Kenny Burrell • God Bless The Child

 

AllMusic Review

Kenny Burrell's guitaristry is well-documented in his years with Oscar Peterson and on his first dates as a leader on the Blue Note label, but God Bless the Child, his only date for CTI in 1971, is an under-heard masterpiece in his catalog. Burrell's band for the set includes bassist Ron Carter, percussionist Ray Barretto, Richard Wyands on piano, flutist Hubert Laws, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, and drummer Billy Cobham. CTI's house arranger, Don Sebesky, assembled and conducted the strings in a manner that stands strangely and beautifully apart from his other work on the label. Sebesky understood Burrell's understated approach to playing guitar. Burrell didn't belong with the fusioneers, but he could groove better than any of them. Sebesky built a moody, atmospheric soundscape behind him, one that was as impressionistic as it was illuminating of a player who could dig in and chop it up -- as he does on his own composition "Love Is the Answer" and "Do What You Gotta Do" -- and stroke it smooth and mellow as on the title track, the truly sublime "Be Yourself," and Thad Jones' "A Child Is Born." The Legacy CD remaster also includes the only three outtakes from the session, an alternate of the Jones tune, and two brief but gorgeous solos on "Ballad of the Sad Young Men" and on Kurt Weill's "Lost in the Stars." This is Burrell at his level best as a player to be sure, but also as a composer and as a bandleader. Magnificent.

by Thom Jurek

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Revisión de AllMusic

El guitarrismo de Kenny Burrell está bien documentado en sus años con Oscar Peterson y en sus primeras citas como líder en el sello Blue Note, pero God Bless the Child, su única cita para CTI en 1971, es una obra maestra poco escuchada en su catálogo. La banda de Burrell para el set incluye al bajista Ron Carter, al percusionista Ray Barretto, a Richard Wyands en el piano, al flautista Hubert Laws, al trompetista Freddie Hubbard y al baterista Billy Cobham. El arreglista de la casa CTI, Don Sebesky, ensambló y dirigió las cuerdas de una manera que se destaca de manera extraña y hermosa de su otro trabajo en la discográfica. Sebesky entendió el enfoque subestimado de Burrell al tocar la guitarra. Burrell no pertenecía a los fusionistas, pero podía tocar mejor que cualquiera de ellos. Sebesky construyó un paisaje sonoro atmosférico y malhumorado detrás de él, uno que era tan impresionista como iluminador de un músico que podía escarbar y cortarlo - como lo hace en su propia composición "Love Is the Answer" y "Do What You Gotta Do" - y acariciarlo suave y meloso como en la pista del título, el verdaderamente sublime "Be Yourself", y "A Child Is Born" de Thad Jones. La remasterización del CD Legacy también incluye las tres únicas tomas de la sesión, un alterno de la melodía de Jones, y dos breves pero magníficos solos en "Ballad of the Sad Young Men" y en "Lost in the Stars" de Kurt Weill. Este es Burrell en su mejor nivel como jugador, pero también como compositor y como director de banda. Magnífico.

por Thom Jurek

Track listing:
All compositions by Kenny Burrell except as indicated
"Be Yourself" - 5:56
"Love is the Answer" - 4:54
"Do What You Gotta Do" - 9:35
"A Child is Born" (Thad Jones) - 8:37
"God Bless the Child" (Billie Holiday, Arthur Herzog, Jr.) - 8:55
"Ballad of the Sad Young Men" (Fran Landesman, Tommy Wolf) - 2:19
"Lost In the Stars" (Kurt Weill, Maxwell Anderson) - 2:27
"A Child is Born" [alternate take] (Jones) - 7:09 Bonus track on CD reissue
Recorded at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on April 28 (tracks 1, 3, 5 & 8), May 11 (tracks 4 & 7) and May 25 (tracks 2 & 6), 1971

Personnel
Kenny Burrell - electric guitar
Freddie Hubbard - trumpet
Hubert Laws - flute
Richard Wyands - piano, electric piano
Hugh Lawson - electric piano
Ron Carter - bass
Billy Cobham - drums
Ray Barretto, Airto Moreira - percussion
Seymour Barab, Charles McCracken, George Ricci, Lucien Schmit, Alan Shulman - cello
Don Sebesky - arranger, conductor

 

 

 

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