Midnight Blue is a 1963[5][6][7] album by jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell featuring Stanley Turrentine on tenor saxophone, Major Holley on double bass, Bill English on drums and Ray Barretto on conga, and is one of Burrell's best-known works for Blue Note.[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.
| 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, Michael Cuscuna, Tom Vasatka | |||
| Kenny Burrell chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  [2] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings |  [4] |
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
editExcept where otherwise noted, all songs composed by Kenny Burrell.
- "Chitlins con Carne" – 5:30
- "Mule" (Kenny 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
editPerformance
edit- Kenny Burrell – guitar
- Stanley Turrentine – tenor saxophone (except #3, 4, 6, 9)
- Major Holley – bass (except #3)
- Bill English – drums (except #3)
- Ray Barretto – conga (except #3, 6)
Production
edit- Eric Bernhardi – graphic design
- Bob Blumenthal – CD reissue liner notes
- Micaela Boland – design
- Michael Cuscuna – producer, reissue producer
- Leonard Feather – original liner notes
- Gordon Jee – creative director
- Alfred Lion – producer
- Reid Miles – cover design, typography
- Rudy Van Gelder – engineer, remastering
- Tom Vasatka – producer
- Francis Wolff – photography, cover photo
References
edit- ^ Billboard May 11, 1963
- ^ 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.
- ^ Blue Note discography
- ^ Allmusic.com
- ^ AllAboutJazz Archived 2008-03-31 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ 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' TBAAP. Accessed February 29, 2024.