Kenny Burrell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kenny Burrell
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Burrell in Buffalo, New York, 1977
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kenneth Earl Burrell |
| Born | July 31, 1931 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, blues, soul jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, educator |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1951–present |
| Labels | Blue Note, Prestige, Verve, Fantasy, Fortune, Concord Jazz, Highnote |
| Associated acts | Jimmy Smith, Stanley Turrentine |
Kenny Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is a famous American jazz guitarist. He is known for his amazing guitar playing on many top jazz record labels. These include Prestige, Blue Note, and Verve.
Kenny Burrell worked with many other musicians. His work with Jimmy Smith was very popular. They even had a hit album in 1965 called Organ Grinder Swing. Kenny Burrell has said that other jazz guitarists like Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt inspired him. Blues guitarists T-Bone Walker and Muddy Waters also influenced his music.
Today, Kenny Burrell is a professor and leads the Jazz Studies program at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Start
Kenny Burrell was born in Detroit, a big city in Michigan. Both of his parents played musical instruments. He started playing the guitar when he was 12 years old. He loved listening to recordings by Charlie Christian.
During World War II, there was a shortage of metal. Because of this, Kenny decided not to become a saxophonist. Instead, he bought an acoustic guitar for just $10. He was inspired to play jazz after hearing Oscar Moore. But it was Django Reinhardt who showed him how to find his own unique style on the guitar.
Kenny also studied music composition and theory with Louis Cabara. He learned classical guitar from Joe Fava. While he was a student at Wayne State University, he made his first recording in 1951. He played with Dizzy Gillespie's band. Later, he recorded his own single for Fortune Records. During college, Kenny Burrell also helped start the New World Music Society. This group included other musicians from Detroit like Pepper Adams and Elvin Jones.
A Career in Jazz
After finishing college in 1955, Kenny Burrell went on tour with Oscar Peterson. In 1956, he moved to New York City with pianist Tommy Flanagan. Very quickly, Kenny recorded his first album as a band leader for Blue Note. Both he and Tommy Flanagan became very popular musicians. They played with famous singers like Tony Bennett and Lena Horne. They also recorded with jazz legends such as Billie Holiday and Jimmy Smith.
From 1957 to 1959, Kenny Burrell played in Benny Goodman's band. He took the place of his idol, Charlie Christian. Since moving to New York, Kenny has recorded many albums. Some of his most famous albums include The Cats (with John Coltrane) from 1957, Midnight Blue from 1963, and Guitar Forms from 1965.
In 1978, Kenny Burrell started teaching a class at UCLA. The class was called "Ellingtonia." It was all about the life and music of Duke Ellington. Even though they never played together, Duke Ellington called Kenny his "favorite guitar player." Kenny has recorded many songs that honor Duke Ellington's music. Since 1996, Kenny Burrell has been the Director of Jazz Studies at UCLA. He has helped many students, including famous musicians like Kamasi Washington.
Awards and Special Honors
Kenny Burrell has received many awards for his music.
- He wrote, arranged, and played on the 1998 Grammy Award-winning album Dear Ella by Dee Dee Bridgewater.
- In 2004, he received the Jazz Educator of the Year Award from Down Beat magazine.
- In 2005, he was named an NEA Jazz Master. This is a very high honor for jazz musicians in the United States.
In 2010, Kenny Burrell was honored at a Grammy Salute To Jazz event. The Grammy website said that from 1956 to 2006, Mr. Burrell was excellent as a leader and a sideman. He made recordings with many amazing jazz musicians.
Personal Life
Early in his career, Kenny Burrell was married to Dolores. They had two daughters together.
Discography
Kenny Burrell has released many albums as a leader. Here are some of his most well-known ones:
- Introducing Kenny Burrell (Blue Note, 1956)
- Midnight Blue (Blue Note, 1963)
- Guitar Forms (Verve, 1965)
- Ellington Is Forever (Fantasy, 1975)
- Tin Tin Deo (Concord Jazz, 1977)
- 75th Birthday Bash Live! (Blue Note, 2007)
Images for kids
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Burrell in Buffalo, New York, 1977
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Burrell in San Francisco, California, March 8, 1984
See also
In Spanish: Kenny Burrell para niños
