Kenny Burrell: Virtuosity at 75
Luba and I lucked out Sunday night: we felt we had sufficiently kicked our fevers, and my parents were willing to babysit, so we went to see Kenny Burrell at Catalina Bar and Grill. We caught the second show of a four night gig that Kenny was playing to celebrate his 75th birthday. Wow -- at 75 he plays as deftly as a 25 year old, and as soulfully as his full life's experience permits. He was dressed to the nines and has more hair than I do, too! What virtuosity. It was a real treat to go see him. I hadn't seen live Jazz Guitar played so well since I saw Jim Hall play in 1991.
Throughout his life, Kenny has played with most of the Jazz Greats, including John Coltrane, Quincy Jones, Jimmy Smith, Billy Holiday, and Stan Getz; his playing at times evoked all those. Jazz has changed a lot since the 50s and 60s, but seeing Kenny play last night, I felt like I got a peek into that era of the music, which was a real thrill.
Throughout his life, Kenny has played with most of the Jazz Greats, including John Coltrane, Quincy Jones, Jimmy Smith, Billy Holiday, and Stan Getz; his playing at times evoked all those. Jazz has changed a lot since the 50s and 60s, but seeing Kenny play last night, I felt like I got a peek into that era of the music, which was a real thrill.
technorati tags:jazz