Midnight Blue (Kenny Burrell album)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs
45:18 (CD reissue)
| Midnight Blue | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | Early May 1963[1] | |||
| Recorded | January 8, 1963 Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 35:39 (original LP) 45:18 (CD reissue) | |||
| Label | Blue Note BLP 4123 (mono) BST 84123 (stereo) | |||
| Producer | Alfred Lion | |||
| Kenny Burrell chronology | ||||
| ||||
Midnight Blue is an album by American jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell featuring Stanley Turrentine on tenor saxophone, Major Holley on double bass, Bill English on drums and Ray Barretto on conga. It was released on Blue Note Records in 1963.[2][3][4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  [5] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [6] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings |  [7] |
Scott Yanow of AllMusic called the album "one of ... Kenny Burrell's best-known sessions for the Blue Note label."[8]
Jazz Improv magazine lists the album among its top five recommended recordings for Burrell, indicating that "[i]f you need to know 'the Blue Note sound', here it is".[9]
In 2005, NPR included the album in its "Basic Jazz Library", describing it as "one of the great jazzy blues records".[10] The album has been re-issued by Blue Note.
The cover artwork of Elvis Costello's 1981 country album Almost Blue pays homage to the artwork of Midnight Blue.[11] In 2012, musical comedians Three Bonzos And A Piano parodied the album cover on their album Bum Notes.[12]
Track listing
Except where otherwise noted, all songs composed by Kenny Burrell.
- "Chitlins con Carne" – 5:30
- "Mule" (Burrell, Major Holley Jr.) – 6:56
- "Soul Lament" – 2:43
- "Midnight Blue" – 4:02
- "Wavy Gravy" – 5:47
- "Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You" (Andy Razaf, Don Redman) – 4:25
- "Saturday Night Blues" – 6:16
- "Kenny's Sound" – 4:43 (Bonus track on CD reissue)
- "K Twist" – 3:36 (Bonus track on CD reissue)
Personnel
Musicians
- Kenny Burrell – guitar
- Stanley Turrentine – tenor saxophone (except tracks 3, 4, 6, 9)
- Major Holley – bass (except 3)
- Bill English – drums (except 3)
- Ray Barretto – conga (except 3, 6)
Technical personnel
Original release
- Alfred Lion – producer
- Rudy Van Gelder – recording engineer
- Reid Miles – cover design, typography
- Francis Wolff – photography
- Leonard Feather – liner notes
Reissue
- Michael Cuscuna – producer (1987 and 1999 reissued)
- Ron McMaster – remastering engineer (1987 reissue)
- Rudy Van Gelder – remastering engineer (1999 reissue)
- Bob Blumenthal – reissue liner notes (1999 reissue)
References
- ↑ "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. May 11, 1963. p. 16. Retrieved November 24, 2025 – via Google Books.
- ↑ "Blue Note Records Discography: 1963-1964". Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
- ↑ "Midnight Blue - Kenny Burrell | Album". AllMusic. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
- ↑ "Jazz Discographies". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on March 31, 2008. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
- ↑ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 201. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
- ↑ Midnight Blue at AllMusic
- ↑ Jazz Legends Kenny Burrell Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine Jazz Improv magazine website. Accessed November 6, 2007.
- ↑ Horwitz, Murray. (April 1, 2005) Kenny Burrell 'Midnight Blue' NPR. Accessed November 6, 2007.
- ↑ Clayton-Lea, Tony (1999). Elvis Costello: A Biography. London: Andre Deutsch Ltd. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-233-99339-3.
- ↑ Three Bonzos And A Piano 'Bum Notes', Threebonzosandapiano.co.uk. Accessed February 29, 2024.
