorter piece and accordingly moody and mellow; I'll Close My Eyes (tk 11) is a slow and thoughtful tribute to the late jazz organist Jimmy Smith. Tracks 1-6 are with a big band orchestra; the remaining have a smaller personnel set.