Jazz / Post-Bop, West Coast Jazz, Standards
Al Lucas Bass
Beaver Harris Drums
Ben Riley Drums
Billy Hart Drums
Buster Williams Bass
Charlie Byrd Guitar
Kenny Barron Piano
Kenny Burrell Guitar
Larry Coryell Guitar
Larry Ridley Bass
Marvin "Smitty" Smith Drums
Reggie Johnson Bass
Rufus Reid Bass
Sherman Ferguson Drums
Stanley Cowell Piano
Tommy Newsom Flute
Along with the Michel Legrand album, Cherry Red launch their Fivefour Jazz label with this beautiful, stylish jazz guitar compilation. It features beautiful, top notch material by three of the biggest names of jazz guitar: Larry Coryell, Charlie Byrd and Kenny Burrell. Coryell is one of the biggest names in the jazz guitar genre. Charlie Byrd brought bossa nova to the west - defining it with his #1 hit album Jazz Samba with Stan Getz - and with Brazilian music's popularity at its highest peak since the Getz/Byrd glory days of the sixties, his sensitive music is of great contemporary appeal. Kenny Burrell is more than a jazz institution. Up there with Wes Montgomery and Django Reinhardt, in America he has been dubbed ''guitar laureate''.
Album Details
Features Beautiful, Top Notch Material by Three of the Biggest Names in the History of Jazz Guitar... Larry Coryell, Charlie Byrd and Kenny Burrell. Larry Coryell's Name is Synonymous with Jazz-rock. He is One of the Biggest Names of a Worldwide Genre He Effectively Invented. Charlie Byrd Brought Bossa Nova to the West-defining it with his Number One Hit Album 'jazz Samba¹ with Stan Getz- and with Brazilian Music's Popularity at Its Highest Peak Since the Getz/Byrd Glory Days of the Sixties, his Sensitive Music is of Great Contemporary Appeal. Kenny Burrell is More Than a Jazz Institution. Up There with Wes Montgomery and Django Reinhardt, in America He Has Been Dubbed "Guitar Laureate'- the Best Player in the History of Jazz Guitar.
There's much good jazz guitar on this compilation, but there's no thematic coherency to this collection of pieces by Larry Coryell, Charlie Byrd, and Kenny Burrell. Is it for art lovers? Maybe -- it would be suitable as laid-back background music for gallery openings and living rooms with fine art on the walls, though it's by no means exclusively suited for those kind of purposes. Nor are these instrumentals dedicated to or inspired by specific works of art. Nor are they from the same era -- Byrd's tracks were done in the late '50s, Coryell's in the last half of the '80s, and Burrell's in the late '70s and early '80s. So there are better ways to appreciate each of these virtuosos, but if you don't particularly care about such things, on its own terms this is a nice compilation of low-key jazz guitar music. While the dominant mood is ballad-like stuff suitable for weekend mornings, there are peppier pieces, too, like Coryell's bopping "Moments Notice" and Byrd's flute-flecked "Spanish Guitar Blues." Byrd's contributions are the most interesting, including as they do some vehicles for unaccompanied guitar and some classical flavorings. The 11 tracks are consistent enough in mood and quality to flow together well, though the CD's mostly of use to random record buyers struck by an impulse for some jazz guitar recordings, rather than serious fans of either jazz guitar or these particular players. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide |
