Kenny Burrell: Playing It, Meaning It, Living It

[MarkRhodes]

Yes, Mark.. it was co-written with Craig McKinney. And for anyone who's a fan of CC I would also highly recommend Marshall's book ("The Best of Charlie Christian" - A Step-by-Step Breakdown of the Styles and Techniques of the Father of Modern Jazz Guitar).

It's one of his Signature Licks series published by Hal Leonard, and of course the others are devoted to Kenny, Pat Martino, Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, George Benson, etc, etc. None of these are biographies per se, but there's a lot of biographical information included along with the complete transcriptions and discs. When I did the Just Jazz Guitar cover story interview with Wolf back in February of 2006, I was astounded to learn of his articulate and thorough process in writing these books, including exact replications of the original tracks performed by top studio players.

On a related note, the Marshall book that everyone was waiting for was the one on Kenny Burrell, but there were legal issues involved that delayed publishing. I won't name names, but one guy had cornered the rights to both Midnight Blue and Chitlins Con Carne and refused to allow them to be used. It's a great book but it's such a shame that those two epic tunes had to be left out. All for now..

I have Wolf's book on Charlie's "signature licks." I used to have such a hard time with the head of "Air Mail Special"---the last two bars of the bridge---and that's one of the things that convinced me that I had to fix my picking. I'm happy to say that---years later---I seem to be getting that down and can use it to master more vocab!

I don't have Wolf's book on KB but I've looked at it online and wondered at the song selection. Now I know 'the rest of the story...' Thanks

[JazzOnSix]

I have Wolf's book on Charlie's "signature licks." I used to have such a hard time with the head of "Air Mail Special"---the last two bars of the bridge---and that's one of the things that convinced me that I had to fix my picking. I'm happy to say that---years later---I seem to be getting that down and can use it to master more vocab!

I don't have Wolf's book on KB but I've looked at it online and wondered at the song selection. Now I know 'the rest of the story...' Thanks

You must be referring to the Ab9 and G9 arpeggios in that bridge, right? Amazing how much mileage Christian got out of down-stroke picking, but then again so did Wes with his thumb.

Btw, one of my all-time favorite Burrell takes is in Wolf's book. I'm talking about KB's spin on "My Favorite Things" from his Have Yourself A Soulful Merry Christmas (Cadet/1966) release. It's one of the most fiery solos that I've ever heard Kenny play.

Here's another personal homage to Burrell from that album:

Merry Christmas Baby (Mark Stefani Quartet)

The head is almost identical to the original, but the fills and solo choruses feature a blend of influences. In a sense it's a bit of "Burrell Meets Benson" on the slow blues front, because I also learned a lot of what GB was doing in that style during the 60's. Incidentally, this is one of the only recordings I've done with my first-year Ibanez GB10 (instead of the Gibson S400). Hope you guys enjoy it!

[ingeneri]

Mark, thanks for posting this. Like you and many here, Burrell has always been my biggest influence and a model of both musical talent married to artistic taste. While I've had the opportunity to seem him perform, I've never met him. But, I'm struck by how gracious he always is in interviews.

I noticed in the linked article how forthcoming he is about gear, rather than affecting an attitude that he doesn't really care but just happened to own several iconic instruments. I think this is the first place where Burrell has openly discussed his preferred amp settings. But, while specific about the bass and mids, he's a bit more vaguea about his preferred treble setting. Do you have any more detail on this that you could share?

[JazzOnSix]

Mark, thanks for posting this. Like you and many here, Burrell has always been my biggest influence and a model of both musical talent married to artistic taste. While I've had the opportunity to see him perform, I've never met him. But, I'm struck by how gracious he always is in interviews.

I noticed in the linked article how forthcoming he is about gear, rather than affecting an attitude that he doesn't really care but just happened to own several iconic instruments. I think this is the first place where Burrell has openly discussed his preferred amp settings. But, while specific about the bass and mids, he's a bit more vague about his preferred treble setting. Do you have any more detail on this that you could share?

You're welcome. I spoke to Wolf yesterday and mentioned your post/question. He said that he's almost sure that Kenny's Fender Twin treble setting is about 3-4. You can almost always trust him when it comes to gear related to specific artists, because there's no one in the field who comes remotely close to his knowledge in that dept. He also offered to ask Kenny when he sees him next week.

Are you serious? That's like hoping my kids liked their Halloween candy. Great stuff, Coach!

Thanks, Jeff. Very "sweet" of you to say that! ;-).

[ingeneri]

Thanks Mark, I appreciate it. Please let Wolf know that I found his book very helpful not only in studying his transcriptions themselves but also getting past some roadblocks I was hitting with my own transcribing of Burrell's recordings.

[JazzOnSix]

Thanks Mark, I appreciate it. Please let Wolf know that I found his book very helpful not only in studying his transcriptions themselves but also getting past some roadblocks I was hitting with my own transcribing of Burrell's recordings.

Done, Matt. He was very pleased to hear that the book has been so helpful to a fellow transcriber. We discuss language and transcribing on a regular basis, because that's how each of us has acquired the vast majority of what we know and teach. Another thing we share in common is learning from non-guitar sources (e.g. sax, trumpet, keys, vibes, etc). How their lines lay out on guitar forces you into new and previously uncharted territory.

As most know, Wolf is the consummate and most prolific/eclectic guitar author of our time. One of the reasons why I applaud his Signature Licks series covering Kenny, Benson, Pass, Wes, Christian, etc, as well as his marvelous "Giant Steps for Guitar" book, is that none of those jazz publications were done with money in mind. Each was a labor of love, and Hal Leonard would never have green-lighted these terrific books if Mr. Marshall hadn't lobbied hard to write them. Wolf has a true passion for extending and documenting the legacy of great jazz players, mainly so that aspiring guitarists with a serious interest in the genre can accelerate their growth.

[TOMMO]

On Wolf Marshall: I have his Grant Green book and I think it's fantastic!

Not just the transcriptions but also explaining what's happening there regarding his lines in relation to the harmony.

[JazzOnSix]

On Wolf Marshall: I have his Grant Green book and I think it's fantastic!

Not just the transcriptions but also explaining what's happening there regarding his lines in relation to the harmony.

Apologies for not including Grant (one of my favorite players and a major influence). I was just naming artists off the top of my head, and of course should have included Pat Martino and Barney Kessel as well.

The explanation that you speak of is critically important, because the goal in the long run is not to imitate solos per se, but to understand and integrate the language into our ever-expanding vocabulary.

[TOMMO]

The explanation that you speak of is critically important, because the goal in the long run is not to imitate solos per se, but to understand and integrate the language into our ever-expanding vocabulary.

100% agreed!

[MarkRhodes]

The explanation that you speak of is critically important, because the goal in the long run is not to imitate solos per se, but to understand and integrate the language into our ever-expanding vocabulary.

I agree with this. I think that, over time, players (-like speakers of a language) may forget the source of a line, or recombine elements from two or three different ones.

[JazzOnSix]

I agree with this. I think that, over time, players (-like speakers of a language) may forget the source of a line, or recombine elements from two or three different ones.

You make a good point, Mark. There's certainly much to be said about playing solos note-for-note as a means to an end, and some of the greatest players in jazz history (e.g. Bird, Wes, Benson, Hancock, Corea, Peterson, etc, etc) have done precisely that in their quest to evolve. As much as I've followed in their footsteps, in the long run I see things through "The 5% Rule." You take 5% of what you admire most about 20 of your main influences, and guess what your 100% might sound like? Of course, that's exactly what those players ended up doing.

Which brings me back to Kenny and his influence on my work. To me, one of his hottest solos was his epic take on "My Favorite Things" (from Have Yourself A Soulful Little Christmas - Cadet 1966). Years after I had transcribed it, I featured his licks in a "My Favorite Kenny" lesson dissertation for my students. Here's a look at one of the simplest yet completely memorable moves from that solo, transposed to the key of C minor:

If you're familiar with the original recording you'll recognize it. I admired the call & response phrasing of that line so much that I actually quoted it to open the first chorus of my solo on Mister P.C., a John Coltrane minor blues classic. It follows the rubato chord-melody intro and head. To check it out, click here.

[Greentone]

Great thread. Kenny Burrell is THE great living jazz guitarist. My first KB record, eons ago, was 'Guitar Forms.' Soon, it was followed by 'Midnight Blue.' [Hmm? I guess my first KB album was actually 'The Sermon' but that's actually a Jimmy Smith record.]

The beauty of Kenny Burrell's playing, then and now, has been his intelligent economy. KB plays profoundly good lines, yet they are never needlessly ornate or ostentatious. Jim Hall did a similar thing, though you could always hear the difference between Burrell and Hall. The point is, both guys use notes and space perfectly.