Kenny Kirkland

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Kenneth David "Kenny" Kirkland (born September 28, 1955 in Brooklyn , New York , † November 12, 1998 in New York City ) was an American jazz pianist , composer and synthesizer player.

Live and act

Kirkland took piano lessons from the age of six and studied classical piano and music theory at the Manhattan School of Music . He came to jazz through Larry Willis from Blood, Sweat & Tears , Kenny Barron and Herbie Hancock . He initially oriented himself towards the pianists on this side of the bebop , and then studied the older ones like Hank Jones . He worked as a teacher and was a keyboard player in the groups of Michał Urbaniak (1977), Miroslav Vitouš ( First Meeting , 1979), Terumasa Hino , with whom he traveled several times to Japan, Don Alias ( Stone Alliance ) and Elvin Jones . From 1981 to 1985 he was a member of the band of Wynton Marsalis . In 1985 he played with Branford Marsalis at Sting . They worked on his first solo album The Dream of the Blue Turtles and took part in the subsequent world tour, which was recorded in the documentary Bring on the Night . He was then a member of Branford Marsalis' own band, with whom he recorded several albums and was active with Kenny Garrett , David Sanborn and on the debut album by Michael Brecker . He also recorded the albums Nothing Like the Sun (1987) and The Soul Cages (1991) with Sting . In 1990 he played the soundtrack for the film Mo 'Better Blues . In 1991 Kirkland released the album Kenny Kirkland under his own name with prominent sidemen, followed by Thunder And Rainbows . He played a modern and rhythmically interesting boppiano. He has also been involved in recordings by jazz musicians such as John Scofield , Chico Hamilton , Chico Freeman , David Liebman , Dewey Redman , Franco Ambrosetti , Charnett Moffett or Carla Bley and beyond jazz by Ben E. King , Taj Mahal and Angela Bofill . Between 1992 and 1994 he was a member of the Tonight Show , only to play again with Branford Marsalis.

Kirkland was found dead in his Queens , New York apartment on November 13, 1998 . The circumstances of death have not been fully clarified: the authorities assume drug abuse as the cause of death. On the other hand, he was previously diagnosed with a heart disease with a poor prognosis, which is also mentioned as the official cause of death.

Discographic notes

  • Miroslav Vitous Group 1980
  • Wynton Marsalis: Think of One 1983
  • Wynton Marsalis: Black Codes (From the Underground) 1985
  • Branford Marsalis: Royal Garden Blues , 1986
  • Branford Marsalis: Renaissance 1987
  • Branford Marsalis: Random Abstract 1988
  • Branford Marsalis: Crazy People Music 1990
  • Kenny Kirkland 1991
  • Branford Marsalis: I Heard You Twice the First Time 1992
  • Kenny Garrett: Black Hope 1992
  • Thunder and Rainbows with Charles Fambrough and Jeff Tain Watts , 1991 (Re-Issue 2004 under the title Megawatts )
  • Kenny Garrett: Songbook 1997
  • Branford Marsalis: Requiem 1998

Lexigraphic entries

Web links

swell

  1. ↑ http://www.stonealliance.com/Kirkland/
  2. ↑ Kunzler, Jazzlexikon
  3. ↑ According to Wolf Kampmann, that was "one of his greatest achievements".
  4. ^ Pianist Kenny Kirkland Found Dead
personal data
SURNAME Kirkland, Kenny
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kirkland, Kenneth David (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz pianist and composer
DATE OF BIRTH September 28, 1955
PLACE OF BIRTH Brooklyn
DATE OF DEATH November 12, 1998
Place of death New York City , New York, USA