Kenny Burrell - On View At The Five Spot Cafe (Complete?)

[RiRiIII]

25 minutes ago, Dan Gould said:

Thank you for this ... my copy of the new release is due for delivery today, unheard Tina Brooks will be nice.

This is now two BN artist recordings of what I think was Junior Parker's biggest hit, "Next Time You See Me" - a part of me really wishes Tina was on that one.

You are welcome. Which is the other BN recording of it? I love this tune. It was also covered my Bloomfield at his Columbia LP.

Burrell plays as expected. I am listening to it right now.... the piano is so much out of tune...not just slightly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[felser]

1 hour ago, RiRiIII said:

You are welcome. Which is the other BN recording of it? I love this tune.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mjzee]

3 hours ago, RiRiIII said:

Just for the history:

a. The 1987 CD release info from Discogs]:

Some timings differ at various CD releases. Verified by Spotify.

1. Birk's Works 9:15/9:48 [5tet with Tina Brooks and Bobby Timmons]
2. Lady Be Good 8:15/right one=9:59 [5tet with Tina Brooks and Bobby Timmons]
3. Lover Man 9:48/right one=8:23 [5tet with Tina Brooks and Bobby Timmons]
*4. Swingin' 9:48/9:52 [5tet with Tina Brooks and Bobby Timmons]

5. Hallelujah 11:43 [4tet with Roland Hanna]
*6. Beef Stew Blues 4:32/4:35 [4tet with Roland Hanna]
*7. If You Could See Me Now 5:25/5:29 [4tet with Roland Hanna]
8. 36-23-36 3:35/3:49 [4tet with Roland Hanna]

Tracks 4, 6, and 7 do not appear on the original LP configuration. They were previously only released on Blue Note in Japan in the mid seventies.

b. The 2025 "complete" release (= 6 newly released tracks = 2 with Hanna + 4 with Brooks/Timmons) - (info from Discogs and Spotify):

In regard to the timings: at first I was surprised by the Hallelujah reduced length (8:19 in 2025) but this is a printing error as confirmed by Spotify. For some reason, just this track's length is missing from most of the early CD releases). Also at Spotify the durations are differ from the printed ones on the 2025 sleeves I checked at Discogs. 

CD1:
LP ORIGINAL 1-1 Birks' Works 9:43/9:47 [Spotify] [5tet with Tina Brooks and Bobby Timmons] [9:12 music]
LP ORIGINAL 1-2 Hallelujah 8:19/11:44 [Spotify] [4tet with Roland Hanna] [!! 11:34 music !!]
LP ORIGINAL 1-3 Lady Be Good 9:58 [5tet with Tina Brooks and Bobby Timmons] [9:51 music]
LP ORIGINAL 1-4 Lover Man 8:20/8:21 [Spotify] [5tet with Tina Brooks and Bobby Timmons] [8: 16 music]
LP ORIGINAL1-5 36-23-36 3:35/3:44 [Spotify] [4tet with Roland Hanna] [3:36 music]
ALSO ON '87 CD1-6 Swingin' 9:03/9:51 [Spotify] [5tet with Tina Brooks and Bobby Timmons] [9:29 music]
ALSO ON '87 CD 1-7 If You Could See Me Now 5:25/5:30 [Spotify] [4tet with Roland Hanna] [5:22 music]
ALSO ON '87 CD 1-8 Beef Stew Blues 4:32/4:36 [Spotify] [4tet with Roland Hanna] [4:30 music]

CD2:
NEW 2025 COMPLETE 2-1 The Next Time You See Me, Things Won't Be The Same 7:30/7:25 [Spotify] [4tet with Roland Hanna] [7:24 music]
NEW 2025 COMPLETE 2-2 The Take Off 5:30/5:39 [Spotify] [4tet with Roland Hanna] [5:32 music]
NEW 2025 COMPLETE 2-3 Birks' Works 9:39/9:40 [Spotify] (Alternate Take) [5tet with Tina Brooks and Bobby Timmons] [9:33 music]
NEW 2025 COMPLETE 2-4 Lady Be Good 9:55/9:57 [Spotify] (Alternate Take) [5tet with Tina Brooks and Bobby Timmons] [9:51 music]
NEW 2025 COMPLETE 2-5 Love Walked In 5:45/5:51 [Spotify] [5tet with Tina Brooks and Bobby Timmons] [5:45 music]
NEW 2025 COMPLETE 2-6 36-23-36 / The Theme 12:27/12:42[Spotify] [5tet with Tina Brooks and Bobby Timmons] [12.33 music]

 

 

 

 

Yes, thanks for this - very useful.

[mjzee]

I'm looking now at Cuscuna & Ruppli's BN discography.  There were 5 sets that evening.  Sets 1, 3 & 4 were the Hanna/Tucker/Blakey group; sets 2 & 5 were the Brooks/Timmons/Tucker/Blakey group.

Set 1: Tricotism (rejected); Next Time You See Me (unissued - this could be on the new CD2, or it could be the one from set 4); If You Could See Me Now (CD1), Hallelujah (rejected), Beef Stew Blues (rejected), The Take Off/36-23-36 (rejected)

Set 2: Love Walked In (rejected, but could be on the new CD2 - the take on set 5 was also rejected), Swingin' (CD 1), Lover Man (rejected), Birks' Works (CD1), Lady Be Good (CD1), Next Time You See Me (rejected)

Set 3: If You Could See Me Now (rejected), Beef Stew Blues (CD1), Hallelujah (CD1), The Take Off (unissued - CD2)

Set 4: Our Delight (unissued), Next Time You See Me (unissued - see note to set 1), 36-23-36 (CD1)

Set 5: Love Walked In (rejected - see note to set 2), Swingin' (rejected), Lover Man (CD1), Birks' Works (rejected, but on CD2), Lady Be Good (rejected, but on CD2), 36-23-36/Theme (rejected, but on CD2).

[Dan Gould]

11 minutes ago, mjzee said:

I'm looking now at Cuscuna & Ruppli's BN discography.  There were 5 sets that evening.  Sets 1, 3 & 4 were the Hanna/Tucker/Blakey group; sets 2 & 5 were the Brooks/Timmons/Tucker/Blakey group.

Set 1: Tricotism (rejected); Next Time You See Me (unissued - this could be on the new CD2, or it could be the one from set 4); If You Could See Me Now (CD1), Hallelujah (rejected), Beef Stew Blues (rejected), The Take Off/36-23-36 (rejected)

Set 2: Love Walked In (rejected, but could be on the new CD2 - the take on set 5 was also rejected), Swingin' (CD 1), Lover Man (rejected), Birks' Works (CD1), Lady Be Good (CD1), Next Time You See Me (rejected)

Set 3: If You Could See Me Now (rejected), Beef Stew Blues (CD1), Hallelujah (CD1), The Take Off (unissued - CD2)

Set 4: Our Delight (unissued), Next Time You See Me (unissued - see note to set 1), 36-23-36 (CD1)

Set 5: Love Walked In (rejected - see note to set 2), Swingin' (rejected), Lover Man (CD1), Birks' Works (rejected, but on CD2), Lady Be Good (rejected, but on CD2), 36-23-36/Theme (rejected, but on CD2).

Clearly, like Just Coolin' Don Was has different conceptions of what "rejected" should mean. Not that I am really complaining, its just interesting when I think of how Michael handled the first CD reissue vs this "Complete Masters". 

[JSngry]

Michael was  Don is.

[RiRiIII]

1 hour ago, felser said:

 

Thank you.

[mikeweil]

Got my copy today. To me, this is not one of Burrell's greatest albums. The group is not really together, because it was not a regular band. Blakey play like he always does, nothing special, and Timmons' has his problems with the piano at the Five Spot, heavy action and out of tune. Sound on the new reissue is better, but I would have preferred all tracks with the same pianist on one disc.

I find this is his best live album:

The three tracks Cuscuna chose for the 1987 CD reissue had been on a Japanese LP, btw, with more leftovers from earlier Blue Note sessions:

https://www.discogs.com/master/725811-Kenny-Burrell-Swingin

Edited 5 hours ago by mikeweil

[Dan Gould]

Just received the CD and truly a WTF moment when I turned it over.

No writing credits, no track times, courtesy of Don How Was it done before? Who cares!

That's f-ing bullshit.

Edited 4 hours ago by Dan Gould

[JSngry]

What about in the booklet?

[Dan Gould]

6 minutes ago, JSngry said:

What about in the booklet?

The last page has it.  I am just surprised that they would not follow the template of, I don't know, every single other CD reissue in 40 years?

[JSngry]

Fwiw. the old LPs would do it like that some times. Don't know that there was any logic to it.

[felser]

2 hours ago, JSngry said:

Fwiw. the old LPs would do it like that some times. Don't know that there was any logic to it.

That was the case with the original LP issue of this one:

https://www.discogs.com/master/331502-Kenny-Burrell-With-Art-Blakey-On-View-At-The-Five-Spot-Cafe/image/SW1hZ2U6NjI4MzM3NQ==

[david weiss]

7 hours ago, Dan Gould said:

Clearly, like Just Coolin' Don Was has different conceptions of what "rejected" should mean. Not that I am really complaining, its just interesting when I think of how Michael handled the first CD reissue vs this "Complete Masters". 

I guess Don Was is the boss so the buck stops with him but the actual work on the two releases you mentioned was done by others. Zev Feldman pushed for Just Coolin'. I was given the music to vet and I gave it a 7 and when pushed, I said OK, 7.5. When I told Michael I had listened to it and it wasn't that bad, he replied "aw, you're just a fucking trumpet player" meaning he knew Lee was excellent on this music but he found it was lacking in other places (as did I). From what I remember, there was some more vetting and decision making involved but Don gave it the green light in the end and felt vindicated by the response to the release. I assume Don gave the go ahead on the Burrell as well but this time it was Joe Harley, who I don't know at all, who did the work. I will say that I find none of these guys have the skills and diligence to do this on the level Michael did it in every aspect of getting something like this out. Some things are certainly falling by the wayside as time goes on especially the discography stuff and perhaps the standards of the music. The Live at the Five Spot was never a favorite of mine and with that really out of tune piano, it's kind of surprising that Blue Note released this at all but I wouldn't think this would be a ripe source for newly discovered material. I suspect Michael probably got it right when he released this on CD. I heard the same tapes that Joe Harley did for this release and nothing jumped out at me as something that really needed to be heard. 

The other thing I'm wary of is all these pronouncements that say my good friend or my dear friend Michael Cuscuna as this might justify their work. Frankly, it makes me cringe a little....

8 hours ago, JSngry said:

Michael was  Don is.

In these terms, as far as pecking order or position, Don = Bruce Lundvall and Michael = Joe Harley or Zev.

[JSngry]

But I am the walrus...

Turn Zev loose on this one, please!!!

[felser]

Understood on David's comments, and agreed.  We didn't learn anything new from Just Coolin' (it was OK, but really just product), and I can 't imagine we will from the extra cuts here.  Thankfully, in some cases, like the Elvin and the Tyner/Henderson, we do learn something new by hearing them.  There's other stuff in (and out of) the BN vaults I'd rather see released.  Give me Burrell's mysterious 'Freedom' album, which I've never heard.  Give me some of the infamous rejected albums, like the Wayne and the Train Wreck.  I'll pay to hear them no matter how flawed they are.  Give me some of the overlooked 70's albums that have rarely or never seen CD release, like the New Heritage Keyboard Quartet.  Give me more along the lines of the Donald Byrd Black Byrd-era Montreux set, which was eye-opening.