As the rain pours on this St. Louis
evening, the sound of jazz floats through the air of this house. It's
one of those moments where you can feel the rain hitting the window.
A blue tinged guitar and saxophone moves to outer limits. A rhythm
section holding down what seems to be two forces at odds with each
other. A contrasting a sound coming from the blues clubs of Detroit
and the basement jazz haunts of Philadelphia.
It is the sound of Kenny Burrell's
guitar, the saxophone of John Coltrane and a rhythm section made up
of Tommy Flanagan, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb. To some, with one
man being responsible for “Giant Steps” and the other for
“Midnight Blue,” these two worlds should not coexist on one
record. Let alone coexisting in one jam session. Luckily, we have an
albums worth of songs that capture these five men in one room.
It seems like a world away when you
place the needle on this record. From hearing iconic albums like
“Midnight Blue,” “A Love Supreme,” and “Kind of Blue”
(let us not forgetting Burrell's great work with the B3 god Jimmy
Smith) it seems at odd that these two men, plus a rollick rhythm
section, would find themselves at Rudy Van Gelder's New Jersey studio
cutting an record for Prestige. As the hiss and sizzle fades into the
first track, “Freight Trane,” you know that you are in for a
treat. A treat that sounds more like a group of guys getting together
in the after-hours speakeasy than getting together to record.
Listening to it sounds like you are
peaking into a room. A room with a few joints, numerous packs of
cigarettes, a couple bottles of beer and whiskey. A dimly lit room
with just the sight of cigarette smoke lingering in the air as each
waits for their turn play through a few choruses. These are the
albums in jazz that capture the true nature of this great American
art form. Even if they are planned that way or not It is the ones
that have a feeling of timelessness that makes you want to start from
front to back and then from front to back again.
This is an album that was recorded in
the late '50's. It seems to be of it's time but with all great jazz
when you say that it is “of it's time” it creates a longevity
that can only happen with jazz and blues. It is true that there are a
number of great rock, pop, and hip-hop albums that stand up with what
is considered the canon of American music. But, Jazz just seems to
hold up better. It is like wine. It doesn't seem to be trapped in a
vacuum of time that so many other pieces of music get stuck in.
It is not that well known of an album
and because of this it seems to have been lost in the shuffle.
Especially when it comes to the catalog of both Burrell, Coltrane and
a remarkable rhythm section. A rhythm section that were key factors
on a couple seminal albums mentioned above: “Giant Steps” and
“Kind of Blue.” It is a shame that this album happens to be
misplaced. By no means is this album revolutionary, but for what it
is: it is a great album.
This album is a collection of songs
that are original compositions of both Tommy Flanagan and Kenny
Burrell completed with two standards. There is a life inside each of
the songs. A life that is brought to a boil with the power of Paul
Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums. A rhythm section that
drives the music forward. It almost seems to drive it forward with
such force that it takes the light touch of Tommy Flanagan to hold
the ground underneath the feet of both Burrell and Coltrane with his
sparse rhythms and licks of the piano.
In these five songs each of the
musicians takes turns in showcasing there talents. Chambers bowed
bass solo in the opening track “Freight Trane.” Burrell's blues
inflected interpretation of the Hammerstein and Kern song “Why was
I Born?” Flanagan's opening solo on the final song “Big Paul,”
Jimmy Cobb holding and pushing the back beat. And John Coltrane,
holding himself closer to the earth than you expect to hear of him.
“The Kenny Burrell Quintet with John
Coltrane” isn't an album that is breaking down the doors at the
revolutionary sound that we would come to hear from these artists. It
is a fun romp through a smokey night in some after hours speakeasy
with excellent musicians Being just musicians. Playing tunes for the
fun of playing instead of taking their art to the next level. It is
the type of album that is great to listen to late at night or on a
stormy Sunday morning. It evokes the feel and love of music that each
of these guys have.
