Guitar Sounds from Lenny Breau
| Guitar Sounds from Lenny Breau | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Lenny Breau | ||||
| Released | 1968 | |||
| Recorded | Nashville, TN | |||
| Genre | Jazz, post-Bop | |||
| Length | 47:44 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Lenny Breau chronology | ||||
| ||||
Guitar Sounds from Lenny Breau is an album by Canadian jazz guitarist Lenny Breau, first released in 1968.[1]
History
Breau had befriended Chet Atkins which resulted in Lenny's first two LP issues on RCA. Atkins and Breau also collaborated on Standard Brands in 1981. Breau was nearly ubiquitous around Atkins' office in Nashville both during and after these two RCA releases and also played clubs regularly.[2]
Atkins was instrumental in getting Lenny his first recording contract after hearing one of his (Lenny's) studio tapes. Atkins stated in an interview for Frets magazine: "Paul Yandell first brought Lenny to my attention around 1966. I immediately knew that here was one of the great players of this world. He had taken some of my fragmentary ideas, and gone on and on into musical areas I had never dreamed of."[3]
A wide range of styles are found on this release, from bluegrass to pop and jazz standards to Hank Williams and The Beatles.
The songs were recorded during two sessions under the supervision of Atkins. A technical difficulty delayed the release of the album until late winter. Breau was reportedly displeased with the track selection and sequencing, preferring the more straight ahead jazz tunes the trio had recorded versus the pop-flavored material Atkins chose to include.[4]
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [5] |
| Rolling Stone | (positive)[6] |
Rolling Stone reviewer John Burke called Breau's playing "tender" and "understated" and stated in his review: "... part of the fascination in hearing an imaginative player like Breau lies in how he reinterprets each song so that you hear it as if for the first time... Within the pop/country, rock/jazz frame he has set for himself, you feel Breau extend himself to the fullest. A handsome first effort."[4] Music critic Thom Jurek of Allmusic called it "an impressive debut as any you're likely to find because of Breau's startling originality on the instrument."[5]
Reissues
- Guitar Sounds was reissued on CD in 2005 by Wounded Bird Records. The re-issue includes one bonus track, "Call Me".
Track listing
- "King of the Road" (Roger Miller) – 2:29
- "Taranta" (Lenny Breau) – 6:51
- "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" (Bob Dylan) – 4:31
- "A Hard Day's Night" (Lennon–McCartney) – 4:12
- "Georgia on My Mind" (Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell) – 5:21
- "Monday, Monday" (John Philips) – 2:30
- "My Funny Valentine" (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) – 4:53
- "Freight Train" (Elizabeth Cotten) – 3:31
- "Cold, Cold Heart" (Hank Williams) – 4:44
- "Music to Watch Girls By" (Sid Ramin, Tony Velona) – 4:29
- "Call Me" (Tony Hatch) – 4:13
Personnel
- Lenny Breau–guitar
- Reg Kelln – drums
- Ronnie Halldorson – bass
References
- ↑ Lenny Breau Remembered by Jim Ferguson.
- ↑ McClelland, John & Bratic, Deyan. (2004) "Chet Atkins in Three Dimensions". Pacific, MO, Mel Bay Publications. ISBN 0-7866-5877-0
- ↑ Atkins, Chet. "The Genius of Lenny Breau". Frets Magazine. July 1986.
- 1 2 Forbes-Robert, Ron. (2006). "One Long Tune: the life and music of Lenny Breau". Denton, TX. University of North Texas Press. ISBN 1-57441-210-8.
- 1 2 Jurek, Thom. "Guitar Sounds from Lenny Breau > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
- ↑ Burks, John (5 April 1969). "Records". Rolling Stone. San Francisco: Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc.
External links
- The Genius of Lenny Breau (PDF document) Retrieved July 3, 2009.