An unorthodox fusion of jazz and church music, Love Is the Answer is the last thing jazz fans expected from Kenny Burrell in the late 1990s. This ambitious project unites the guitarist and fellow jazzmen James Williams (piano, keyboards), Ray Drummond (acoustic bass) and Ben Riley (drums) with the Boys Choir Of Harlem, whose calming, reflective vocals draw on both African-American gospel and European church music. Burrell isn't known for writing lyrics, but in fact, he wrote all of the spiritual, inspirational lyrics that the Choir sings. This is far from a typical hard bop album, and yet, Burrell's guitar solos (both acoustic and electric) are definitely jazz solos. Not surprisingly, Love Is the Answer was too ambitious for some labels, which wondered how they would market such a release and opted to pass. But thankfully, Concord was willing to take a chance on this moving, thoughtful music. - by Alex Henderson, AMG
Artist: Kenny Burrell
Album: Love Is the Answer
Year: 1998
Label: Concord Jazz
Total time: 57:17
Tracks:
1. Listen th the Dawn 5:38
2. Be Yourself 3:26
3. Prelude 1:36
4. The Eternal Search 1:56
5. We Must Solve Our Problem 3:03
6. The Only Answer 3:42
7. Love is the Answer(Part I) 3:12
8. We Win 2:19
9. Love is the Answer(Part II) 2:00
10. We Win(Reprise) 2:11
11. Love is the Answer(Part I Reprise) 2:35
12. What Happens if Nobody Wins 2:11
13. How Do You Know 2:52
14. It Will Work 0:33
15. It Will Work(Development) 2:16
16. Can We Believe It Will Work? 0:37
17. We Must All Work Together 1:47
18. Try Each Day 3:20
19. Loving Is Natural High 2:52
20. We Must Find Way 5:50
21. I'm Gonna Do 3:13
All selection composed by Kenny Burrell
Personnel:
Kenny Burrell (Acoustic and Electric Guitar)
Ray Drummond (Double Bass)
James Williams (Piano and Synthesizer)
Ben Riley (Drums)
Greg Ryan (Bass Guitar) - 9
The Boys Choir of Harlem (Choir)