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Kenny Burrell

All About Jazz

Sunday Night Jazz Showcase

Program 44 (November 9 at 8:00PM)

Born in Detroit, Kenny Burrell was raised in a musical family. His mother, who sang in the Second Baptist Church choir, also played the piano around the house. His father was fond of the banjo and the ukulele.

Burrell credits Charlie Christian, Oscar Moore, and Django Reinhardt as influences, as well as such bluesmen as T-Bone Walker and Muddy Waters.

Even though the young guitarist was keeping heavy company, including that of such other up-and-coming Detroiters as Tommy Flanagan, Yusef Lateef, Pepper Adams, and Elvin Jones, he remained in Detroit to study at Wayne State University, from which he earned a B.A. in music composition and theory in 1955. He also studied classical guitar with Joseph Fava during that period and continues to employ finger-style and other techniques.

A six-month tour in 1955 with the Oscar Peterson Trio helped to set Burrell's sight on the Big Apple. The following year, he and Flanagan drove to New York City and were promptly drafted into the major league of jazz. Burrell not only became the city's most in-demand jazz guitarist, recording with his own groups and with Coltrane, Billie Holiday, Thad Jones, Kenny Dorham, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Smith, Gene Ammons, and many others, but played on pop sessions with the likes of Tony Bennett, James Brown and Lena Horn and worked in the pit bands of such Broadway shows as “Bye Bye Birdie” and “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying.”

Burrell has recorded more than ninety albums as a leader. This body of work has received much critical acclaim. Since the mid-Sixties, the guitarist has been leading his own group plus working in "All-Star" settings and has performed with college bands and orchestras. He has also performed with professional orchestras such as the Detroit Symphony and the Buffalo Philharmonic.

Story provided by Verve Music Group

Paul Hitchcock earned his Masters in Communications from Morehead State University and Bachelors in Radio-TV/Psychology from Georgetown College. A veteran broadcaster for more than 40 years and an avid fan of blues, jazz and American roots music. Hitchcock has been with WMKY since 1986 and was named General Manager in 2003. He currently hosts "Muddy Bottom Blues" (Fri., 8pm-9pm), "Nothin' But The Blues" (Sat., 8pm-12am), "Sunday Night Jazz Showcase" and "Live From The Jazz Lounge" (Sun., 8pm-9pm) and "The Golden Age of Radio" (Sun., 2pm-3pm). He also serves as producer for "A Time For Tales" and "The Reader's Notebook."