Kenny Dorham | Artist

McKinley Howard "Kenny" Dorham was an American jazz trumpeter, composer and singer born 1924 in Fairfield, Texas. Dorham's talent is frequently lauded by critics and other musicians, but he never received the kind of attention or public recognition from the jazz establishment that many of his peers did. For this reason, writer Gary Giddins said that Dorham's name has become "virtually synonymous with 'underrated'." Dorham was one of the most active bebop trumpeters. He had a deeply moving, pure tone on trumpet; his sound was clear, sharp, and piercing, especially during ballads. He could spin out phrases and lines, but when he slowly and sweetly played the melody it was an evocative event. In his youth, Dorham studied and played trumpet, tenor sax, and piano. He was a bandmember in high school and college; a college bandmate was Wild Bill Davis. Dorham started during the swing era, but was recruited by Dizzy Gillespie and Billy Eckstine to join their bands in the mid-'40s. He even sang blues with Gillespie's band. He recorded with the Be Bop Boys on Savoy in 1946. After short periods with Lionel Hampton and Mercer Ellington, Dorham joined Charlie Parker's group in 1948, staying there until 1949. He did sessions in New York during the early and mid-'50s, making his recording debut as a leader on Charles Mingus and Max Roach's Debut label in 1953. Dorham was a charter member of the original The Jazz Messengers. He also recorded as a sideman with Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins, and he replaced Clifford Brown in the Max Roach Quintet after Brown's death in 1956. In addition to sideman work, Dorham led his own groups, including the Jazz Prophets. He cut the superb Afro-Cuban for Blue Note with Cecil Payne, Hank Mobley, and Horace Silver in 1955. Over the next decade he recorded over a dozen excellent studio albums either as soloist, or credited to his Quartet, Quintet or Septet ensembles. A selection of standout album releaes includes Afro-Cuban (1955), Quiet Kenny (1960), Whistle Stop (1961), Una más (One More Time) (1964), and Trompeta Toccata (1965). Dorham also composed the bossa nova jazz standard "Blue Bossa", which was first recorded by Joe Henderson. He also wrote scores for the films Les Liaisons Dangereuses and Un Témoin dans la Ville in 1959. During his final years, Dorham suffered from kidney disease, from which he died on December 5, 1972, aged 48.

Artist Website: wikipedia/Kenny_Dorham

Featured Albums: Kenny Dorham

Related Artists: The Jazz Messengers