Kenny Burrell
- Born:
- (age 94), Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
- Years active:
- 1951–Present
- Instrument:
- Guitar
- Genres:
- Jazz, Blues, Funk / Soul, Pop, Stage & Screen, Latin, Rock, Folk, World, & Country, Hip Hop
- Styles:
- Hard Bop, Bop, Soul-Jazz, Swing, Post Bop, Cool Jazz, Big Band, Latin Jazz, Vocal, Bossa Nova
Kenny Burrell is a towering figure in jazz guitar, known for his prolific career spanning nearly a dozen genres, including Hard Bop, Soul-Jazz, and Bop. His discography features a remarkable balance between his own projects, such as the iconic album “Midnight Blue”, and his essential sideman work. His career demonstrates a clear stylistic evolution: from anchoring Bop collaborations with Dizzy Gillespie in the 1950s, illustrated by “Introducing Kenny Burrell”, to defining the Soul-Jazz sound in the 1960s with “Midnight Blue”. This broad versatility allowed him to record on cornerstone labels like Blue Note, Prestige, and Concord Jazz, and work closely with giants such as John Coltrane and Jimmy Smith
Essential Kenny Burrell Albums
Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane
Kenny Burrell, John Coltrane
1963
Hard Bop
Midnight Blue
Kenny Burrell
1963
Soul-Jazz
Organ Grinder Swing
Jimmy Smith, Kenny Burrell, Grady Tate
1965
Hard Bop
Guitar Forms
Kenny Burrell
1965
Big Band
God Bless The Child
Kenny Burrell
1971
The Cats
Tommy Flanagan, John Coltrane, Kenny Burrell, Idrees Sulieman
1959
Hard Bop
Kenny Burrell
Kenny Burrell
1956
Hard Bop
Blue Lights, Volume 1
Kenny Burrell
1958
Hard Bop
Blue Lights, Vol. 2
Kenny Burrell
1958
Hard Bop
Introducing Kenny Burrell
Kenny Burrell
1956
Hard Bop
Similar Artists
Top Labels
| Label | Releases |
|---|---|
| Verve Records | 160 |
| Blue Note | 133 |
| Prestige | 103 |
| Atlantic | 17 |
| Columbia | 16 |
| Riverside Records | 15 |
| Fantasy | 15 |
| Savoy Records | 14 |
| Universal Music Group | 14 |
| Capitol Records | 12 |
Kenny Burrell Collaborations
As Leader
| Musician | Role | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Tommy Flanagan | Piano | 11 |
| Paul Chambers | Bass | 9 |
| Ron Carter | Bass | 9 |
| Grady Tate | Drums | 7 |
| Bobby Timmons | Piano | 5 |
| Art Taylor | Drums | 5 |
| Doug Watkins | Bass | 5 |
| Bill English | Drums | 5 |
| Milt Hinton | Bass | 5 |
| Ray Barretto | Congas | 5 |
As Sideman
| Musician | Role | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Osie Johnson | Drums | 27 |
| Hank Jones | Piano | 26 |
| Milt Hinton | Bass | 23 |
| Grady Tate | Drums | 22 |
| George Duvivier | Bass | 21 |
| Jimmy Cleveland | Trombone | 21 |
| Jimmy Smith | Organ | 18 |
| Richard Davis | Bass | 18 |
| Ernie Royal | Trumpet | 17 |
| Joe Newman | Trumpet | 15 |
Key Personnel
| Person | Role | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Various | Leader | 92 |
| Jimmy Smith | Leader | 36 |
| Creed Taylor | Producer | 35 |
| Rudy Van Gelder | Engineer | 35 |
| Rudy Van Gelder | Recorded By | 34 |
| Rudy Van Gelder | Lacquer Cut By | 34 |
| Alfred Lion | Producer | 22 |
| Reid Miles | Design [Cover] | 19 |
| Ira Gitler | Liner Notes | 17 |
| Val Valentin | Engineer [Director Of Engineering] | 16 |
Discography
Total: 601 releases
| Artist | Album | Label | Leader/Sideman | Style | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kippie Moketsi* | Hard Top | - | Sideman | 2025 | |
| Billie Holiday | Stay With Me | - | Sideman | 2024 | |
| Hugo Lippi | Reflections In B. | - | Sideman | 2024 | |
| Teri Roiger, John Menegon, Jack DeJohnette, Kenny Burrell | Misterioso | - | Leader | 2024 | |
| Doug Macdonald and The Coachella Valley Trio | Live At The Rancho Mirage Library | - | Sideman | 2024 | |
| Alex Rossi And Friends | Buenos Aires Sessions | - | Sideman | 2024 | |
| Tobias Hoffmann Trio | Slow Dance | Klaeng Records | Sideman | Contemporary Jazz | 2022 |
| Alex Baird | Lemon Tree | - | Sideman | 2022 | |
| John Coltrane | Giant Steps | - | Sideman | 2022 | |
| Leon Lee Dorsey* | Cantaloupe Island | - | Sideman | 2022 | |
| Bill Evans, Harold Land, Kenny Burrell, Ray Brown, Philly Joe Jones* | Quintessence | - | Leader | 2021 | |
| Riccardo Ferranti Feat. Davide Bergamaschi E Maxx Zaccheroni | Live In Maleo - Albergo Del Sole | - | Sideman | 2021 | |
| Manfred Junker, Dani Solimine | Guitarists Only | - | Sideman | 2021 | |
| Makaya McCraven | Deciphering The Message | Blue Note | Sideman | Contemporary Jazz | 2021 |
| John Coltrane | Coltrane Time | - | Sideman | 2021 | |
| Ratko Divjak | For 70 Years | Nika Records | Sideman | Fusion | 2020 |
| Patrick Coutin | Obsolètes Paradise | - | Sideman | 2019 | |
| Terror Cell Unit | God Took Everything Away From Us & Now We Will Take Everything From You | - | Sideman | 2019 | |
| John Coltrane | Coltrane '58: The Prestige Recordings | - | Sideman | 2019 | |
| Jacek Niedziela-Meira*, Kajetan Galas, Łukasz Żyta, Grzegorz Pałka | Burrelhouse | - | Sideman | 2019 |
Styles & Genres Distribution
Styles
| Style | Releases | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Hard Bop | 72 | 3.7% |
| Bop | 64 | 3.3% |
| Soul-Jazz | 61 | 3.1% |
| Swing | 31 | 1.6% |
| Post Bop | 25 | 1.3% |
| Cool Jazz | 23 | 1.2% |
| Big Band | 21 | 1.1% |
| Latin Jazz | 19 | 1% |
| Vocal | 19 | 1% |
| Bossa Nova | 15 | 0.8% |
Genres
| Genre | Releases | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Jazz | 347 | 17.8% |
| Blues | 24 | 1.2% |
| Funk / Soul | 23 | 1.2% |
| Pop | 14 | 0.7% |
| Stage & Screen | 13 | 0.7% |
| Latin | 10 | 0.5% |
| Rock | 5 | 0.3% |
| Folk, World, & Country | 3 | 0.2% |
| Hip Hop | 3 | 0.2% |
