Kenny Kirkland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kenny Kirkland
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Kenny Kirkland, 1991.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kenneth David Kirkland |
| Born | September 28, 1955 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
| Died | November 12, 1998 (aged 43) Queens, New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | Classical jazz, jazz fusion, big band, neo-bop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Piano, keyboards |
| Years active | 1973–98 |
| Labels | A&M Records, GRP Records |
Kenneth David Kirkland (born September 28, 1955 – died November 12, 1998) was an American musician. He was a very talented pianist and keyboard player.
Contents
About Kenny Kirkland
Early Life and Music Studies
Kenny Kirkland was born in Brooklyn, New York. He started playing the piano when he was just six years old. After attending Catholic schools, he went to the Manhattan School of Music. There, he studied how to play classical piano. He also learned about music theory and how to compose songs.
Kenny's Amazing Music Career
Kenny Kirkland's first professional job was with a Polish jazz musician named Michal Urbaniak. He toured all over Europe with Urbaniak's band in 1977. After that, he played with another jazz artist, Miroslav Vitous. You can hear Kenny on Vitous's albums First Meeting and Miroslav Vitous Group.
In 1980, Kenny met Wynton Marsalis while touring in Japan. This meeting started a long friendship and working relationship with Wynton and his older brother, Branford Marsalis. Kenny played piano on Wynton's first album, Wynton Marsalis. He shared the piano parts with Herbie Hancock, who was one of Kenny's musical heroes. Kenny was the only pianist on Wynton's next albums, like Think of One and Black Codes (From the Underground).
After playing with Wynton, Kenny joined Branford Marsalis's band. He also played on Branford's funk album, Buckshot Lefonque. When Branford Marsalis became the bandleader for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Kenny became the show's pianist.
In 1991, Kenny released his own album called Kenny Kirkland. It was his first album as the main artist. He also made a trio album called Thunder And Rainbows with Charles Fambrough and Jeff "Tain" Watts.
Kenny Kirkland worked with his long-time friend "Tain" Watts on Watts's first album, Citizen Tain, in June 1998. Soon after, doctors told Kenny he had a serious heart condition. Kenny Kirkland passed away on November 12, 1998, due to heart failure.
Kenny's Music Philosophy
Kenny Kirkland had a special way of thinking about music. The famous musician Sting talked about it in an interview. Sting said that Kenny believed there were "no wrong notes" in music. If a note sounded a bit off, Kenny would just play another note right after it to make it sound perfect.
Sting explained that this idea can also apply to life. We all make mistakes, but what matters is how we deal with them next. This way of thinking, where you take a risk and then make choices to fix things, was a big part of Kenny's jazz style.
Kenny Kirkland's Music Albums
Kenny Kirkland played on many albums throughout his career. Here are some of them:
As the Main Artist
- Kenny Kirkland (GRP, 1991)
Playing with Other Artists
With Chico Freeman
- Peaceful Heart, Gentle Spirit (Contemporary, 1980)
- Pied Piper (Jdc Records, 1999)
With Kenny Garrett
- Black Hope (Warner Bros., 1992)
- Songbook (Warner Bros., 1997)
With Dizzy Gillespie
- Closer to the Source (Atlantic, 1984)
- New Faces (GRP, 1985)
With Elvin Jones
- Earth Jones (Palo Alto, 1982)
- Brother John (Palo Alto, 1984) - recorded in 1982
With Rodney Jones
- Articulation (Timeless Muse, 1979)
- Dreams and Stories (Savant, 2005)
With Wynton Marsalis
- Wynton Marsalis (Columbia, 1981)
- Think of One (Columbia, 1983)
- Hot House Flowers (Columbia, 1984)
- Black Codes (Columbia, 1985)
With Branford Marsalis
- Scenes in the City (Columbia,1983)
- Royal Garden Blues (CBS, 1985)
- Renaissance (Columbia, 1987)
- Random Abstract (CBS, 1988)
- Crazy People Music (Sony Music, 1990)
- Mo' Better Blues Soundtrack (Sony Music, 1990)
- I Heard You Twice the First Time (Sony Music, 1992)
- Requiem (Sony Music, 1999)
With Sting
- The Dream of the Blue Turtles (A&M, 1985)
- Bring on the Night (A&M, 1986)
- ...Nothing Like the Sun (A&M, 1987)
- ...Nada como el sol (A&M, 1988)
- The Soul Cages (A&M, 1991)
- Mercury Falling (A&M, 1996)
With Miroslav Vitous
- First Meeting (ECM, 1979)
- Miroslav Vitous Group (ECM, 1980)
With Jeff "Tain" Watts
- Megawatts (Sunnyside, 1991)
- Citizen Tain (Columbia, 1999)
With other musicians
- John Scofield, Who's Who? (Arista, 1979)
- Stone Alliance, Heads Up (PM, 1980)
- Jay Hoggard, Rain Forest (Contemporary, 1980)
- David Liebman, What It Is (CBS/Sony, 1980)
- Franco Ambrosetti, Wings (Enja, 1984) – recorded in 1983
- Carla Bley, Heavy Heart (Watt, 1984) – recorded in 1983
- Hiram Bullock, From All Sides (Atlantic, 1986)
- Michael Brecker, Michael Brecker (impulse!, 1987)
- Lew Soloff, But Beautiful (Paddle Wheel, 1987)
- Billy Hart, Rah (Gramavision, 1988)
- Delfeayo Marsalis, Pontius Pilate's Decision (1992)
- Arturo Sandoval, I Remember Clifford (GRP, 1992)
- Robert Hurst, One for Namesake (DIW, 1994) – recorded in 1993
- Terence Blanchard, Jazz in Film (Sony, 1999) – recorded in 1998
- Niels Bijl, Mozaik (Aliud, 2010)
See also
- In Spanish: Kenny Kirkland para niños
