Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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BURRELL, Kenny

(b Kenneth Earl Burrell, 31 July '31, Detroit MI) Guitar. Music degree Wayne U Detroit '55. Played with Dizzy Gillespie '51, Oscar Peterson trio '55, Benny Goodman '57; also own combos since '51. Internationally popular, in demand for club, concert and studio work as well as college seminars, festivals, etc. First European tour '69, Japan '70; has won innumerable polls, incl. Japan and UK. Recorded on Verve with Astrid Gilberto, Gil Evans, Stan Getz, others incl. Guitar Forms '64--5 arr. by Evans. About 40 own LPs begin with sets on Blue Note, Prestige, Argo, Columbia, Kapp, Cadet, Verve, Fantasy '56--75; Prestige sets incl. tracks later in two-disc sets with Coltrane, Mal Waldron, Coleman Hawkins, Hank Mobley etc; The Cats had Coltrane and Tommy Flanagan; Ellington Is Forever '75 was two double-disc tribute sets on Fantasy; Tin Tin Deo '77, When Lights Are Low are trios on Concord; Handcrafted, Live At The Village Vanguard '78 trio sets on Muse; Moon And Sand '79 a quartet on Concord; Heritage '80 a larger group now on Voss; Listen To The Dawn a trio on Muse. Generation and Pieces Of Blue And The Blues '87--8 on Blue Note were made at the Village Vanguard, a guitar trio incl. Bobby Broom and Rodney Jones with bass and drums. New albums were Sunup To Sundown '90, a quintet with Cedar Walton on Contemporary, Soft Winds on Drive, quartet Then Along Came Kenny '93 on Evidence, trio Lotus Blossom '95 on Concord.