by Alex HendersonAn unorthodox fusion of jazz and church music, Love Is the Answer is the last thing jazz fans expected from Kenny Burrell in the late 1990s. This ambitious project unites the guitarist and fellow jazzmen James Williams (piano, keyboards), Ray Drummond (acoustic bass) and Ben Riley (drums) with the Boys Choir Of Harlem, whose calming, reflective vocals draw on both African-American gospel and European church music. Burrell isn't known for writing lyrics, but in fact, he wrote all of the spiritual, inspirational lyrics that the Choir sings. This is far from a typical hard bop album, and yet, Burrell's guitar solos (both acoustic and electric) are definitely jazz solos. Not surprisingly, Love Is the Answer was too ambitious for some labels, which wondered how they would market such a release and opted to pass. But thankfully, Concord was willing to take a chance on this moving, thoughtful music.