Kenny Burrell: Guitar Forms (LP)

Kenny Burrell's album "Guitar Forms", which was nominated for three Grammys in 1965, is considered one of the true masterpieces in the Verve catalog. This is partly due to the outstanding performance of the guitarist himself, of course, but also to the arrangements that Gil Evans wrote for five of the album's nine tracks. According to AllMusic, these were in no way inferior to the brilliant arrangements Evans had made for Miles Davis classics such as "Birth Of The Cool", "Porgy And Bess" and "Sketches Of Spain". It is the sad fate of arrangers in jazz that their work - especially for large ensembles - is necessary, but they have to work in the conflict between the composer's exact notation and the soloists' desired free improvisation. Their work was often not heard by the fans, criticized by the musicians and poorly paid or not paid at all by the record companies. It is therefore impossible to overestimate the outstanding instrumentations for a wide variety of formations that Gil Evans has delivered and left behind in the course of his career. "Guitar Forms" with Kenny Burrell as the main soloist is a recommendation for lovers of quiet tones, polished tone settings and also for friends of Latin jazz. It is simply brilliant how, for example, the drums and low horn parts are juxtaposed in "Lotus Land", how it swings throughout the entire title, how the Spanish flair is created. This title and "Greensleeves" are the best tracks on this LP. The parade of class studio musicians involved in these recordings is impressive. Steve Lacy, Lee Konitz, Richie Kamuca and Jimmy Knepper don't take to the microphone as soloists, but they deliver a relaxed tapestry of sound. Only Kenny Burrell is allowed to make his mark - even on three tracks in a small formation. The rather moderate sales success of the LP after its release in 1965 was probably more due to the orientation of the jazz audience towards free jazz. In retrospect, however, "Guitar Forms" deserves the same status as Gil Evans' collaborations with Miles Davis!