Guitarist Kenny Burrell had already achieved rising star status with several stellar Blue Note albums to his name when he entered the storied NYC jazz club The Five Spot Café on August 25, 1959 to record On View At The Five Spot Café. The band Burrell assembled for the gig was stacked with top talent: Art Blakey on drums, Tina Brooks on tenor saxophone, Roland Hanna and Bobby Timmons on piano, and Ben Tucker on bass. The mood was relaxed and soulful, but the music was red hot and the grooves were deep on that steamy summer evening of hard bop bliss.
The newly expanded 3-LP Tone Poet Vinyl Edition of On View At The Five Spot Café: The Complete Masters gives the listener the best seat in the house and marks the first time Burrell’s complete recorded performances from that magical evening have been made available in any format including 6 previously unissued tracks. Produced for release by Joe Harley, the vinyl is all-analog and cut directly from Rudy Van Gelder’s original master tapes by Kevin Gray. Pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, the three LPs come packaged in a deluxe tip-on trifold jacket which includes a booklet with never-before-seen photos by Francis Wolff; an insightful essay by Syd Schwartz; and a new interview with Burrell himself reflecting on the album and the times with Blue Note President Don Was. Also available in a 2-CD set and digital formats.