This week we feature jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell. I have never been able to find an actual Kenny Burrell homepage, however I did locate some info on the legendary jazz guitarist which I am passing along as this weeks column.
Online Bio
While few fans of guitarist Kenny Burrell would claim that he has been an innovator, most would point to his solid creativity, strongly bluesy rhythm feel and the fact that he has worked with most of the giants of the soulful hard-bop era dominated by the Blue Note and Prestige labels.
A Detroit native, born July 31, 1931, Burrell left his hometown during the mid-’50s. He had worked locally through the early ’50s and recorded there with Dizzy Gillespie, as well as touring with Oscar Peterson before making the move East. After reaching the East Coast, he worked with Benny Goodman, then began on his own band with various like-minded players, including organist Jimmy Smith. He’s played as a sideman on hundreds of albums, including dates by John Coltrane, Gil Evans, Stan Getz, Billie Holiday, Donald Byrd and Sonny Rollins.
Burrell never achieved the popularity of George Benson or Wes Montgomery. His best Blue Note efforts include Blue Lights and Midnight Blue, while his Kenny Burrell With John Coltrane on Prestige is also recommended, along with his Verve collaboration with arranger Evans, Guitar Forms. Burrell started teaching in the early ’70s, and today he works at UCLA.
Web page: http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/kennyburrell
Doc Dosco is a jazz guitarist, composer and audio consultant living in Los Angeles, CA. His website is located at http://www.docdosco.com, where you can find more information on the ‘What’s Hot in Jazz Guitar’ columns, audio clips of Doc’s playing, and many additional features. Doc endorse Heritage Guitars and is a featured artist on their website. He also endorses the new Pignose Valve Tube Amps, great for jazz (and anything else!)