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Kenny Dorham

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Kenny Dorham
Dorham in a DownBeat advertisement
Dorham in a DownBeat advertisement
Background information
Birth nameMcKinley Howard Dorham
Born(1924-08-30)August 30, 1924
Fairfield, Texas, U.S.
DiedDecember 5, 1972(1972-12-05) (aged 48)
New York City, U.S.
GenresJazz, bebop, mainstream jazz, hard bop
Occupation(s)Musician, bandleader, composer
Instrument(s)Trumpet, vocals

McKinley Howard "Kenny" Dorham (August 30, 1924 – December 5, 1972)[1] was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and occasional singer. 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'."[2]

Dorham also composed the bossa nova jazz standard "Blue Bossa", which was first recorded by his associate Joe Henderson.

Biography

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Dorham was one of the most active bebop trumpeters. Early in his career, he played in the big bands of Lionel Hampton, Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie, and Mercer Ellington, and in Charlie Parker's quintet.[1] He joined Parker's band in December 1948.[3] He was a charter member of the original cooperative the Jazz Messengers.[1] 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.[1] In addition to sideman work, Dorham led his own groups, including the Jazz Prophets[1] (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.

Dorham in an advertisement

In 1963, Dorham added the 26-year-old tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson to his group,[1] which later recorded the album Una Mas. 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.[1]

Dorham at Birdland in 1954

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 Prestige's 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".[4][5]

Death

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During his final years, Dorham suffered from kidney disease, from which he died on December 5, 1972, aged 48.[6]

Discography

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As leader

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Year recorded Title Label Year released Personnel/Notes
1946 Blues in Bebop Savoy Jazz 1998 Quintets, with Dorham (trumpet), Sonny Stitt (alto sax), Bud Powell (piano), Al Hall (bass), Wallace Bishop or Kenny Clarke (drums); also includes early material recorded with Billy Eckstine, Milt Jackson, Charlie Parker and Cecil Payne[7]
1953 Kenny Dorham Quintet Debut 1954 Quintet, with Dorham (trumpet), Jimmy Heath (tenor and baritone sax), Walter Bishop Jr. (piano), Percy Heath (bass), Kenny Clarke (drums); 10" LP[7]
1955 Afro-Cuban Blue Note 1955 Nonet, with Dorham (trumpet), J. J. Johnson (trombone), Hank Mobley (tenor sax), Cecil Payne (baritone sax), Horace Silver (piano), Oscar Pettiford (bass), Art Blakey (drums), Carlos "Patato" Valdes (congas), Richie Goldberg (cowbell, three tracks); sextet, with Mobley (tenor sax), Payne (baritone sax), Silver (piano), Percy Heath (bass), Blakey (drums); nonet tracks originally released as a 10" LP in 1955, then reissued as a 12" LP with the sextet tracks in 1957[7]
1956 Kenny Dorham and the Jazz Prophets Vol. 1 ABC-Paramount 1956 Quintet, with Dorham (trumpet), J. R. Monterose (tenor sax), Dick Katz (piano), Sam Jones (bass), Arthur Edghill (drums)[7]
1956 'Round About Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia Blue Note 1957 With Dorham (trumpet), J. R. Monterose (tenor sax), Bobby Timmons (piano), Kenny Burrell (guitar), Sam Jones (bass), Arthur Edghill (drums); two additional volumes with another 11 tracks released on the Japanese Blue Note label in 1984, and then fully reissued on CD as The Complete 'Round About Midnight At The Cafe Bohemia (Blue Note, 1995)[7]
1957 Jazz Contrasts – with Sonny Rollins Riverside 1957 With Dorham (trumpet), Sonny Rollins (tenor sax), Hank Jones (piano), Oscar Pettiford (bass), Max Roach (drums), Betty Glamann (harp)[7]
1957 2 Horns/2 Rhythm – with Ernie Henry Riverside 1957 With Dorham (trumpet, piano on one track), Ernie Henry (alto sax), Eddie Mathias or Wilbur Ware (bass), G. T. Hogan (drums)[7]
1958 This Is the Moment! Kenny Dorham Sings and Plays Riverside 1958 With Dorham (trumpet, vocal), Curtis Fuller (trombone), Cedar Walton (piano), Charlie Persip or G. T. Hogan (drums)[7]
1959 Blue Spring – with Cannonball Adderley Riverside 1959 With Dorham (trumpet), Cannonball Adderley (alto sax), David Amram (French horn), Cecil Payne (baritone sax), Cedar Walton (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), Jimmy Cobb or Philly Joe Jones (drums)[7]
1959 Quiet Kenny Prestige/New Jazz 1960 Quartet, with Dorham (trumpet), Tommy Flanagan (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), Art Taylor (drums); reissued as Kenny Dorham/1959 (Prestige, 1972)[7]
1960 The Arrival of Kenny Dorham Jaro International 1960 Quintet, with Dorham (trumpet), Charles Davis (baritone sax), Tommy Flanagan (piano), Butch Warren (bass), Buddy Enlow (drums); reissued as The Kenny Dorham Memorial Album (Xanadu, 1976)[7]
1960 Jazz Contemporary Time 1960 Quintet, with Dorham (trumpet), Charles Davis (baritone sax), Steve Kuhn (piano), Butch Warren (bass), Buddy Enlow (drums)[7]
1960 Showboat Time 1961 Quintet, with Dorham (trumpet), Jimmy Heath (tenor sax), Kenny Drew (piano), Butch Warren (bass), Buddy Enlow (drums)[7]
1961 Hot Stuff from Brazil West Wind 1988 With Dorham (trumpet), Curtis Fuller (trombone), Zoot Sims (tenor sax), Ronnie Ball (piano), Ben Tucker (bass), Dave Bailey (drums), Ray Mantilla (percussion), Herbie Mann (flute, one track)[7]
1961 Inta Somethin' – with Jackie McLean Pacific Jazz 1962 Quintet, with Dorham (trumpet), Jackie McLean (alto sax), Walter Bishop Jr. (piano), Leroy Vinnegar (bass), Art Taylor (drums)[7]
1961 Whistle Stop Blue Note 1961 Quintet, with Dorham (trumpet), Hank Mobley (tenor sax), Kenny Drew (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), Philly Joe Jones (drums)[7]
1962 Matador United Artists 1963 Quintet, with Dorham (trumpet), Jackie McLean (alto sax), Bobby Timmons (piano), Teddy Smith (bass), J. C. Moses (drums)[7]
1962 Una Mas Blue Note 1964 Quintet, with Dorham (trumpet), Joe Henderson (tenor sax), Herbie Hancock (piano), Butch Warren (bass), Tony Williams (drums)[7]
1963 The Flamboyan, Queens, NY, 1963 – with Joe Henderson Uptown 2009 Quintet, with Dorham (trumpet), Joe Henderson (tenor sax), Ronnie Mathews (piano), Steve Davis (bass), J. C. Moses (drums)[7]
1963 Scandia Skies SteepleChase 1980 Quintet, with Dorham and Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Tete Montoliu (piano), Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (bass), Alex Riel (drums); reissued, together with Short Story, as Scandia Story (SteepleChase, 1998)[7]
1963 Short Story SteepleChase 1979 Quintet, with Dorham (trumpet), Allan Botschinsky (flugelhorn), Tete Montoliu (piano), Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (bass), Alex Riel (drums); reissued, together with Scandia Skies, as Scandia Story (SteepleChase, 1998)[7]
1964 Jazz at P. S. 175 Harlem Youth Unlimited 1964 Quintet, with Dorham (trumpet; misspelled as "Durham"), Barry Harris (piano), Julian Euell (bass), Albert Heath (drums)[7]
1964 Trompeta Toccata Blue Note 1965 Quintet, with Dorham (trumpet), Joe Henderson (tenor sax), Tommy Flanagan (piano), Richard Davis (bass), Albert Heath (drums)[7]
1966 Last But Not Least 1966, Vol. 2 Raretone 1988 Quintet, with Dorham (trumpet), Sonny Red (alto sax), Cedar Walton (piano), John Ore (bass), Hugh Walker (drums); unofficial release[7]
1968 A Trumpet Tribute: A Tribute to Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown and Booker Little Trip Jazz 1975 Three sextet tracks, with Dorham, Bill Hardman and Richard Williams (trumpet), Lonnie Liston Smith (piano), Peck Morrison (bass), Richard Davis (bass), Walter Perkins (drums); reissued as Trumpet Summit: Live at Club Ruby, 1968 (Fresh Sound, 2005)[7]

As sideman

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Larkin, Colin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 124/5. ISBN 0-85112-580-8.
  2. ^ Freeman, Phil (January 15, 2013). "Spotlight: Doing the Philly Twist: Kenny Dorham's Whistle Stop". bluenote.com. Blue Note Records.
  3. ^ Owens, Thomas (1996). Bebop. Oxford University Press. p. 111. ISBN 978-0-19-510651-0.
  4. ^ Yanow, Scott (2000). Bebop. Miller Freeman Books. pp. 79–81. ISBN 0-87930-608-4.
  5. ^ Listing of the 2 Horns/2 Rhythm album on Discogs.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  6. ^ "Kenny Dorham". Bluenote.com. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "Kenny Dorham Discography". Jazz Discography Project. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
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