Bobby Broom for Black History Month: Happy Black History Month! In keeping with the season, I thought Id ponder this farfetched idea, hoping that the months spirit might yield something a bit more tangible and positive for a few of us (albeit small), rather than the same ole rigmarole. In 1986 I was honored to be asked by jazz master, jazz guitar legend and former Blue Note artist, Kenny Burrell, to be a part of his Jazz Guitar Band—a group fronted by three African American, New York City based, jazz guitarists with rhythm section. Our performances were recorded during 2 nights at the Village Vanguard and were released on two recordings by Blue Note Records, first on LP in 1987 & 88, and later on CD. The rest of the group consisted of Rodney Jones (the 3rd guitarist), Kenny Washington on drums and the late Dave Jackson on bass. Im concerned that these recordings are no longer available, even in this age of digital media where it costs next to nothing to make them so in digital music stores and portals such as iTunes, eMusic, Pandora, Spotify and the like. This year, I would love to end my wondering about the absence of these records—and about why this is so. Furthermore, I believe these recordings, conceived and orchestrated by Mr. Burrell—one of the first century leaders in the field—to be an appropriate and valuable archival addition to the legacy of the African American jazz guitar tradition, a subset under which, I feel, we are grossly under-represented today. It would be so appreciated by me, and others I believe, to see these records made available again.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Feb 2014 01:26:14 +0000
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