Kenny Burrell - Biography
Kenny Burrell is an American jazz guitarist with a warm, melodic style that draws heavily from both bop and blues. Although well-known and respected as both a soloist and band leader, he's also highly regarded as a sideman, having played as one on approximately 200 albums, alongside such musicians as Billie Holiday, Herbie Mann, Hubert Laws, John Coltrane, Gil Evans, Jimmy Smith, Lalo Schifrin, Milt Jackson, Quincy Jones, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, Stanley Turrentine, Thad Jones, Yusef Lateef and others.
Kenneth Earl "Kenny" Burrell was born in Detroit, Michigan on July 31st, 1931 into a musical family -- both of his brothers were guitarist. He began playing guitar, self-taught, at twelve. His early influences were Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt. At the time, he played around Detroit in various combos.
While a student at Wayne State University where he studied classical guitar, Burrell made his recording debut as a member of Dizzy Gillespie's sextet in 1951. After graduating in 1955, he toured with Oscar Peterson. He moved to New York City the following year and released Introducing Kenny Burrell (1956 Blue Note). It was followed by Kenny Burrell Vol. 2 (1956 Blue Note), All Day Long (1957 Prestige), Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane (1958 Prestige), Blue Lights (1958 Blue Note), On View, Kenny Burrell with Art Blakey at the Five Spot Cafe (1959 Blue Note) and A Night at the Vanguard (1959 Argo).
In the 1960s, he released Bluesy Burrell (1962 Moodsville), with The Brother Jack McDuff Quartet, Crash! (1963 Prestige), Midnight Blue (1963 Blue Note), with Jimmy Smith, Blue Bash! (1963 Verve), Guitar Forms (1964 Verve), Soul Call (1964 Prestige), The Tender Gender (1966 Cadet), Have Yourself a Soulful Little Christmas (1966 Cadet), Blues - The Common Ground (1968 Verve), Night Song (1968 Verve).
In the following decade, Burrell began giving seminars about music, particularly that of Duke Ellington in a course entitled Ellingtonia, the first college course on the jazz musician taught in the US. In the decade, he released God Bless the Child (1971 CTI), ‘Round Midnight (1972 Fantasy), All Day Long and All Night Long (1973 Prestige), Up The Street, 'Round The Corner, Down The Block (1974 Fantasy), Sky Street (1976 Fantasy), Ellington Is Forever Vol. 1 and 2 (1977 Fantasy), Handcrafted (Muse 1978), Stormy Monday (Fantasy 1978), Moon and Sand (1979) and When Lights are Low (1979 Concord).
His output slowed in the 1980s. In 1983, he released a collection of previously unreleased takes from the early '60s, Bluesin' Around (1983 CBS). Then, collaborating with Grover Washington, Jr., he released Togethering (1985 Blue Note). In the 1990s, his pace picked up somewhat and he released Guitar Forms, Sunup to Sundown (1990), Soft Winds (1993), Then along Came Kenny (1993), Midnight at the Village Vanguard (1994 Bellaphon) and Lotus Blossom (1995). In 1996, Burrell became Director of Jazz Studies at UCLA. An earlier live recording, 12-15-78 (1999 32 Jazz), was released in 1999. In 2001, Burrell released Lucky So and So (2001 Concord Jazz). In 2007, he also released 75th Birthday Bash Live (2007 Blue Note). Be Yourself: Live At Dizzy's came out in 2010, followed by Tenderly in 2011. Burrell presently performs.