Recording history and tape provenance
Burrell wrote most of the material, including "Chitlins Con Carne," the title track, "Saturday Night Blues" and the unaccompanied "Soul Lament."
Stevie Ray Vaughan covered "Chitlins Con Carne" on The Sky Is Crying as a tribute to Burrell. Elvis Costello's Almost Blue borrows this album's cover concept. Hugh Romney, later Woodstock's stage announcer, took the name Wavy Gravy from Burrell's tune of that title here.
Van Gelder's stereo mix is hard-panned by modern standards. A commenter on LondonJazzCollector defends it as exactly right for the era's engineering intentions.
Identifying a first pressing
A first-pressing mono BLP 4123 has deep groove rings on both label sides and a "NEW YORK USA" address. The dead wax carries the Plastylite "ear" and a Van Gelder stamp.
One detail is specific to this catalogue number. The number in the dead wax is stamped rather than hand-etched, unlike some other Blue Note titles of the period.
A first-pressing stereo BST 84123 differs in two ways. Deep groove appears on the A-side label only. The catalogue number is rendered three ways across the packaging. It reads BST 84123 on the labels, 84123 on the front and spine, and ST-84123 on the back.
Why 45rpm does not win here
Analogue Productions issued a 2×45rpm edition in 2008, catalogue AP-84123. Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman cut it at AcousTech, and it was pressed on 200g at Quality Record Pressings. It was reviewed on release as close to definitive.
Music Matters later issued a 33⅓ edition, also cut by Gray at his newer Cohearent facility. Its tape playback electronics and cabling were upgraded after the AcousTech session.
AnalogPlanet compared the two directly and found the newer 33⅓ cut more vibrant, faster and more three-dimensional. The review attributes that to the equipment upgrades rather than to the playback speed.
45 RPM Audiophile ranks the three modern reissues in the same direction. Music Matters comes first, the Analogue Productions 45rpm second and the Classic Vinyl Edition third. The reviewer also reports Gray confirming in an interview that his later setup sounds better than his earlier work.
The Skeptical Audiophile reaches a similar place from a different direction. Comparing a well-preserved original stereo pressing against the 45rpm reissue, the dealer found the original better, calling the reissue technically right but missing something.
Three accounts from different starting points agree that 45rpm alone does not produce the best copy of this title.
Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition
The Classic Vinyl Edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original tapes and pressed at Optimal in Germany. It continues the label's 2019 "Blue Note 80" series, alongside the more elaborate Tone Poet line, which has not covered this title.
Vinyl Rules OK compared it directly against the Analogue Productions 45rpm and found the two close enough to call splitting hairs. Both were dead quiet and well pressed.
The differences he describes are small. The Classic Vinyl leans slightly brighter, with cymbal taps and drum detail a touch more distinct. The 45rpm is warmer, with more body to Burrell's guitar and Turrentine's saxophone.
His conclusion is that the higher price does not buy a better record, only a different character.
Other modern editions
Classic Records issued a mono edition on 200g, catalogue BN 4123-MONO-200GR. Given how hard-panned the stereo mix is, a mono cut is a different listening experience rather than a lesser one.
A 2024 blue vinyl pressing in Blue Note's 85th-anniversary series has drawn mixed reports. One comparison against a 1985 French DMM pressing and a 1967 Liberty-labels mono reissue called it serviceable without surpassing either. One buyer also reported a noisy sealed copy.
Owners of several Analogue Productions titles from the 2008 era report off-centre spindle holes causing visible wobble. Reviewers differ on whether it is audible.
Buyer's guide by budget
$$$: The Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition, close to the 45rpm reissue in a direct comparison at a fraction of the price.
$$$$: A clean BLP 4123 mono or BST 84123 stereo original, with the pressing details verified.
$$$$$: The Music Matters 33⅓ edition or the Analogue Productions 45rpm, with the comparisons favouring the 33⅓.
Pressing tier summary
| Tier ⇅ | Pressing | Cat# | Year ⇅ | Format | Source / Mastering | Notes | Market ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | Music Matters | – | – | Stereo, 33⅓, 180g | Kevin Gray, Cohearent Mastering | Rated ahead of the AP 45rpm in two comparisons, on mastering-chain upgrades | – |
| S | Analogue Productions 45rpm | AP-84123 | 2008 | Stereo, 45rpm, 2×200g | Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman, AcousTech. Pressed at QRP | Some copies reported with off-centre spindle holes | $255VG+ $334NM $373M |
| A | Blue Note original, mono | BLP 4123 | 1963 | Mono, 33⅓ | Rudy Van Gelder. Pressed by Plastylite | Deep groove both sides. Catalogue number stamped, not etched | $985VG+ $1,288NM $1,440M |
| A | Blue Note original, stereo | BST 84123 | 1963 | Stereo, 33⅓ | Rudy Van Gelder. Pressed by Plastylite | Deep groove on the A-side label only | $329VG+ $430NM $481M |
| A | Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition | BST 84123 | – | Stereo, 33⅓, 180g | Kevin Gray, all-analog. Pressed at Optimal | Splitting hairs against the AP 45rpm in a direct comparison | – |
| B | Classic Records mono | BN 4123-MONO-200GR | – | Mono, 33⅓, 200g | Classic Records lacquer | A different listening experience from the hard-panned stereo | – |
| C | Blue Note 85th Anniversary, blue vinyl | – | 2024 | Stereo, 33⅓ | Not credited | Serviceable but not better than vintage copies in one comparison. One noisy copy reported | – |
References
- Wikipedia, "Midnight Blue (Kenny Burrell album)": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_Blue_(Kenny_Burrell_album)
- LondonJazzCollector, "Kenny Burrell: Midnight Blue (1963) Blue Note": https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/2013/12/02/kenny-burrell-midnight-blue-1963-blue-note/
- AnalogPlanet, "Kenny Burrell's Classic Midnight Blue At 33 1/3 From Music Matters": https://www.analogplanet.com/content/kenny-burrells-classic-midnight-blue%C2%A0%C2%A0-33-13-music-matters
- The Skeptical Audiophile / On The Record, "Kenny Burrell – Midnight Blue (2024)": https://ontherecord.co/2025/08/04/kenny-burrell-midnight-blue-2024/
- 45 RPM Audiophile, "Shootout: Grant Green, Idle Moments + Kenny Burrell, Midnight Blue": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKnJ2Ci3fXM
- Vinyl Rules OK, "Kenny Burrell's 'Midnight Blue' – Blue Note Classic v Analogue Productions vinyl shootout": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdZSdXJTBGM