Pickin' Cotten

Reception

In his review for Allmusic, music critic Dave Nathan describes Breau's "transformation of Bill Evans' piano technique to the guitar." In reviewing the release for JazzTimes, critic Jim Ferguson wrote "This isn't a flawless recording: there's a modicum of tape hiss and fretboard/ string clicks in the background. Moreover, Breau stumbles at times, although his stumbles are frequently better than most players' best efforts, and Cotten's contributions are workmanlike, resulting in little interplay. That having been said, the sound is clear, with Breau's occasional grunts and groans attesting to the relaxed setting and receptive audience that no doubt contained many Nashville pickers looking for a guitar lesson... Lenny's playing, though, was never standard. Throughout, he conjures many of the stylistic trademarks that have made him a veritable legend among guitarists: unique extended chord voicings, rippling octave harmonics and virtuosic single-note lines."

Track listing

1. "On Green Dolphin Street" (Bronisław Kaper, Ned Washington) – 7:59
2. "I Love You" (Cole Porter) – 8:15
3. "Emily" (Johnny Mandel, Johnny Mercer) – 5:12
4. "Scapple from the Apple" (Charlie Parker) – 6:41
5. "Autumn Leaves" (Joseph Kosma, Johnny Mercer, Jacques Prévert) – 7:20
6. "La Funkallero" (Bill Evans) – 7:20
7. "Stella by Starlight" (Victor Young, Ned Washington) – 3:37
8. "Lenny Tuning His Guitar"/"The Two Lonely People"/"Nardis" (Evans) – 11:08
9. "Lenny and Richard Remembered" – 6:53

Personnel

Production notes: