Jazz Reviews : Guitarist Kenny Burrell Typically Fine at Biltmore

One of the great pleasures of hearing a performer like Kenny Burrell is the opportunity to experience a few moments with the persistent vitality of contemporary jazz history.

In his opening set at the Biltmore Hotel’s Grand Ave. Bar on Tuesday night, Burrell made the most of a brief but effective four-tune program, adroitly demonstrating the skills that have made him a poll-winning, world-class guitarist.

Still smarting from the freeway frantics when he dashed on stage, Burrell needed a few moments to get his musical energies properly focused. By the time he dug into Duke Pearson’s “Jeannine,” the fingers and the strings were in full-fledged harmony. He played a typically hard-driving, melodically articulate improvisation.

“My One and Only Love” was even better. Burrell has always been a stunning performer of ballads, and his first chorus was a lovely example of how to juxtapose rich chording against a sweeping lead line. Pianist Llew Matthews, dependable for the entire set, matched Burrell’s creative voltage.

The final piece, “Love For Sale,” was taken at the kind of rapid clip that separates casual players from serious ones. With Sherman Ferguson’s drums and Richard Reid’s bass laying down an irresistible forward momentum, Burrell took off on his finest solo of the evening, soaring over the chord changes with the effortless grace of a butterfly on the crest of a spring zephyr.

The program was short, but sweet, with Burrell providing enduring testimony to the life and creativity that persists in classic modern jazz.