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Kenny Burrell, performing here at this year’s JazzReggae Festival, has helped spearhead jaz
Jazz events feature notables
Piano salons are called a ‘rare opportunity’ to see artists who do not often come to Los Angeles
Kenny Burrell lives and breathes jazz. Since his first recording with Dizzy Gillespie in 1951, he has become one of jazz’s most popular and sought-after guitarists. John Coltrane, Quincy Jones, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday and Sonny Rollins are but a few of the prominent artists he’s worked with.
With his 75th birthday coming up this December, Burrell shows no signs of slowing down. The guitarist runs the Jazz Studies Program at UCLA as well as Friends of Jazz at UCLA, a program that, with the help of the Fowler Museum, will hold four jazz piano salons between now and April 2007. The first concert will take place on Aug. 6 at the Fowler Museum.
“The main purpose of the Friends of Jazz is to be a support group of jazz studies and jazz programs at UCLA. The salons try to bring outstanding jazz artists to do workshops and to honor them,” Burrell said.
The salons are being held in memory of David Abell, a prominent jazz pianist who recently died. Friends of Jazz honored Abell last year with the Jazz Humanitarian Award.
“He was a main contributor to the jazz program at UCLA and was also one of the biggest sponsors of jazz music in L.A.,” Burrell said. “He worked with a lot of high school jazz musicians and was also the president of the L.A. Jazz Society.”
The proceeds from the salons will be donated to Abell’s scholarship fund in an effort to give to the jazz community he loved.
The first salon will feature Harold Mabern, a critically acclaimed jazz pianist with a style founded in hard bop. He will lead a trio featuring John Clayton on bass and Roy McCurdy on drums. Future salons will feature such notable musicians as Jessica Williams, George Cables and Fred Hersch.
“These are artists who do not come to L.A. very often, which makes it a rare opportunity for jazz fans,” Burrell explained.
The events have been organized by Ralph Ehrenpreis, who worked to assemble the group of talented and influential pianists scheduled to perform. The salons will consist of two sets of live music with a 45-minute question-and-answer period in between.
“Ehrenpreis loves jazz piano and he has found a great group of musicians,” Burrell said. “He felt the Fowler was a good venue but that it also is intimate enough to make the salons a very rewarding experience.”
Burrell explained that his continued love for jazz and his work at UCLA stem from the ever-changing nature of the music.
“Jazz continues to expand in terms of styles and in terms of personalities. It also continues to expand in a variety of idioms and incorporates different cultures,” he said. “A very bright musician, Gerald Wilson, just won teacher of the year at UCLA. He’s an example of how jazz incorporates so many different things: He uses the music of Mexico in his jazz.”
For Burrell, jazz continues to add new and innovative elements to its sound, a message he hopes to communicate through the upcoming salons.
“Jazz has something for everyone,” he said.
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