Kenny Burrell lives and breathes jazz. Since his first recording
with Dizzy Gillespie in 1951, he has become one of jazz’s
most popular and sought-after guitarists. John Coltrane, Quincy
Jones, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday and Sonny Rollins are but a
few of the prominent artists he’s worked with.
With his 75th birthday coming up this December, Burrell shows no
signs of slowing down. The guitarist runs the Jazz Studies Program
at UCLA as well as Friends of Jazz at UCLA, a program that, with
the help of the Fowler Museum, will hold four jazz piano salons
between now and April 2007. The first concert will take place on
Aug. 6 at the Fowler Museum.
“The main purpose of the Friends of Jazz is to be a
support group of jazz studies and jazz programs at UCLA. The salons
try to bring outstanding jazz artists to do workshops and to honor
them,” Burrell said.
The salons are being held in memory of David Abell, a prominent
jazz pianist who recently died. Friends of Jazz honored Abell last
year with the Jazz Humanitarian Award.
“He was a main contributor to the jazz program at UCLA and
was also one of the biggest sponsors of jazz music in L.A.,”
Burrell said. “He worked with a lot of high school jazz
musicians and was also the president of the L.A. Jazz
Society.”
The proceeds from the salons will be donated to Abell’s
scholarship fund in an effort to give to the jazz community he
loved.
The first salon will feature Harold Mabern, a critically
acclaimed jazz pianist with a style founded in hard bop. He will
lead a trio featuring John Clayton on bass and Roy McCurdy on
drums. Future salons will feature such notable musicians as Jessica
Williams, George Cables and Fred Hersch.
“These are artists who do not come to L.A. very often,
which makes it a rare opportunity for jazz fans,” Burrell
explained.
The events have been organized by Ralph Ehrenpreis, who worked
to assemble the group of talented and influential pianists
scheduled to perform. The salons will consist of two sets of live
music with a 45-minute question-and-answer period in between.
“Ehrenpreis loves jazz piano and he has found a great
group of musicians,” Burrell said. “He felt the Fowler
was a good venue but that it also is intimate enough to make the
salons a very rewarding experience.”
Burrell explained that his continued love for jazz and his work
at UCLA stem from the ever-changing nature of the music.
“Jazz continues to expand in terms of styles and in terms
of personalities. It also continues to expand in a variety of
idioms and incorporates different cultures,” he said.
“A very bright musician, Gerald Wilson, just won teacher of
the year at UCLA. He’s an example of how jazz incorporates so
many different things: He uses the music of Mexico in his
jazz.”
For Burrell, jazz continues to add new and innovative elements
to its sound, a message he hopes to communicate through the
upcoming salons.
“Jazz has something for everyone,” he said.