Happy birthday Sirone, JC roster saxophonist Joey Berkley and we - TopicsExpress

Happy birthday Sirone, JC roster saxophonist Joey Berkley and we remember the great Kenny Kirkland. Pianist Kenny Kirklands skillful, accurate comping and blistering melodic explorations provided a solid foundation for the early work of both Wynton Marsalis and Branford Marsalis. While he was equally innovative in both jazz and pop, and at one point played in the most successful groups in both genres, his musical contributions have faded from view since his untimely death in 1998. Kenneth David Kirkland was born on September 28th, 1955 in Brooklyn, New York. Kirkland began to make a name for himself on the jazz scene at the same time as two brothers from New Orleans, Wynton and Branford Marsalis. By one account, Kirkland first met Wynton Marsalis while touring Japan with trumpeter Terumasa Hino. Regardless of how they met, their five-year professional relationship began when he joined Wynton on the trumpeters self-titled debut album, on which Kirkland shared piano duties with Herbie Hancock. As Wynton Marsalis rose to prominence, jazz tastes shifted towards his classic sound with its strong emphasis on the technical virtuosity of the bebop tradition. Kirkland offered welcome colors to this context, as his playing was more of a throwback to 1960s pianists like Hancock and McCoy Tyner. Kirkland was also the pianist on saxophonist Branford Marsaliss initial releases on Columbia Records. In fact, Branford provided Kirkland with the steadiest work of his career, as the two played together almost in every capacity up until the early 1990s. A major shift in this landscape occurred in 1985 when Branford Marsalis left Wyntons band to join pop star Stings touring band. Kirkland followed Branford with Sting, and Wynton publicly denounced the two for eschewing jazz. Kirkland stayed with Sting for more than ten years and helped the bassist and singer consolidate his solo career in the late 1980s. In the early 1990s, Kirkland joined Branford when he took over as musical director for NBCs Tonight Show. While the pair enjoyed the steady work, they also became disenchanted with the lack of creative expression that the job entailed. I got into it, but I thought I would do it maybe for one year, Kirkland said later. And then it got really comfortable, you know; a steady paycheck, the benefits and everything, you know. Which is just great for a road musician, that you get a steady paycheck. But I was not really happy doing that. After years of playing behind other musicians, in 1991 Kirkland released his self-titled first album as a leader for the GRP label. The previous year, he collaborated with hip-hop group Gang Starr on the soundtrack to Spike Lees 1990 film Mo Better Blues. Kirkland also contributed piano and keyboard tracks to Branfords hip-hop fusion group Buckshot Lefonque, whose first album featured production by DJ Premier from Gang Starr. As the 1990s rolled along, so did Kenny Kirkland. He continued to perform with Sting, but his health began to rapidly decline. In the summer of 1998, while working on drummer Jeff Tain Wattss debut album, he was informed by doctors that he had congestive heart failure and that he didnt stand a good chance of survival even after surgery. On November 7th of that same year, Kirkland attended Branford Marsalis wedding in New Rochelle, New York. On November 13th he was found dead in his apartment in Queens. He was only forty-three years old. Despite this untimely death, Kirkland left a rich recorded legacy. He started off extending the branch of old pianists, but developed his own sound as his career continued to evolve. History might not yet properly remember him for his contributions but his work is strong enough to endure the test of time.