Kenneth Sidney "Kenny" Drew (August 28, 1928 – August 4, 1993) was an American-Danish

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

pianist.

Biography

Drew was born on August 28, 1928, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, United States, and he received piano lessons from the age of five. Feather, Leonard, & Ira Gitler (2007). ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'',

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

. He attended the High School of Music & Art in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. His first recording, in 1950, was with trumpeter

Howard McGhee Howard McGhee (March 6, 1918 – July 17, 1987) was one of the first American bebop jazz trumpeters, with Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro and Idrees Sulieman. He was known for his fast fingering and high notes. He had an influence on younger bebo ...

, and over the next two years Drew worked in bands led by

Buddy DeFranco Boniface Ferdinand Leonard "Buddy" DeFranco (February 17, 1923 – December 24, 2014) was an American jazz clarinetist. In addition to his work as a bandleader, DeFranco led the Glenn Miller Orchestra for almost a decade in the 1960s and 1970s. ...

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first ...

Lester Young Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most i ...

, and

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz Saxophone, saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of beb ...

, among others. After a brief period with his own trio in California, Drew returned to New York, playing with

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (; born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, one of the most popular black female recording artists of the 1950s. Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a ...

Johnny Griffin John Arnold Griffin III (April 24, 1928 – July 25, 2008) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Nicknamed "the Little Giant" for his short stature and forceful playing, Griffin's career began in the mid-1940s and continued until the month of ...

, Buddy Rich, and several others over the following few years. He led many recording sessions throughout the 1950s, and appears on

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the Jazz#Post-war jazz, history of jazz and 20th-century musi ...

's 1958 album '' Blue Train''. Drew was one of the American jazz musicians who settled in Europe around this period: he moved to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France, in 1961 and to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, Denmark, three years later. While he sacrificed much of the interest of the American jazz audience, he gained a wide following across Europe. Drew was a well-known figure on the Copenhagen jazz scene, recording many sessions with the Danish bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen. "Living in Copenhagen, and travelling out from there," Drew remarked, "I have probably worked in more different contexts than if I had stayed in New York where I might have got musically locked in with a set-group of musicians. This way, I have been able to keep my musical antennas in shape, while at the same time I have had more time to study and also get deeper into my own endeavors." Drew and

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians. Gordon's height was , so he was also known as "Long Tall Dexter" an ...

appeared on screen in Ole Ege's theatrically released hardcore pornographic film ''Pornografi – en musical'' (1971), for which they composed and performed the score. Drew died in August 1993 in Copenhagen, Denmark (he had stomach cancer, but it was unclear if this was the cause of death) and he was interred in the Assistens Cemetery in

Nørrebro Nørrebro (, ) is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. It is northwest of the city centre, beyond the location of the old Northern Gate (''Nørreport''), which, until dismantled in 1856, was near the current N ...

, Copenhagen. A street is named after him in southern Copenhagen, "Kenny Drews Vej" (Eng., Kenny Drew’s Road). His son, Kenny Drew Jr., was also a jazz pianist.

Playing style

Drew's touch was described in ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'' as "precise", and his playing as being a combination of bebop-influenced melodic improvisation and block chords, including "refreshingly subtle harmonizations".

Discography

As leader

Compilation * '' Solo-Duo'' ( Storyville, 1996) – rec. 1966–83

As sideman

With Tina Brooks * '' Back to the Tracks'' (Blue Note, 1998) – rec. 1960 * '' The Waiting Game'' (Blue Note, 2002) – rec. 1961 With Clifford Brown * '' Best Coast Jazz'' (EmArcy, 1954) * '' Clifford Brown All Stars'' (EmArcy, 1956) – rec. 1954 With

* '' High Step'' (Blue Note, 1975) – rec. 1956 * '' Blue Train'' (Blue Note, 1958) – rec. 1957 With Kenny Dorham * '' Showboat'' (Time, 1960) * '' Whistle Stop'' (Blue Note, 1961) – rec. 1960 With

Art Farmer Arthur Stewart Farmer (August 21, 1928 – October 4, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet–flugelhorn combination especially designed for him. He and his identical twin brother, doub ...

* '' Farmer's Market'' (New Jazz, 1956) * ''

'' (Soul Note, 1981) With

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

* '' The Giant'' (America, 1973) * '' The Source'' (America, 1973) With

* '' Daddy Plays the Horn'' (Bethlehem, 1955) * '' Dexter Calling...'' (Blue Note, 1962) – rec. 1961 * '' One Flight Up'' (Blue Note, 1965) – rec. 1964 * '' A Day in Copenhagen'' (MPS, 1969) also with Slide Hampton * '' Some Other Spring'' (Sonet, 1970) also with Karin Krog * '' The Apartment'' (SteepleChase, 1975) * '' Swiss Nights Vol. 1'' (SteepleChase, 1976) – rec. 1975 * '' Swiss Nights Vol. 2'' (SteepleChase, 1978) – rec. 1975 * '' Swiss Nights Vol. 3'' (SteepleChase, 1979) – rec. 1975 * ''

Landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, rockslips or rockslides, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, mudflows, shallow or deep-seated slope failures and debris flows. Landslides ...

'' (Blue Note, 1980) – rec. 1961-62 * '' Both Sides of Midnight'' (Black Lion, 1981) – rec. 1967 * '' Body and Soul'' (Black Lion, 1981) – rec. 1967 * '' Take the "A" Train'' (Black Lion, 1988) – rec. 1967 * '' The Squirrel'' (Blue Note, 1997) – rec. 1967 * '' Loose Walk'' (SteepleChase, 2003) – rec. 1965 * ''

Misty In cryptography, MISTY1 (or MISTY-1) is a block cipher designed in 1995 by Mitsuru Matsui and others for Mitsubishi Electric. MISTY1 is one of the selected algorithms in the European NESSIE project, and has been among the cryptographic tech ...

'' (SteepleChase, 2004) – rec. 1965 * '' Heartaches'' (SteepleChase, 2004) – rec. 1965 * '' Ladybird'' (SteepleChase, 2005) – rec. 1965 * '' Stella by Starlight'' (SteepleChase, 2005) – rec. 1966 * '' Live in Tokyo 1975'' (Elemental Music, 2018) – rec. 1975 With Ken McIntyre *'' Hindsight'' (SteepleChase, 1974) *'' Open Horizon'' (SteepleChase, 1976) – rec. 1965 With Jackie McLean * '' Jackie's Bag'' (Blue Note, 1960) – rec. 1959–60 * '' Bluesnik'' (Blue Note, 1962) – rec. 1961 * '' Live at Montmartre'' (SteepleChase, 1972) * '' A Ghetto Lullaby'' (SteepleChase, 1974) – rec. 1973 * '' The Meeting'' (SteepleChase, 1974) also with

– rec. 1973 * '' The Source'' (SteepleChase, 1974) also with Dexter Gordon – rec. 1973 With

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American retired jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, Rollins recorded over sixt ...

* '' Sonny Rollins with the Modern Jazz Quartet'' (Prestige, 1951) * '' Tour de Force'' (Prestige, 1956) * '' Sonny Boy'' (Prestige, 1961) – rec. 1956 With

Sonny Stitt Sonny Stitt (born Edward Hammond Boatner Jr.; February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982) was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. Known for his warm tone, he was one of the best-documented saxophonists of his era, recording over ...

* '' Kaleidoscope'' (Prestige, 1957) – rec. 1950 * '' Stitt's Bits'' (Prestige, 1958) – rec. 1950 With

Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor Saxophone, saxophonist. He performed in the United States and Europe and made many recordings with Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Johnny Hodges, a ...

* ''First Concert In Denmark'' – rec. 1965 * ''Saturday Night At The Montmartre'' (Black Lion, 1970) – rec. 1965. reissued as ''Stormy Weather'' * ''Sunday Morning At The Montmartre'' (Black Lion, 1977) – rec. 1965. reissued as ''Gone with the Wind''. Wíth others *

Gene Ammons Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as "The Boss", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and R ...

, '' Goodbye'' (Prestige, 1974) * Svend Asmussen, ''Prize/Winners'' (Baystate, 1978) *

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

, '' (Chet Baker Sings) It Could Happen to You'' (Riverside, 1958) *

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

, '' Originally'' (Columbia, 1982) – rec. 1956 *

Benny Carter Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. With Johnny Hodges, he was a pioneer on the alto saxophone. From the beginning of his career ...

, '' Summer Serenade'' (Storyville, 1982) – rec. 1980 *

Paul Chambers Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers Jr. (April 22, 1935 – January 4, 1969) was an American jazz double bassist. A fixture of rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, he has become one of the most widely-known jazz bassists of the hard bop er ...

, '' Chambers' Music'' (Jazz:West, 1956) * Ted Curson, '' Plenty of Horn'' (Old Town, 1961) * Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, '' All of Me'' (SteepleChase, 1983) * Teddy Edwards, '' Out of This World'' (SteepleChase, 1980) *

Grant Green Grant Green (June 6, 1935 – January 31, 1979) was an American jazz guitarist and composer. Green has been called one of the "most sampled guitarists." Biography Grant Green was born on June 6, 1935, in St. Louis, Missouri, to John and ...

, '' Sunday Mornin''' (Blue Note, 1962) – rec. 1961 *

, '' Blues for Harvey'' (SteepleChase, 1973) * Ernie Henry, '' Presenting Ernie Henry'' (Riverside, 1956) * Joe Maini, ''Embers Glow'' (Jazz: West, 1956) * Ray Nance, '' Huffin'n'Puffin''' (MPS 1972) – rec. 1971 * Kim Parker, '' Havin' Myself a Time'' (Soul Note, 1982) – rec. 1981 * Rita Reys, '' The Cool Voice of Rita Reys'' (Columbia, 1956) – rec. 1955–56 * Sahib Shihab, '' Sentiments'' (Storyville, 1972) – rec. 1971 *

Toots Thielemans Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans (29 April 1922 – 22 August 2016), known professionally as Toots Thielemans (), was a Belgian jazz musician. He was mostly known for playing the chromatic harmonica, as well as his guitar and wh ...

, '' Man Bites Harmonica!'' (Riverside, 1957) * Tiziana Ghiglioni, ''Sounds Of Love'' (Soul Note, 1983)

References

External links

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

Discography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Drew, Kenny 1928 births 1993 deaths 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American pianists Almost Big Band members American emigrants to Denmark American expatriates in Denmark American jazz pianists American male jazz pianists Blue Note Records artists Danish jazz pianists Hard bop pianists Jazz musicians from New York City Mainstream jazz pianists Post-bop pianists Riverside Records artists SteepleChase Records artists The High School of Music & Art alumni Timeless Records artists Xanadu Records artists