One of the music's secret weapons, a player with savvy and soul whose name is passed around the in crowd like a precious gift... this disc is a guitar-player's dream, one that has been a long time coming and won't soon be forgotten.

one of the unheralded architects of the Bluff City's modern music legacy... for those who can hear -- and feel -- the triumph of the human spirit in a joyously probing solo, a springtime-fresh melody line, or hip and insinuating rhythmic swing, this collection of "new born" music will sound like nothing less than the dawning of a new day.

Newborn washes many of his compositions in different shades of the blues. When he goes beyond that, he dwells on the harmonies of jazz, lets funk waft across, and adds that unique air called the Memphis Sound... a blend that beckons without reservation.

A mercurial wizard on his instrument...

Dripping smoky, late-night soul, it will soothe your broken heart while making your head nod approvingly to the groove.

A beautiful album of jazz and blues instrumentals...

[Newborn] has an absolutely beautiful sense of pacing and understatement...

Achingly beautiful... if you buy one Jazz recording this year, make it this one!

Grounded in Beale Street blues, Charlie Christian-style chording and a lifetime of working with greats...

Holds up nicely against the classic Riverside recordings of Wes Montgomery and Grant Green's heralded Blue Note recordings... "New Born" is a 4-star smash.

More fluid blues and blues-informed jazz guitar would be hard to imagine. Straight out of Memphis.

The often overlooked brother of Phineas Newborn, guitarist Calvin Newborn has almost as much command of his instrument as his pianist sibling. He's an excellent melodic interpreter, plays with great fluidity and blues sensibility, and can smoothly execute complex chord progressions or subtly accompany vocalists.

This is the kind of stuff that makes me just close my eyes and mutter “Nice.” As an author, composer, educator and musician, Calvin Newborn is somewhat of a renaissance man and like the mighty Mississippi that runs through his native Memphis, long may his creative juices flow.

The Newborn family provided a whole chapter of this city's music that's gotten left out of the history books...

A prime example of how funky and blues-minded hard bop can be...

Calvin Newborn, now in his 70s, still bops with breezy, quicksilver phrasing...

Taking everything he knows from jazz and blues and distilling it into a summary of his life, the beauty of this album is that he often blurs the line between the two forms and creates something greater than the sum of its parts.

A marvelous return to the recording world by a guitarist whose reputation is far less than the quality of his music...

His concept of tone resonates as clearly and as lyrically as if he were singing... Few instrumental albums can boast such a claim.

A beautiful panorama that contains the stuff dreams are made of...

A smooth-tasting blend of straight jazz and real blues...

Whether doing sizzling hot or icy cool pieces, smartly embellishing the melody or delivering another superb solo, Newborn repeatedly demonstrates on New Born that he's a premier guitar master...

It would be hard to describe Newborn's playing without mentioning Wes Montgomery or Miles Davis... He is able to blend the southern tradition of soulful blues lyricism with cool jazz influenced rhythms and melodies.

His lines seem to salve the sting of the blues with generous dollops of honey. He meditates on the blues, unhurried.

Newborn's tasteful licks propel melodic compositions into realms of fuzzy, irresistible jazz goodness...

His latest CD captures his bluesy lyricism, clean attack and judicious note-bending... the duet on "Lush Life" is haunting.

Tasty licks in the traditions of T-Bone Walker and Charlie Christian make this a delightful contrast to the flashier guitar heroes of today...

The music on this album feels at some points like you should be listening while watching from a velvet-seated auditorium—and at other points like you should be swaying your hips and slow-dragging at a juke joint in Mississippi.

Go on, park your Stratocaster-fetish for a short while & allow some sublime grooves to wash you clean...

A refreshing change from the sounds churned out by the Blues/ Rock brigade... Jazz/Blues has just gained a new believer!