Kenny Burrell (1931) began his musical career in Detroit while a student at Wayne State University. He was a well-established player on the Detroit jazz scene when he made his professional recording debut with Dizzy Gillespie on Tin Tin Daeo and Birk’s Works in 1951. After his graduation from Wayne State in 1955, he made his way to New York. There he found a high demand for his guitar as both a session player and as a leader. During 1956 he played on recordings by Frank Foster, Frank Wess, Thad Jones, Tommy Flanagan and others. 1956 culminated for Kenny Burrell when he recorded Introducing Kenny Burrell and All Night Long and All Day Long with Donald Byrd. A succession of high profile recordings followed with leaders like John Coltrane, Paul Chambers and Kenny Clarke.

Midnight Blue appeared in 1963 and between 1963 and 1970 Kenny Burrell continued to work the New York studios supporting players like Hank Jones and Illinois Jacquet. In 1964 Guitar Forms appeared and was the first of a succession of orchestral recordings for Verve records. Interspersed in this list of orchestral based records was A Generation Ago Today, Burrell’s tribute to Benny Goodman and Charlie Christian and a set of recordings made on the Cadet label in Chicago.

In the early 1970s Kenny Burrell moved to California and began recording on the Fantasy and CTI labels and later with Concord Records. A number of memorable sessions resulted from these associations such as ‘Round Midnight and Stormy Monday for Fantasy. It was during this time that Burrell began teaching a course on Duke Ellington at UCLA. This course and his interpretations of Ellington’s music made Burrell a recognized expert on Duke Ellington. In 1975 Burrell released a tribute to Duke Ellington, Ellington Is Forever.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s and 1980s Kenny Burrell released recordings at a regular rate. Between Introducing Kenny Burrell (1956) and Lucky So and So, (2001), Burrell released more than 90 recordings as leader and appeared on hundreds of recordings as sideman from bop to blues to pop.

From the start of his career Kenny Burrell was described as a bop and hard bop player. Some of his early recordings supported this description, but like all the great players, Kenny Burrell brought his own unique style and sound to his playing. The bop elements were there, along with blues and a great blend of the two styles. And Burrell proved himself to be an exceptional soloist. But, Kenny Burrell also preferred a much gentler, more melodic and expressive style of play. This style was reflected in two early recordings that pointed the way to a style and format that Burrell would use throughout his career. The two early recordings, Autumn In New York (intro and first 32 bars) , which appeared on Blue Lights (1958) and Night at The Village Vanguard (1959) were made with the instrumentation of guitar, bass and drums. This form was not new in 1958. Howard Roberts and Jim Hall had used it successfully with Chico Hamilton in 1953. But, the style Burrell adopted for this form became synonymous with Kenny Burrell and in some ways synonymous with the best of the Guitar Trio form. Many have felt that the trio recordings represented the very best of the live and recorded work from this great player. Perhaps more than any other guitarist, Kenny Burrell was responsible for perfecting and advancing this form for the guitar.

Today, Kenny Burrell continues to influence the jazz guitar community and further the value of jazz guitar. He performs and records on a regular basis and he continues to teach. He holds a BA in Music from Wayne State University, an honorary doctorate from William Paterson College and he is Professor of Guitar, Jazz Program Director at UCLA. He is co-founder and president emeritus of the Jazz Heritage Foundation, a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, and a member of the American Guild of Authors and Composers.

In addition, Kenny Burrell remains one of the most popular and respected jazz guitarists ever.