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Kenny Burrell is an American modern jazz guitarist, composer, bandleader and educator, born in 1931 and still alive at the age of 94 as these notes are being written. Making his recording debut in 1951, he became a valued and versatile sideman, recording and performing prolifically for over 65 years through to 2015, in a huge variety of recording settings. He also recorded and performed leading his own bands, and quite early in his career recorded a number of sessions under his own name for Alfred Lion’s Blue Note label, from which came his first albums, all taking advantage of the opportunity for extended performances on the new LP format. This 21- track 2-CD set comprises titles from those sessions for Blue Note during his early years as a bandleader, and features all the titles from the Blue Note albums “Introducing Kenny Burrell”, “Kenny Burrell” and “Blue Lights Vol. 1” and most of the titles from the album “Blue Lights Vol. 2”. Musicians in his groups include tenor saxophonist Frank Foster, pianists Tommy Flanagan, Duke Jordan and Bobby Timmons, bassists Oscar Pettiford, Paul Chambers and Sam Jones, drummers Shadow Wilson, Kenny Clarke and Art Blakey, trumpeter Louis Smith, tenor saxophonists Frank Foster, Junior Cook and Tina Brooks and percussionist Candido Camero. He is a stylish and fluent improviser and these early titles are an enjoyable showcase for his distinctive approach to jazz guitar.
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