Kenny Drew Jr. (June 14, 1958 – August 3, 2014) was an American
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
pianist. His music is known for its
hard-swinging bluesy sound and large, two-handed
rooty
''Rooty'' is the second studio album by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx, released on 25 June 2001 by the record labels XL and Astralwerks in the UK and US respectively.
Like its predecessor '' Remedy'', ''Rooty'' was well-received c ...
chords contrasting with fast runs. The son of jazz pianist
Kenny Drew
Kenneth Sidney "Kenny" Drew (August 28, 1928 – August 4, 1993) was an American-Danish jazz pianist.
Biography
Drew was born in New York City, United States, and received piano lessons from the age of five.Feather, Leonard, & Ira Gitler (2 ...
, he did not credit his father as an influence.
[Scott Yanow]
Allmusic biography.
/ref>[ Tamarkin, Jeff (August 6, 2014)]
"Pianist Kenny Drew Jr. Dies at 56"
''JazzTimes''.
Biography
His initial study was in classical music with his aunt and grandmother. In his teens he became interested in jazz and pop, but initially worked in funk bands. Later he went into jazz piano and in 1990 won The Great American Jazz Piano Competition in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...
. Drew continued to perform jazz, but he also performed some chamber music. His style has some similarities to his father's, but is different enough to generally avoid comparison; he was considered the more eclectic of the two men.
Drew attended Iona College
Iona University is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Roman Catholic university with a main campus in New Rochelle, New York. It was founded in 1940 by the Congregation of Christian Brothers and occupies a campus of in New Rochell ...
in New Rochelle
New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state of ...
, New York, for a period during 1977 to 1978. There, he became pianist for the Iona College Singers, an entertainment troop promoting the college's name and goodwill among local high schools, retirement homes and the like in the Northeast region of the US.
Drew cited Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", "B ...
as an influence and like Monk often recorded (and performed) solo.
Drew died at home in St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...
, on August 3, 2014.
Discography
As leader
Main source:
As sideman
* 1987: Charnett Moffett
Charnett Moffett (June 10, 1967 – April 11, 2022) was an American jazz bassist.
Moffett began playing bass in the family band, touring the Far East in 1975 at the age of eight. In the mid-1980s, he played with Wynton Marsalis and Branford Ma ...
- ''The Net Man'' (Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. Or ...
)
* 1987: Charnett Moffett
Charnett Moffett (June 10, 1967 – April 11, 2022) was an American jazz bassist.
Moffett began playing bass in the family band, touring the Far East in 1975 at the age of eight. In the mid-1980s, he played with Wynton Marsalis and Branford Ma ...
- ''Beauty Within'' (Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. Or ...
)
* 1987: Charnett Moffett
Charnett Moffett (June 10, 1967 – April 11, 2022) was an American jazz bassist.
Moffett began playing bass in the family band, touring the Far East in 1975 at the age of eight. In the mid-1980s, he played with Wynton Marsalis and Branford Ma ...
- ''Beauty Within'' (Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. Or ...
)
* 1993: Hal Melia - ''Waduyathink'' (Positive Music)
* 1993: Mingus Big Band
The Mingus Big Band is a 14-piece ensemble, based in New York City, that specializes in the compositions of Charles Mingus. It was managed by his widow, Sue Mingus, along with the Mingus Orchestra and Mingus Dynasty. In addition to its weekly Monda ...
- ''Mingus Big Band 93: Nostalgia in Times Square'' (Dreyfus Records
Dreyfus Records (; french: Disques Dreyfus, link=no, ) is a record label which released the work of artists such as Jean-Michel Jarre who was part of the label for more than 20 years.
Francis Dreyfus founded Disques Dreyfus in 1985. The label wa ...
)
* 1993: Carl Allen & Manhattan Projects - ''Echoes of our Heroes'' (Evidence Music
Evidence Music is an American jazz and blues record label founded in 1992 by Howard Rosen and Jerry Gordon. The label's name comes from the song "Evidence" by Thelonious Monk.
The label's first releases were reissues of Sun Ra albums from the ca ...
)
* 1994: Steve Slagle
Steve Slagle (born September 18, 1951) is an American jazz saxophonist.
Biography
Slagle was born in Los Angeles and grew up in suburban Philadelphia. He received a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music and received a master's degree in M ...
- ''Reincarnation'' (Steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:
* Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles
* Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...
)
* 1995: Stanley Turrentine
Stanley William Turrentine (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He began his career playing R&B for Earl Bostic and later soul jazz recording for the Blue Note label from 1960, touched on jazz fusion dur ...
- ''T Time
''T Time'' is an album by saxophonist Stanley Turrentine recorded in 1995 and released by the MusicMasters label.MusicMasters Records
MusicMasters was a record label based in Ocean, New Jersey.
History
MusicMasters was founded in the late 1970s by Albert Nissim and his sons Robert and Jeffrey, who owned the Musical Heritage Society, which had previously only licensed Europe ...
)
* 1995: Michael Philip Mossman
Michael Philip Mossman (born October 12, 1959) is an American jazz trumpeter.
Career
Mossman's early career included a tour of Europe with Anthony Braxton in 1978 and tours with Roscoe Mitchell in the early 1980s. He also did session work in the ...
- ''Spring Dance'' (Claves Jazz (Switzerland))
* 1995: John Tank - ''So In Love'' (TCB Records)
* 1995: Daniel Schnyder
Daniel Schnyder (born March 12, 1961 in Zurich) is a Swiss jazz reedist and composer of both jazz and classical music.
Schnyder learned to play cello before saxophone. He attended Berklee College of Music and the Conservatory of Winterthur. H ...
- ''Nucleus'' (Enja
Enja Records is a German jazz record company and label based in Munich which was founded by jazz enthusiasts Matthias Winckelmann and Horst Weber in 1971.
The label's first release was by Mal Waldron, and early releases included European and Ja ...
)
* 1995: Jack Walrath
Jack Arthur Walrath (born May 5, 1946) is an American post-bop jazz trumpeter and musical arranger known for his work with Ray Charles, Gary Peacock, Charles Mingus, and Glenn Ferris, among others.
Biography
Walrath was born in Stuart, Florida. ...
- ''Journey, Man!
''Journey, Man!'' is an album by trumpeter Jack Walrath which was recorded in 1995 and released on the Evidence label in 1996.Evidence Music
Evidence Music is an American jazz and blues record label founded in 1992 by Howard Rosen and Jerry Gordon. The label's name comes from the song "Evidence" by Thelonious Monk.
The label's first releases were reissues of Sun Ra albums from the ca ...
)
* 1995: Ron McClure
Ron McClure (born November 22, 1941) is an American jazz bassist.
Early life
McClure was born in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. He started on piano at age five, and later played accordion and bass. McClure studied privately with Joseph I ...
- ''Inner Account'' (Steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:
* Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles
* Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...
)
* 1995: Mingus Big Band
The Mingus Big Band is a 14-piece ensemble, based in New York City, that specializes in the compositions of Charles Mingus. It was managed by his widow, Sue Mingus, along with the Mingus Orchestra and Mingus Dynasty. In addition to its weekly Monda ...
- ''Gunslinging Bird'' (Dreyfus Records
Dreyfus Records (; french: Disques Dreyfus, link=no, ) is a record label which released the work of artists such as Jean-Michel Jarre who was part of the label for more than 20 years.
Francis Dreyfus founded Disques Dreyfus in 1985. The label wa ...
)
* 1996: Nat Adderley
Nathaniel Carlyle Adderley (November 25, 1931 – January 2, 2000) was an American jazz trumpeter. He was the younger brother of saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, whom he supported and played with for many years.
Adderley's composition " ...
, Jeff Berlin
Jeffrey Arthur Berlin (born January 17, 1953) is an American jazz fusion bassist. He first came to prominence in the 1970s as a member of the band Bruford led by drummer Bill Bruford.
Musical career
Berlin was born on January 17, 1953, in Queen ...
, and Kenny Drew Jr.: ''Monk in the Sun''
* 1996: Mingus Big Band
The Mingus Big Band is a 14-piece ensemble, based in New York City, that specializes in the compositions of Charles Mingus. It was managed by his widow, Sue Mingus, along with the Mingus Orchestra and Mingus Dynasty. In addition to its weekly Monda ...
- ''Live in Time'' (Dreyfus Records
Dreyfus Records (; french: Disques Dreyfus, link=no, ) is a record label which released the work of artists such as Jean-Michel Jarre who was part of the label for more than 20 years.
Francis Dreyfus founded Disques Dreyfus in 1985. The label wa ...
)
* 1996: Jack Wilkins
Jack Rivers Lewis (born June 4, 1944), known professionally as Jack Wilkins, is a jazz guitarist.
Career
A native of New York City, Wilkins grew up listening to his parents' music, such as Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Billie Holiday. He ...
-Kenny Drew Jr. Quartet - ''Keep in Touch'' (Claves Jazz)
* 1996: Ronnie Cuber
Ronald Edward Cuber (December 25, 1941 – October 7, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. He also played in Latin, pop, rock, and blues sessions. In addition to his primary instrument, baritone sax, he played tenor sax, soprano sax, clarinet ...
- ''In a New York Minute'' (Steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:
* Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles
* Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...
)
* 1997: George A. Johnson - '' Turqoise Connection'' (A Records / Challenge Records)
* 1998: David "Bubba" Brooks - ''Smooth Sailing'' (TCB Records)
* 1998: Warren Vaché - ''Plays Harry Warren: An Affair to Remember'' ( Zéphyr Records (Brussels))
* 1998: Michael Philip Mossman
Michael Philip Mossman (born October 12, 1959) is an American jazz trumpeter.
Career
Mossman's early career included a tour of Europe with Anthony Braxton in 1978 and tours with Roscoe Mitchell in the early 1980s. He also did session work in the ...
- ''Spring Dance'' (TCB Records)
* 2000: Daniel Schnyder
Daniel Schnyder (born March 12, 1961 in Zurich) is a Swiss jazz reedist and composer of both jazz and classical music.
Schnyder learned to play cello before saxophone. He attended Berklee College of Music and the Conservatory of Winterthur. H ...
- ''Words Within Music'' (Enja
Enja Records is a German jazz record company and label based in Munich which was founded by jazz enthusiasts Matthias Winckelmann and Horst Weber in 1971.
The label's first release was by Mal Waldron, and early releases included European and Ja ...
)
* 2000: Paul F. Kendall/ Bob Leto - ''Excursions'' ( Brownstone Recordings)
* 2000: Johnny Griffin
John Arnold Griffin III (April 24, 1928 – July 25, 2008) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Nicknamed "the Little Giant" for his short stature and forceful playing, Griffin's career began in the mid-1940s and continued until the month of ...
- ''Nucleus'' ( Storyville)
* 2000: Daniel Schnyder
Daniel Schnyder (born March 12, 1961 in Zurich) is a Swiss jazz reedist and composer of both jazz and classical music.
Schnyder learned to play cello before saxophone. He attended Berklee College of Music and the Conservatory of Winterthur. H ...
- ''An Evening at Sea'' (Chiaroscuro Records
Chiaroscuro Records is a jazz record company and label founded by Hank O'Neal in 1970. The label's name comes from the art term for the use of light and dark in a painting. O'Neal came up with the name via his friend and mentor Eddie Condon, a ja ...
)
* 2001: Paul F. Kendall/ Bob Leto - ''Red Top'' ( Brownstone Recordings)
* 2001: Paquito D'Rivera - ''Excursions'' (Enja
Enja Records is a German jazz record company and label based in Munich which was founded by jazz enthusiasts Matthias Winckelmann and Horst Weber in 1971.
The label's first release was by Mal Waldron, and early releases included European and Ja ...
)
* 2002: Cody Moffett - ''My Favorite Things'' (TCB Records)
* 2002: Daniel Schnyder
Daniel Schnyder (born March 12, 1961 in Zurich) is a Swiss jazz reedist and composer of both jazz and classical music.
Schnyder learned to play cello before saxophone. He attended Berklee College of Music and the Conservatory of Winterthur. H ...
- ''Songbook'' (CCn'C)
* 2002: Butch Miles
Butch Miles (born Charles J. Thorton, Jr. on July 4, 1944) is an American jazz drummer. He has played with the Count Basie Orchestra, Dave Brubeck, Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne and Tony Bennett
Career
Miles, who ci ...
- ''Straight On Till Morning'' (Nagel Heyer Records)
* 2003: Daniel Schnyder
Daniel Schnyder (born March 12, 1961 in Zurich) is a Swiss jazz reedist and composer of both jazz and classical music.
Schnyder learned to play cello before saxophone. He attended Berklee College of Music and the Conservatory of Winterthur. H ...
/Kenny Drew Jr. Quartet - ''Da Skale'' (TCB Records)
* 2004: Richard Drexler - ''Señor Juan Brahms '' (Nicolosi Productions)
* 2003: Martirio
Maribel Quiñones or ''María Isabel Quiñones Gutiérrez'' in full, known under her stage name as Martirio (a Spanish given name meaning ''Martyrdom'' or ''Torment'', in English) is a Spanish singer born in 1954 in Huelva, Spain.
She borrows her ...
- ''Primavera en Nueva York '' (Sony BMG
Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...
)
* 2009: Jeff Rupert
Jeff Rupert (born September 6, 1964) is an American jazz saxophonist and professor at the University of Central Florida.
Career
Rupert received his master's degree in Jazz Studies from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University in 1993, ...
– '' From Memphis to Mobile'' (Random Act)
* 2010: Daniel Schnyder
Daniel Schnyder (born March 12, 1961 in Zurich) is a Swiss jazz reedist and composer of both jazz and classical music.
Schnyder learned to play cello before saxophone. He attended Berklee College of Music and the Conservatory of Winterthur. H ...
- ''Worlds Beyond Faust'' (Col Legno)
* 2017: Kevin Çelebi - ''Purge Corruption'' (Nikki & Heidi Records) (''posthumous release'')
References
*
External links
Verve Music Group discography of Kenny Drew, Jr.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drew, Kenny Jr.
1958 births
2014 deaths
American jazz pianists
American male pianists
Musicians from New York City
Verve Records artists
Milestone Records artists
Antilles Records artists
20th-century American pianists
Jazz musicians from New York (state)
20th-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians
Mingus Big Band members