Kenny Burrell
Old-School Jazz Guitar the Never Grows Old
Kenny Burrell is a guitarist that, at least in my opinion, has solid roots in the Charlie Christian style but he has taken this several steps forward.
His songs all have a strong influence of the Blues and in many cases are informed of a Be-Bop sensibility. He got his first big break playing for Dizzy
Gillespie while still in college. After graduating he worked with Oscar Peterson and ended up in New York where he was kept more than busy in all sorts
of musical ventures. It would seem that his playing and his knowledge of music placed him in great demand.
His first recording as a leader came in 1956 and ever since he's created a stream of good recordings in a number of different settings. His work on organist Jimmy Smith's "The Sermon" was important for both of them. It helped to establish the Guitar and B3 Organ as a great pairing and spawned many other similar recordings over the years, not the least of which are the collaborative recordings by Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith.
In 1978 Kenny Burrell started teaching a class on Duke Ellington at UCLA. He currently holds the titles of Professor and Director of Jazz Studies there. He has recorded 97 albums as a leader and has appeared on many, many more as a sideman.
