Larry McKenna

Larry McKenna (* 1937 ) is an American jazz - Tenor saxophonist , arranger and music teacher .

Live and act

McKenna grew up in Philadelphia , first learned to play the guitar and began playing the saxophone at the age of fourteen. After completing his studies at the Granoff School of Music , which began in 1956 , he first played with local bands; ; when he was eighteen he went on an east coast tour with a quintet from Philadelphia. At the age of 21 he became a member of the Woody Herman Orchestra in 1959 , and in 1962 he was with George Young in Wildwood, New Jersey and in Las Vegas. In 1970 he played for Al Raymond. Since the early 1970s he has performed primarily in the Philadelphia area and has taught at Temple University , the University of the Arts and West Chester University. Since 1996 he has released two albums under his own name, including a tribute album dedicated to the composer Harold Arlen ( My Shining Hour ). He has also worked on recordings by musicians such as Don Glanden , Frank Tiberi , Al Raymond / Buddy DeFranco , Woody Herman and John Swana .

McKenna has worked as an arranger for the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and for film scores such as Birdy, and as an accompanist for artists such as Rosemary Clooney , Tony Bennett , Johnny Mathis , Frank Sinatra and Mel Tormé . He currently teaches jazz theory, harmony and saxophone at the Community College of Philadelphia .

Discographic notes

• My Shining Hour - Larry McKenna Plays the Music of Harold Arlen (Ardenna, 1996)
• It Might As Well Be Spring (DreamBox Media, 2001)
• Profiles (DreamBox media, 2010)
• From All Sides (2013)
• Bootsie Barnes & Larry McKenna: The More I See You , Cellar Live, 2018

Sources / web links

• Web presence ( Memento from December 31, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
• Portrait at All About Jazz
• Portrait at Allmusic
• Review of the album Profile at All About Jazz
• ENCORE: Larry McKenna . Article by Alex Henderson. New York City Jazz Record, June 2019 - Issue 206, page 10. Retrieved June 5, 2019.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Shaun Brady: Two Philly jazz masters celebrate their 80th birthdays (and their best friendship). Philadelpia Inquirer, September 12, 2017, accessed April 23, 2020 .