Kenny Burrell in 1948

[Hardbopjazz]

At the Club 666 in Detroit.  He must have been 15?

Edited June 12, 2019 by Hardbopjazz

[sonnymax]

That's a Bob Douglas photo taken in 1948, so Kenny would have been 16 or 17. That's Tommy Flanagan on piano.

[Big Beat Steve]

From the "Before Motown" book, page 148.

[Shrdlu]

Thanks for posting. A nice piece of history. The Detroit area has produced so many excellent jazz musicians.

Kenny's first recording was "Tin Tin Deo", in 1951, with Diz.

(That composition was not recorded by Diz's first big band, as you might have expected, unlike other Diz classics, such as "Ow" and "Oop Bop Sh'Bam". The 1951 recording was its first appearance on disk.)

[Hardbopjazz]

5 hours ago, sonnymax said:

That's a Bob Douglas photo taken in 1948, so Kenny would have been 16 or 17. That's Tommy Flanagan on piano.

Thanks. 

[Brad]

When we were young.  Sigh. 

[Milestones]

Is anyone surprised that Kenny was a professional (I assume) at this age?

 

[Justin V]

That is a great pic.  I wish that Uptown had released the Detroit compilation of jazz before Motown.  I remember writing Bob Sunenblick and he indicated that there had been a problem with a transfer but he seemed hopeful that it would see release.  At any rate, Detroit has been such a cradle for jazz talent.

[Mark Stryker]

16 minutes ago, Justin V said:

That is a great pic.  I wish that Uptown had released the Detroit compilation of jazz before Motown.  I remember writing Bob Sunenblick and he indicated that there had been a problem with a transfer but he seemed hopeful that it would see release.  At any rate, Detroit has been such a cradle for jazz talent.

Sorry for the  commercial, but I feel compelled to remind folks that my book "Jazz from Detroit" will be published in just three weeks on July 8 by the University of Michigan Press. The book explores Detroit's profound impact on jazz from the middle of the 20th Century until the present day. For more details -- including Playlists, various blog musings and music -- please visit my website: www.jazzfromdetroit.com. And if you'd like to pre-order, there's a discount code and link on the home page that will get you a 40% discount off of list price if you order through the U-M Press website.

Re: the picture of Burrell and Flanagan.

I had sought use of that photo for the book, but there were prohibitive issues in tracking down a Douglas family member to obtain rights. Even though the pictures are held in an archive at Cal State-Northridge, the university is not the copyright holder. 

Edited June 14, 2019 by Mark Stryker

[T.D.]

I just pre-ordered on Monday, very generous offer via the link.

[Mark Stryker]

17 minutes ago, T.D. said:

I just pre-ordered on Monday, very generous offer via the link.

You rock, thanks!

[king ubu]

Pre-ordered as well, though I have no clue how horrendous the international shipping costs will be, no info on the UMich site.