Kenny Drew: Biography

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• Discography
• Biography
• Related Artists

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• Elmo Hope
• Tommy Flanagan
• Wynton Kelly
• Hank Jones
• Cedar Walton
• Red Garland
• George Wallington

• Hampton Hawes
• Bud Powell
• Duke Jordan
• John Lewis
• Horace Silver
• Al Haig
• Teddy Wilson

• Al Dubin
• Harry Warren
• Harold Arlen
• Johnny Mercer
• Jerome Kern
• Cole Porter

• Art Blakey
• Sonny Rollins
• Paul Chambers
• Philly Joe Jones
• Alex Riel
• Nils Winther
• Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen

Born:

Aug 28, 1928 in New York, NY

Died:

Aug 4, 1993 in Copenhagen, Denmark

Genres:

Jazz Music, Bop Jazz Music

Decades Active:

1950's|1960's|1970's|1980's|1990's

Artistic Quality

High

Cultural Impact

High

Popularity

High

Ratings Guide

A talented bop-based pianist (whose son has been one of the brightest pianists of the 1990s), Kenny Drew was somewhat underrated due to his decision to permanently move to Copenhagen in 1964. He made his recording debut in 1949 with Howard McGhee and in the 1950s was featured on sessions with a who's who of jazz, including Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Milt Jackson, Buddy DeFranco's quartet, Dinah Washington, and Buddy Rich (1958). Drew led sessions for Blue Note, Norgran, Pacific Jazz, Riverside, and the obscure Judson label during 1953-1960; most of the sessions are available on CD. He moved to Paris in 1961 and relocated to Copenhagen in 1964 where he was co-owner of the Matrix label. He formed a duo with Niels-Henning Orsted Pederson and worked regularly at the ~Montmartre. Drew recorded many dates for SteepleChase in the 1970s and remained active up until his death.

- Scott Yanow, All Music Guide