Jim Mullen's illustrius career as perhaps the greatest white jazz guitarist is taking new turns here - as the star of three new concept albums for Black Box, he is heard here in completely fresh material that his quartet will be touring from September 2000. Taking tunes from Burns folk songs as his inspiration, this quirky Celtic jazz is set to turn heads and give the tines a new lease of life. At a time when the great jazz standards have been presented in innumerable different guises, Jim's tactic of rejuvenating tunes from an entirely different genre is both refreshing and highly successful.

This album journeys back to my roots with the songs of Robert Burns, Scotland·s national poet. I’ve known many of these songs since childhood and have attempted to update them from a jazz perspective. Burns had an ear for a good tune and gathered memorable melodies to grace his poetry. I was struck by the soulfullness of these centuries-old songs and feel they have an emotional resonance with the present. (Jim Mullen, June 2000)
The Jim Mullen Quartet:
Jim Mullen (guitar), Gareth Williams (piano), Mick Hutton (bass), Gary Husband (drums).
11 Tracks. Recorded: April 2000 at Richard Niles Studio, London.

the press on Mullen...
...this is a highly risky project (the 'Burns' album) that Mullen's innate musicality has turned into a triumph (Philip Clark, jazz review)
...Jim Mullen is one of the great jazz guitarists working today (Craig Lockewood, jazzwise)
...(Mullen's) own guitar playing is as mellow and fluent as ever (Observer)
...the restrained passion with which Mullen and group play is touching (Jack Massarick, evening standard)