Lotus Blossom is an album by the American musician Kenny Burrell, released in 1995.[2][3] Burrell supported the album by touring with the 1996 "Guitar Summit" package, with Jorma Kaukonen, Stanley Jordan, and Manuel Barrueco.[4]

Production

Recorded in May 1995, the album was produced by John Burk.[5][6] Burrell used bassist Ray Drummond on the duo tracks, and Drummond and drummer Yoron Israel on the trio tracks; six of the tracks were performed solo.[7][6] "Satin Doll" and "Warm Valley" are versions of the Duke Ellington compositions.[8] The title track was written by Billy Strayhorn.[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[11]
Los Angeles Times	[7]
MusicHound Jazz: The Essential Album Guide	[6]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD	[5]

The Sun-Sentinel wrote that "Burrell's elegant phrasing exudes warmth and lyricism."[2] The Los Angeles Times stated that "Burrell alternates rich harmonic statements with single string lines filled with arpeggiated phrasing spelling out the underlying chords."[7]

Newsday concluded that, "for Burrell, Ellington's music isn't a hallowed museum, but a palpable, living presence, capable of sustaining intimate, rewarding dialogue."[8] The Omaha World-Herald deemed the album "quiet, subtle music rendered in always creative fashion by a player who should be called Mr. Taste."[12]

AllMusic wrote that "although the tunes are superior, none of these versions are definitive and the mellow results rarely rise above the level of background music."[10] The Daily Breeze listed Lotus Blossom among the best mainstream jazz albums of 1995.[13]

Track listing

References