Kenny Dorham

McKinley Howard "Kenny" Dorham (August 30, 1924 – December 5, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer. 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 composed the jazz standard " Blue Bossa", which first appeared on Joe Henderson's album ''Page One''.

Biography

Dorham was one of the most active bebop trumpeters. He played in the big bands of Lionel Hampton, Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie, and Mercer Ellington and the quintet of Charlie Parker. He joined Parker's band in December 1948. He was a charter member of the original cooperative 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 (formed shortly after Art Blakey took over the Jazz Messengers name). The Jazz Prophets, featuring 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, Dorham added the 26-year-old tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson to his group, which later recorded ''Una Mas'' (the group also featured a young Tony Williams). The friendship between the two musicians led to a number of other albums, such as Henderson's '' Page One'', '' Our Thing'' and ''In 'n Out''. Dorham recorded frequently throughout the 1960s for Blue Note and Prestige Records, as leader and as sideman for Henderson, Jackie McLean, Cedar Walton, Andrew Hill, Milt Jackson and others.

Dorham's later quartet consisted of some well-known jazz musicians: Tommy Flanagan (piano), Paul Chambers (double bass), and Art Taylor (drums). Their recording debut was '' Quiet Kenny'' for the Prestige Records' New Jazz label, an album which featured mostly ballads. An earlier quartet featuring Dorham as co-leader with alto saxophone player Ernie Henry had released an album together under the name "Kenny Dorham/Ernie Henry Quartet." They produced the album ''2 Horns / 2 Rhythm'' for Riverside Records in 1957 with double bassist Eddie Mathias and drummer G.T. Hogan. In 1990 the album was re-released on CD under the name "Kenny Dorham Quartet featuring Ernie Henry."

During his final years Dorham suffered from kidney disease, from which he died on December 5, 1972, aged 48.

Discography

As leader

* 1953: '' Kenny Dorham Quintet'' (Debut)
* 1955: '' Afro-Cuban'' ( Blue Note)
* 1956: '' 'Round About Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia'' (Blue Note)
* 1956: ''And The Jazz Prophets Vol. 1'' (ABC-Paramount ABC-122)
* 1957: '' Jazz Contrasts'' ( Riverside) featuring Sonny Rollins
* 1957: ''2 Horns / 2 Rhythm'' (Riverside) featuring Ernie Henry
* 1958: ''This Is the Moment!'' (Riverside)
* 1959: '' Blue Spring'' (Riverside) with Cannonball Adderley
* 1959: '' Quiet Kenny'' ( New Jazz)
* 1960: ''The Arrival of Kenny Dorham'' (JARO); reissued as ''The Kenny Dorham Memorial Album'' ( Xanadu, 1976)
* 1960: ''Jazz Contemporary'' (Time)
* 1960: '' Showboat'' (Time)
* 1961: ''Whistle Stop'' (Blue Note)
* 1961: '' Hot Stuff From Brazil'' ( West Wind)
* 1961: ''Inta Somethin''' (Pacific Jazz) – Co-led with Jackie McLean
* 1962: ''Matador'' (United Artists)
* 1963: ''Una Mas'' (Blue Note)
* 1963: ''Scandia Skies'' (SteepleChase)
* 1963: ''Short Story'' (SteepleChase)
* 1964: '' Trompeta Toccata'' (Blue Note)

As sideman

With Charlie Parker
*''Swedish Schnapps'' (Verve)
With Toshiko Akiyoshi
*''Toshiko at Top of the Gate'' (Nippon Columbia, 1968; reissued by Denon)
With Dave Bailey
*'' Bash!'' (Jazzline, 1961) - reissued as ''Tommy Flanagan Trio And Sextet'' (Onyx/Xanadu, 1973) and under Dorham's name as ''Osmosis'' (Black Lion, 1990)
With Andy Bey
*''Andy and the Bey Sisters'' (Fontana, 1959; reissued as Emarcy CD)
With The Birdland Stars
*''On Tour'' (2 volumes, RCA Victor 1956)
With Art Blakey
*'' The Jazz Messengers at the Cafe Bohemia Volume 1'' (1955)
*'' The Jazz Messengers at the Cafe Bohemia Volume 2'' (1955)
With Rocky Boyd
*'' Ease It'' (Jazztime, 1961; reissued as ''West 42nd Street'' on Black Lion under Dorham's name)
With Kenny Burrell
* '' Kenny Burrell'' (Blue Note BLP 1543, 1956) – 1 track
With Tadd Dameron
*''Fontainebleau'' (Prestige, 1956)
With Lou Donaldson
*''Quartet/Quintet/Sextet'' (Blue Note, 1954)
With Matthew Gee
*''Jazz by Gee'' (Riverside, 1956)
With Herb Geller
*''Fire in the West'' (Jubilee 1957, Josie 1962); ''That Geller Feller'' (Fresh Sound, 2003)
With Benny Golson
*''The Modern Touch'' (Riverside, 1957)
With Barry Harris
*'' Bull's Eye!'' (Prestige, 1968)
With Joe Henderson
*'' Page One'' (Blue Note, 1963)
*'' Our Thing'' (Blue Note, 1963)
*''In 'n Out'' (Blue Note, 1964)
With Ernie Henry
*'' Presenting Ernie Henry'' (Riverside, 1956)
*''Last Chorus