1975 · Album
Ellington Is Forever
Recorded 1975 · Fantasy Records · Format: Originally released as double album; reissued on CD in 1993 as Ellington Is Forever Volume 1
Kenny Burrell Interprets the Duke's Compositions
Burrell brings his own voice to Ellington's music without trying to sound like someone else.
Kenny Burrell tackling Duke Ellington's catalog makes immediate sense—both men understood the guitar as a voice in a larger conversation, not just a rhythm instrument. On Ellington Is Forever (1975), Burrell runs through compositions associated with Ellington across two records, and what he does here is straightforward: he plays them straight, lets them breathe, and doesn't oversell the material. There's no attempt to "update" Ellington or prove anything. Burrell just arranges these pieces for guitar and supportive musicians, then plays them with the kind of unfussy competence that lets the compositions speak.
The album sits solidly in Burrell's discography as a respectable deep cut rather than a turning point. He was already an established player by this point—plenty of successful albums behind him—and this feels like a project he wanted to do rather than something he had to prove. You get the sense Burrell respects Ellington's work enough not to clutter it. The guitar work is clean and centered, which works against some of the melodic clutter that can bog down other interpretations of these pieces. If you want to hear Burrell in his element, playing standards-adjacent material with clarity and control, this delivers exactly that.
If you're new to Burrell, this isn't the essential entry point—start with his earlier work from the 1950s if you want to hear him at his most inventive. But if you already know his playing and you like Ellington, or if you're curious about how a serious jazz guitarist approaches a composer's entire body of work, the double album format gives you enough material to sink into. It's the kind of record that grows on you through repeated listening, mainly because nothing about it insists on your attention, which paradoxically makes it rewarding when you actually pay attention.
Who's playing
Stanley Gilbertbass
Kenny Burrellguitar
Jerome Richardsonsaxophone
Jon Faddistrumpet
Snooky Youngtrumpet
Jimmie Smithdrums
Richie Goldbergpercussion
Mel Lewispercussion
Thad Jonesbrass
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
