Kenny Burrell: Future Freedoms

Unfortunately, Kenny Burrell isn’t today thought of as the most adventurous guitar player to ever record a side. Well, he’s not, but discounting his career because of his adherence to a bop flavored blues seems a bit ridiculous. Persisting through the new thing found the guitarist able to retain a following. And while there’re times when Burrell and fellow staid six stringer Wes Montgomery are thought of in less than glowing terms, each was able to swing harder than a huge number of the free jazz players from the era claiming to be pushing the medium forward.

And really, name any second tier free player? Can’t? That’s probably because their catalog’s fallen into disrepair and only lauded by Thurston Moore sycophants.

Either way, by 1963 Coltrane had already ushered in out-music. And the civil rights movement had already begun. Neither of those things were lost on jazz players. Perhaps for those very reasons Burrell decided to name his album from that year Freedom. It’s a curious title for the time seeing as there isn’t specificity regarding what the word refers to. Is it musical freedom – or at least deviation from the blustery noise then passing for jazz? Or does the album’s title not even refer to music, Burrell figuring the whole thing as a vague condemnation of American society and the restrictions it placed (and places) on folks that aren’t white males over the age of forty?

Whatever the answer, Freedom probably didn’t do too much to disabuse then current critics about Burrell playing it safe. “Loie’s” a flute flavored slow groove touching on blues, but working to incorporate the most vague island feeling possible. The track surely played well in dorm rooms where nascent hippies and leftover beats pontificated on the meaning of life, while actually trying to get some unsuspecting chick naked. Good track, regardless of its use, though.

Burrell wouldn’t ever hit soul jazz, but “K Twist” has something of a church feel and the supplemental percussion goes a long way towards making the composition almost dance floor ready. Surely, the date leader didn’t intend the track as some fence sitting number, but there’s even a hint of rock ‘n roll in the man’s solo – more aggressive than anything else on the album, and maybe his entire recorded output.

Freedom isn’t set to have a latter day renaissance, but it is a well composed effort, and one that’s less staid than Burrell’s generally given credit for.