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Kenny Burrell

{{short description|American jazz guitarist (born 1931)|bot=PearBOT 5}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}

{{Infobox musical artist

|name = Kenny Burrell

|image = Kenny_Burrell,_1977.jpg

|caption = Burrell in Buffalo, New York, 1977

|background = non_vocal_instrumentalist

|birth_name = Kenneth Earl Burrell

|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1931|7|31}}

|birth_place = Detroit, Michigan, U.S.

|genre = Jazz, blues, soul jazz

|occupation = Musician, educator

|instrument = Guitar

|years_active = 1951–present

|label = Blue Note, Prestige, Verve, Fantasy, Fortune, Concord Jazz, Highnote

|associated_acts = Jimmy Smith, Stanley Turrentine

}}

Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige, Blue Note, Verve, CTI, Muse, and Concord. His collaborations with Jimmy Smith were notable, and produced the 1965 Billboard Top Twenty hit Verve album Organ Grinder Swing.{{Cite magazine |title=Kenny Burrell |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/kenny-burrell/ |access-date=2023-05-28 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}} He has cited jazz guitarists Charlie Christian, Oscar Moore, and Django Reinhardt as influences, along with blues guitarists T-Bone Walker and Muddy Waters.{{cite web|author=Collar, Matt|title=Kenny Burrell|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kenny-burrell-mn0000068780/biography|website=AllMusic|access-date=August 3, 2016}}Cohassey, John. "Kenny Burrell: Guitarist, Educator." Contemporary Musicians. Profiles of the People in Music. Ed. Julia M. Rubiner. Vol. 11. Detroit, MI: Gale Research, 1994. 29–31. Print.Nash, Sunny. "Kenny Burrell Biography". PRLog, May 13, 2009.

Burrell is a professor and Director of Jazz Studies at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.{{cite web|author=O'Connell, Sean J.|title=A Jazz Elder Becomes A UCLA Professor|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/ablogsupreme/2014/01/24/265068901/to-preserve-americas-gift-to-the-world-a-jazz-elder-becomes-a-ucla-professor|publisher=NPR|date=January 24, 2014|access-date=July 30, 2019}}

Early life

Burrell was born in Detroit. Both his parents played instruments,Sallis, James. "Middle Ground: Herb Ellis, Howard Roberts, Jim Hall, Kenny Burrell, Joe Pass, Tal Farlow." Jazz Guitars: An Anthology. First ed. New York: Quill, 1984, pp. 197–207. and he began playing guitar at the age of 12 after listening to Charlie Christian's recordings. During World War II, due to metal shortage, he abandoned the idea of becoming a saxophonist, and bought an acoustic guitar for $10. He was inspired to play jazz after listening to Oscar Moore, but it was Django Reinhardt who showed him "that you could get your own individuality on an instrument."{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-xpm-2011-nov-06-la-ca-kenny-burrell-20111106-story.html|author=Timberg, Scott|title=Kenny Burrell's 80th means a party for listeners|work=Los Angeles Times|date=November 6, 2011|access-date=July 30, 2019}} He went on to study composition and theory with Louis Cabara and classical guitar with Joe Fava. While a student at Wayne State University, he made his recording debut as a member of Dizzy Gillespie's sextet in 1951,{{cite news |date=November 9, 2011 |title=Professor and legendary jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell: 80 years young |publisher=UCLA School of Music |url=https://happenings.ucla.edu/all/event/47417 |access-date=May 28, 2023}} followed by the "Rose of Tangier"/"Ground Round" single recorded under his own name at Fortune Records in Detroit. While in college, Burrell founded the New World Music Society collective with fellow Detroit musicians Pepper Adams, Donald Byrd, Elvin Jones, and Yusef Lateef.

Career

File:Kenny Burrell VIS.jpg, March 8, 1984]]

Burrell toured with Oscar Peterson after graduating in 1955 and then moved to New York City in 1956 with pianist Tommy Flanagan. Within months, Burrell had recorded his first album as leader for Blue Note and both he and Flanagan were sought-after as sidemen and studio musicians, performing with singers Tony Bennett and Lena Horne and recording with Billie Holiday, Jimmy Smith, Gene Ammons, and Kenny Dorham, among others. From 1957 to 1959, Burrell occupied the former chair of Charlie Christian in Benny Goodman's band. Since his New York debut Burrell has had a prolific recording career, and critics have cited The Cats with John Coltrane in 1957, Midnight Blue with Stanley Turrentine in 1963, and Guitar Forms with arranger Gil Evans in 1965 as particular highlights.

In 1978, he began teaching a course at UCLA called "Ellingtonia," examining the life and accomplishments of Duke Ellington. Although the two never collaborated directly, Ellington called Burrell his "favorite guitar player,"{{cite web|url=https://lajazz.org/kenny-burrell-1999/|title=Kenny Burrell, 1999 – Los Angeles Jazz Society|website=Lajazz.org|access-date=July 30, 2019}} and Burrell has recorded a number of tributes to and interpretations of Ellington's works. Since 1996, Burrell has served as Director of Jazz Studies at UCLA, mentoring such notable alumni as Gretchen Parlato and Kamasi Washington.{{cite web|url=https://dailybruin.com/2018/08/26/ethnomusicology-department-adds-an-interdisciplinary-global-jazz-studies-major/|author=Teddy Rosenbluth|title=Ethnomusicology department adds an interdisciplinary global jazz studies major|date=August 26, 2018|access-date=July 30, 2019}}

Awards and honors

Burrell wrote, arranged, and performed on the 1998 Grammy Award-winning album Dear Ella by Dee Dee Bridgewater, received the 2004 Jazz Educator of the Year Award from Down Beat, and was named a 2005 NEA Jazz Master.

Burrell was a Grammy Salute To Jazz Honoree in 2010. The Grammy website states that between "...1956 and 2006, Mr. Burrell has excelled as a leader, co-leader and sideman releasing recordings with stellar musicians in the world of jazz."{{cite news |date=December 2, 2014 |title=Kenny Burrell — 2010 GRAMMY Salute To Jazz Honoree |url=https://www.grammy.com/news/kenny-burrell--2010-grammy-salute-to-jazz-honoree |access-date=May 28, 2023}}

Personal life

In 2019, concerns arose about Burrell's well-being and living circumstances as he became increasingly socially and physically isolated in his home and major frictions developed between his wife, Katherine Goodrich, 37 years his junior, and others living in their Westwood apartment building. A GoFundMe account was set up to pay medical bills and other putative expenses, which became controversial because he was covered by medical insurance through employment at UCLA and through Medicare.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/a-jazz-legend-said-he-was-in-desperate-need-of-money-his-friends-had-questions/2019/07/10/440e76ec-99b6-11e9-830a-21b9b36b64ad_story.html|title=A jazz legend said he was in desperate need of money. His friends had questions|newspaper=The Washington Post|author=Geoff Edgers|date=July 11, 2019|access-date=July 30, 2019}} Subsequently, a letter from Burrell was published, providing a detailed explanation of the situation and justification for the GoFundMe campaign. Burrell refuted claims that he was unaware of the GoFundMe campaign or that his wife was isolating him. He explained that his limited public appearances were due to medical advice and his focus on writing during his sabbatical from UCLA. [https://jazztimes.com/blog/jazztimes-exclusive-a-new-statement-from-kenny-burrell/ JazzTimes Exclusive: A New Statement from Kenny Burrell], JazzTimes, Kenny Burrell, July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.

Discography

= As leader =

= As sideman =

{{div col}}

With Gene Ammons

With Chet Baker

With Aaron Bell

  • Music from 77 Sunset Strip (Lion, 1959)
  • Richard Rodgers' Victory at Sea in Jazz (Lion, 1959)

With Andy and the Bey Sisters

  • Andy and the Bey Sisters (RCA Victor, 1961)
  • Round Midnight (Prestige, 1965)

With Ray Brown

  • Much in Common with Milt Jackson (Verve, 1964)
  • Some of My Best Friends Are...Guitarists (Telarc, 2002)

With Donald Byrd

With Betty Carter

With Paul Chambers

With Chris Connor

  • Chris in Person (Atlantic, 1959)
  • Sings Ballads of the Sad Cafe (Atlantic, 1959)

With Blossom Dearie

With Tommy Flanagan

With Frank Foster

  • No 'Count (Savoy, 1956)
  • All Day Long (Metronome, 1958)

With Aretha Franklin

With Red Garland

With Stan Getz

With Coleman Hawkins

With Milt Jackson

With Illinois Jacquet

With Thad Jones

With Johnny Hodges

With Shirley Horn

With Etta Jones

With Hank Jones

With Quincy Jones

With Wynton Kelly

With Jack McDuff

With Gary McFarland

With Dave Pike

With Freddie Roach

With Jimmy Smith

With Sylvia Syms

  • The Fabulous Sylvia Syms (20th Century Fox, 1964)
  • Sylvia Is! (Prestige, 1965)

With Cal Tjader

With Stanley Turrentine

With Frank Wess

With Ernie Wilkins

  • The Big New Band of the 60's (Everest, 1960)
  • Screaming Mothers (Mainstream, 1974)

With Joe Williams

With Kai Winding

With Jimmy Witherspoon

With Leo Wright

With others

{{div col end}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/kenny-burrell Kenny Burrell Interview] NAMM Oral History Library (2008)

{{Kenny Burrell}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Burrell, Kenny}}

Category:1931 births

Category:Living people

Category:20th-century African-American musicians

Category:20th-century American guitarists

Category:20th-century American male musicians

Category:20th-century American jazz composers

Category:21st-century African-American musicians

Category:21st-century American guitarists

Category:21st-century American male musicians

Category:African-American guitarists

Category:African-American jazz guitarists

Category:American jazz guitarists

Category:American jazz educators

Category:American male guitarists

Category:American male jazz composers

Category:Bebop guitarists

Category:Blue Note Records artists

Category:Cadet Records artists

Category:Cass Technical High School alumni

Category:CTI Records artists

Category:Columbia Records artists

Category:Concord Records artists

Category:Cool jazz guitarists

Category:Educators from Michigan

Category:Fantasy Records artists

Category:Guitarists from Detroit

Category:Hard bop guitarists

Category:HighNote Records artists

Category:Jazz musicians from Michigan

Category:Mainstream jazz guitarists

Category:Muse Records artists

Category:Prestige Records artists

Category:Soul-jazz guitarists

Category:UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music faculty

Category:Verve Records artists

Category:Wayne State University alumni

Category:NEA Jazz Masters