Chitlins Con Carne (1963)

Kenny Burrell, Rudy Van Gelder Studio, January 8, 1963

Photo by Francis Wolff

Last night, master guitarist Kenny Burrell treated me and the remainder of the packed house in attendance at Yoshi's, Oakland, to an encore performance of his classic blues line "Chitlins Con Carne." It was an inventive, heartfelt, blues-laden performance that is still ringing in my soul this morning. And although it may well be his most well-known composition (thanks, not in the least, to Stevie Ray Vaughan's 1991 cover version), this was the first time I had seen Kenny perform in the in the half-a-dozen or so times that I have seen him play live.

The tune was originally recorded on January 8, 1963 in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey at Rudy Van Gelder's mecca of modern recording studio. The single session yielded no less than 9 titles, 1 LP (Midnight Blue), and 2 singles. Fairly productive by anyone's standards. Drummer, Bill English, and bassist, Major Holley, were members of Kenny's regular combo at the time. Conguero, Ray Barretto, recorded regularly with Burrell around this time - but to the best of my knowledge, did not perform with him in night clubs. Tenor sax man, Stanley Turrentine, was of course a very active member of the Blue Note stable at the time of the recording and had recorded alongside Burrell several times in the years surrounding the session (my long time Jimmy Smith favorite Back At The Chicken Shack being just one notable example).

Like most of the titles recorded that day/night, "Chitlins Con Carne" was penned by Burrell and is an exercise in how to really play the blues. It's funky rhythm doesn't quite adhere to any particular Latin pattern, but between the clave-feel and the congas, it is achieves a really unique effect. Both Burrell and Turrentine are at their smoky, late-night best. Kenny's tone is unmistakeable even though this was well into the period when he was experimenting with a wide array of guitars (backing up the statement that it is truly all in the fingers). On this particular session he was playing what appears to be a Gibson L-5 and very likely played through a Fender Deluxe that Van Gelder reportedly kept on hand at the studio.

Dig it.

Man About Town

Man, as in mankind, of course.  Here are just a couple items of interest for SF-Bay Area folk this weekend:

Legendary jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell is over at Yoshi's in San Francisco, Thursday through Sunday.  Kenny's career spans nearly the entire second half of the 20th Century and he is still one of the most vital and energetic performers of this music out there.  I am headed to the first set Thursday night and will post a review.

Also, this is the last weekend to catch the Oakland Museum of California's EXCELLENT

Birth of the Cool: California Art, Design, and Culture at Midcentury exhibit.  If you are a fan of modern design, art, or music a visit to this show is a must.  It is really well done.  The museum deserves your patronage.  The Karl Benjamin paintings alone are worth the price of admission.