ON THIS DATE (42 YEARS AGO) December 5, 1972 - Kenny Dorham / McKinley Howard Dorham (b. August 30th 1924) died at the age of 48. Dorham was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer born in Fairfield, Texas. Dorhams talent is frequently lauded by critics and other musicians, but he never received the kind of attention from the jazz establishment that many of his peers did. For this reason, his name has become (in the words of writer Gary Giddins) virtually synonymous with underrated. He played in the big bands of Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton and Mercer Ellington and Charlie Parkers quintet. He was a charter member of the original cooperative Jazz Messengers. He also recorded as a sideman with Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk, and replaced Clifford Brown in the Max Roach Quintet in 1956. In addition to sideman work, he led his own groups, releasing 18 albums as a leader, debuting with Quiet Kenny in 1953. His band the Jazz Prophets featured a young Bobby Timmons on piano, bassist Sam Jones and tenorman J. R. Monterose with guest Kenny Burrell on guitar, recorded a live album Round About Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia in 1956 for Blue Note. In 1963 Kenny added the 26-year-old tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson to his group. He also composed the jazz standard Blue Bossa, which first appeared on Joe Hendersons album Page One. Kenny was one of the most active and sought-after bebop trumpeters, but sadly, sometimes forgotten by the media. Kenny Dorham
Posted on: Fri, 05 Dec 2014 16:40:00 +0000
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