Kenny Kirkland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Kenny Kirkland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kenneth David "Kenny" Kirkland (September 28, 1955

November 12, 1998) was an American
pianist/keyboardist.

Kenny Kirkland

Contents
1 Biography
1.1 Early life
1.2 Career
2 Discography
2.1 As leader
2.2 As sideman
3 References

Kenny Kirkland, 1991.

4 External links

Biography
Early life
Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1955, Kirkland was six
when he first sat down at a piano keyboard. After years of
Catholic schooling, Kirkland enrolled at the Manhattan
School of Music, where he studied classical piano
performance, classical theory and composition.

Career

Background information
Birth name

Kenneth David Kirkland

Born

September 28, 1955

Origin

Brooklyn, New York

Died

November 12, 1998 (aged 43)

Genres

Classical jazz, jazz fusion, big band,

neo-bop

Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments

Piano, keyboards

Years active

197398

Labels

A&M Records, GRP Records

His first professional work came with Polish fusion violinist Michal Urbaniak, touring throughout Europe
with his group in 1977. Coincidentally, Kirkland's next high-profile gig was with another Eastern European
jazz migr, Miroslav Vitous. Kirkland is featured on Vitous' ECM recordings First Meeting and Miroslav
Vitous Group.
In 1980, while Kirkland was on tour in Japan with Hino, he met Wynton Marsalis, which began their long
association. On Marsalis's self-titled debut album, Kirkland shared the piano duties with one of his musical
influences, Hancock, but was the sole pianist on Marsalis's subsequent releases Think of One, Hothouse
Flowers and Black Codes. After his association with Wynton Marsalis, Kirkland joined Branford Marsalis's
band. He is also on Marsalis's funk band album Buckshot Lefonque. When Branford Marsalis assumed the
high-visibility role of bandleader for NBC TV's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Kirkland became the
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band's pianist. But his time on the Los Angeles-based The Tonight Show was short-lived, for while he finally
received well desereved fame and publicity, he felt he was not making "real music", and thus returned to the
East Coast and more creative work after two years as The Tonight Show's pianist. He also ran contrary to
jazz orthodoxy when he left Wynton Marsalis's acoustic traditional jazz combo to join Branford Marsalis,
accompanying ex-Police pop star Sting. With Sting, and Marsalis (plus others) he played the keyboard
synthesizer in the album Dream of the Blue Turtles.
In 1991, he released his debut as a leader, Kenny Kirkland, on GRP Records. Thunder And Rainbows (1991,
Sunnyside Records), by "Jazz from Keystone", is a trio album with Kirkland, Charles Fambrough, and Jeff
"Tain" Watts.[1]
Leading up to and on June 13, 1998, Kirkland worked with long-time associate Jeff "Tain" Watts on the
drummer's debut recording Citizen Tain. According to producer Delfeayo Marsalis, "He was clearly not in
good shape." When asked about going to the doctor, Kirkland responded, "After the session. If I go now,
they'll make me check into a hospital." On June 4, doctors told Kirkland he had a congestive heart condition
that required an operation. However, due to 20 years of road work without adequate vacations and a lack of
physical exercise for many years, his chances of surviving any surgery were deemed 50/50 or less. Fearful of
going under the blade, Kirkland accepted his fate and was soon on the road with Branford Marsalis again.
On November 7, 1998, Kirkland attended Marsalis's wedding in his home town of New Rochelle, New York.
Kirkland was found deceased in his Queens apartment on Friday, November 13, 1998.[2]
The official doctor's report listed his death as due to congestive heart failure. He was survived by his mother,
a brother and two sisters.

Discography
As leader
Kenny Kirkland (1991)

As sideman
With Carla Bley
Heavy Heart (Watt, 1984)
With Michael Brecker
Michael Brecker (1987)
With Chico Freeman
Peaceful Heart, Gentle Spirit (Contemporary, 1980)
With Kenny Garrett

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Black Hope (1992)

Songbook (1997)
With Dizzy Gillespie
Closer to the Source (Atlantic, 1984)
New Faces (GRP, 1985)
With Billy Hart
Rah (Gramavision, 1988)
With Robert Hurst
One for Namesake (1994)
With Elvin Jones
Earth Jones (Palo Alto, 1982)
Brother John (1982)
With Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis (1981)
Think of One (1983)
Hot House Flowers (1984)
Black Codes (1985)
With Branford Marsalis
Scenes in the City (1983)
Royal Garden Blues (1985)
Renaissance (1986)
Random Abstract (1987)
Crazy People Music (1990)
I Heard You Twice the First Time (1992)
Requiem (1999)
With Delfeayo Marsalis
Pontius Pilate's Decision (1992)
With Lew Soloff

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But Beautiful (1987)

With Sting
The Dream of the Blue Turtles (1985)
Bring on the Night (1986)
...Nothing Like the Sun (1987)
Englishman in New York (1990)
The Soul Cages (1991)
Mercury Falling (1996)
With Miroslav Vitous
First Meeting (ECM, 1979)
Miroslav Vitous Group (ECM, 1980)
With Jeff "Tain" Watts
Megawatts (1991)
Citizen Tain (1999)
With John Scofield
Who's Who? (1979)

References
1. Allmusic (http://www.allmusic.com/album/thunder-and-rainbows-sunnyside-mw0000622864)
2. NYtimes obituary (http://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/15/nyregion/body-of-jazz-pianist-is-found-police-seek-causeof-death.html)

External links
Obituary reprinted from the Daily Telegraph
(http://www.stonealliance.com/Kirkland/DailyTelegraph.htm)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kenny_Kirkland&oldid=650112873"
Categories: 1955 births 1998 deaths African-American musicians American jazz keyboardists
American jazz pianists American keyboardists American male musicians GRP Records artists
Manhattan School of Music alumni Musicians from Brooklyn 20th-century pianists

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20th-century American musicians

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