1963 · Album
Blue Bash!
Recorded 1963 · Verve · Produced by not specified in verified sources
Two Masters, One Afternoon, Pure Swing
Burrell and Smith lock in immediately, trading licks with the ease of musicians who speak the same language.
Blue Bash! caught Kenny Burrell and Jimmy Smith at a moment when both were in their stride. Recorded in 1963, this session pairs the guitarist's clean, articulate single-note lines with Smith's deep, rolling organ sound — the kind of pairing that works because neither musician gets in the way of the other. Burrell doesn't overplay, and Smith leaves space for the guitar to breathe. The result is straightforward hard bop that doesn't announce itself as important; it just swings.
What you're hearing is two craftsmen doing what they'd learned to do well by that point in their careers. This isn't a debut or a reinvention. It's the sound of musicians who know their instrument, know their idiom, and know how to make a good record without fussing. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings gave it 3.5 out of 4 stars, which lands it squarely in the solid-to-very-good range — the kind of album that doesn't demand your complete attention but rewards it if you give it. It's the sort of session that justifies itself by existing: good playing, good sound, nothing wasted.
If you're coming to this album fresh, it's a reasonable place to spend an hour with either musician, but it's not the essential entry point to either one's catalog. It works best as a side encounter — a reminder that sometimes the best jazz records are the ones where everybody showed up ready to play and then went home. No statement. No statement needed.
Who's playing
Milt Hintondouble bass
George Duvivierdouble bass
Kenny Burrellguitar
Jimmy Smithorgan
Mel Lewisdrums
Bill Englishdrums
Where next?
More by Kenny Burrell
Introducing Kenny Burrell 1956
Midnight Blue 1963
Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane 1963
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Jazzmen: Detroit 1956
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
