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Album reviews Music

NIGEL KENNEDY QUINTET

Rating: NNN


Capturing the brimming excitement of stadium rock concerts isn’t terribly difficult. Put a camera on 60,000 people and the energy is palpable. But what about getting the vibe of a smoky Paris jazz club? As this document of British violinist Nigel Kennedy playing at the New Morning in April proves, the results can be mixed.

The club is atmospheric and probably storied, but it’s also quite intimate, which stymies camera movement. The sound quality, however, is aces, as Kennedy and crack squad of Krakow-based players move through a set of Duke Pearson joints, a Kenny Burrell composition and a few originals. And if you think Kennedy’s mohawk and rope belt are eccentric, check the bonus doc in which he explains why he celebrated his 50th birthday when he was 37. A bit of loon this Nigel Kennedy.

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