Customer Reviews

Blue Note Sessions

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I think that anybody questioning Kennedy's ability should spend a few hours viewing him on YouTube - or better still, in concert. He has quite understandably been hailed as the world's greatest musical performer by some. I admit that the Blue Note Sessions are quite laid-back, but having seen some of the material performed live by Kennedy only five days ago at Ronnie Scott's Jazz club in London, and having purchased this particular album, I can only say that my respect for Kennedy grows almost daily. Nobody should even begin to question Kennedy's genre-crossing abilities. I doubt anybody except Kennedy could pull off the performance at the Brits classics awards that can be viewed on YouTube. His abilities are stunning. Watching him perform the Blue Note and other material live was overwhelming - best live performance I've ever seen.

I was excited to see that Nigel Kennedy had a jazz album; I have heard his violin chops, and they are very impressive. Kennedy has amassed an incredible backup band for this album, and it is the saving grace of it all. This is not to say that Kennedy does not have jazz chops, but, when you have a band with Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, Joe Lovano, Kenny Werner, etc...playing behind you, it is noticeable that you don't play jazz as much as the others.

It is NOT a bad album though, it just lacks energy and drive at times; the little spark that makes the jazz come alive through your speakers. The tunes Kennedy wrote have an old time feel to them, and there is a slight resemblance to Grapelli (only slight). His two originals are mixed with jazz standards by Horace Silver, Kenny Burrell, and compositions of group members. One of the reasons this album is listenable is because of Ron Carter's groovin' bass, Lucky Peterson's funky b-3 organ, Kenny Werner's piano, and of course, Jack DeJohnette's awesome drumming (as always).
Raul Midon sings on "Expansions," and adds a little pop and Latin to the mix with his performance. It is somewhat lackluster performance of the song, and Kennedy uses electronics and delay effects on his violin which give the song an even weirder feel. Kennedy adds an electric violin feel to this album that is reminscent of Jean-Luc Ponty at times, and also has somewhat of a Rock feeling at other times. Quite a difference from his Classical playing!
Overall, this album is enjoyable because of the musicians Kennedy has enlisted. It's probably not an album I'll listen to over and over again, but it is nice to hear a little electrified violin jazz every now and again!

This is an interesting CD, but better jazz is out there. Its interesting to anyone who wants to follow Kennedy's amazing talents. Its interesting to people who enjoy and explore violin jazz. Kennedy has a jazz style - maybe heavy on virtuosity and moderate on swinging and jazz idioms. I found Kennedy's blues tracks to be the most enjoyable. He has a strong sense of drama in the blues. The rest of the band is terrific. Kennedy chose well when assembling the band.

I'm a violinist who has been getting into jazz and electric playing the past few years. It's hard to find jazz violinists who aren't trying to emulate Stephane Grapelli (or good electric players other than Jean-Luc Ponty). I really appreciate that Kennedy is trying to experiment and take the genre in another direction.

If you are a player learning jazz violin or electric violin, I would definitely check out this album. As others mentioned, the backup band is great, performances are good and the recording quality is good (see my response to the other reviewer about sound quality if there's any questions about why his violin sounds "unnatural").

From a more musical standpoint, I agree with the other reviewer about the feel and lack of chops compared to the rest of the players on the album. I wish it would have been more of a group album (with more solos from the band) vs a "Kennedy" album. After repeated listens, his solos get boring and I get really tired of his tremolo.

However, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt since there aren't many violinists out there (let alone classically trained) who would even attempt this kind of album. I do enjoy seeing how he throws in classical technique (and quoting literature). Plus, he's the only violinist I've ever heard who can play a convincing "guitar" solo.

I checked this CD out from my local library. I'm a big Nigel Kennedy fan, but the engineering on this CD is just awful. The violin sounds very unnatural. The overall sound is quite lackluster. Unfortunate, because it gets in the way of a pretty good performance.

First of all, it is way too expensive for what it is.
Second of all, it isn't anything new or fresh.
Third of all, musical quality isn't what I expect from the label.

Compositions are dull and (maybe) sounding like some other
tunes I know, sounds out of pitch and can't find any good groove.
Could have sounded better without violin on it.

Maybe next time...