KENNY BURRELL "AT THE FIVE SPOT CAFE" AP, 2LP, 45RPM, LE, NE, SO, RVG, NEW/SEALE
$
150
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Description
KENNY BURRELL WITH ART BLAKEY "AT THE FIVE SPOT CAFE"
2010 ANALOGUE PRODUCTIONS "THE BLUE NOTE REISSUES", 2LP, 45RPM, 180G VIRGIN VINYL, CATALOG NUMBER AP-84021, #558 OF A SOLD-OUT LIMITED EDITION OF 2,500 COPIES, RECORDED BY RUDY VAN GELDER, MASTERED BY KEVIN GRAY AND STEVE HOFFMAN FROM THE ORIGINAL ANALOG BLUE NOTE MASTER TAPES, PRESSED AT RTI, CAMARILLO, CA.
"BURRELL WAS ONE OF A HOST OF ARTISTS WHO HAD EMERGED IN THE MID '50'S AND WOULD PERSONIFY THE BLUE NOTE ROSTER BY THE END OF THE DECADE. BUT WHILE THE RICH SUCCESSION OF ALBUMS THAT TOOK SHAPE IN RUDY VAN GELDER'S STUDIO PLAYED A MAJOR PART IN THE STEADY ESTABLISHMENT OF THE LABEL'S CREDENTIALS AND THE ENSUING RENOWN OF THE ARTISTS WHO RECORDED THERE, ONE OF THE FINEST SESSIONS OF BLUE NOTE'S 1959 SEASON CAME FROM OUTSIDE THE STUDIO'S CONFINES-IN A CLUB GIG RECORDED SOME 63 YEAR AGO."
"ON VIEW AT THE FIVE SPOT" IS A STRIKING RECORD, A PECULIAR BLEND OF LAID-BACK ATMOSPHERE AND BREAKNECK VIRTUOSITY THAT REWARDS CASUAL AND CLOSE LISTENING EQUALLY WELL. SIT BACK, AND YOU CAN SOAK IN AN AMBIANCE THAT RIDES OFF TASTEFULLY PLAYED JAM-SESSION VIBES. LEAN FORWARD, AND YOU CAN TAKE STOCK OF HOW BURRELL, WHO TURNED 81 ON JULY 31, OFFERS A DEXTEROUS STYLE THAT ROLLS OUT CLEAN-TONED, FEVERISHLY DENSE YET LIMBER SINGLE-NOTE SOLOS--A SOUND THAT FUSION-ERA-UP-AND-COMERS WERE STILL COPPING MOVES OFF FIFTEEN YEARS LATER. WITH HIS BLUES-TO-BOP-AND-ALL-POINTS-BETWEEN VERSATILITY, BURRELL WORKS HIS WAY OVER, UNDER AROUND AND THROUGH A MURDERER'S ROW OF STYLISTICALLY VARIED STANDARDS TO ACROBATIC EFFECT. HIS SOLO ON THE DIZZY GILLESPIE NUMBER "BIRK'S WORKS" IS SLICK AND SUPPLE, FLUIDLY SHIFTING BETWEEN SMOOTH BURBLES AND SHARP JABS. THE GERSHWINS' "LADY BE GOOD" GETS ONE OF ITS MOST SUPERLATIVE RUN-THROUGHS SINCE FREQUENT BURRELL COLLABORATOR JIMMY SMITH'S "A NEW SOUND"...A NEW STAR RENDITION THREE YEARS EARLIER, TEASING A SIMPLE BUT BRISK BLUES RIFF THAT QUICKLY CATCHES FIRE INTO SOMETHING FURTHER TOWARDS THE OUTER EDGES OF HARD BOP. AND "LOVER MAN", STILL INDELIBLY ASSOCIATED WITH BILLE HOLIDAY AND CHARLIE PARKER AT THE TIME, IS EXPLORED WITH A SUITABLY MELANCHOLIC AND GENTLE TOUCH THAT STILL MANAGES TO PACK IN SOME IMPRESSIVE FLURRIES OF CASCADING NOTES. INDEED, BEYOND NAME RECOGNITION AND THE PROMISE OF TWO GREATS (BURRELL & BLAKEY) IN A RARE COLLABORATION, HIS DRUMMING PROVIDES THE CHASSIS, THE SWING, AND (PARTICULARLY IN THE MALLET-WIELDING "HALLELUJAH") SOME OF THE SOLO FIREWORKS, JAZZ MESSENGERS SIDEMAN BOBBY TIMMONS AND AN EARLY-CAREER ROLAND HANNA TAKE TURNS ON PIANO, WITH THE FORMER'S SPRIGHTLY TOUCH, BEST HEARD IN "LOVER MAN", OFFSET BY THE LATTER PERFORMER'S SHARP EDGE TO TUNES LIKE "HALLELUJAH" AND "36-23-36". AND SAXOPHONIST TINA BROOKS PUTS IN A MEMORABLE APPEARANCE, LESS THAN TWO YEARS BEFORE HIS FINAL SESSION, OFFERING ONE OF THE BETTER PERFORMANCES OF HIS TOO-SHORT CAREER WITH SOME TENOR WORK THAT COMPLEMENTS BURRELL'S MELODIC FUSILLADES NICELY. BURRELL'S MOST DEFINITIVE RECORDINGS MAY HAVE BEEN STUDIO SESSIONS, AND "ON VIEW AT THE FIVE SPOT" IS MORE OF A CONTRAST TO LATER, MORE BLUES-INFLECTED CAREER HIGHLIGHTS LIKE 1963'3 "MIDNIGHT BLUE" THAN A COMPLEMENT. BUT BOTTLING LIGHTNING CLEARLY WASN'T A BAD WAY FOR PRODUCER ALFRED LION TO SPEND A LATE AUGUST NIGHT IN ONE OF JAZZ'S MOST PIVOTAL YEARS."
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