Lest We Forget: Kenny Kirkland
By Alex Henderson
As a sideman for trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, pianist Kenny Kirkland played a role in the straightahead bop revival of the ‘80s. But he was an eclectic, versatile musician also remembered for his work in fusion groups to his years backing pop-rock superstar Sting.
Born in Brooklyn in 1955, Kirkland (who would have turned 65 in September) made his presence felt in the late ‘70s through associations with well-known fusioneers Polish violinist Michał Urbaniak and Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš but took a more straightahead approach when, in the ‘80s, he played on albums by Marsalis and his older brother, tenor saxophonist Branford. The former, more than most, was responsible for the rise of players journalists dubbed the Young Lions: traditionalists in their 20s setting out to recreate the jazz of the ‘50s-60s.
But while Wynton saw himself as strictly a traditionalist, Branford made no secret of his interest in rock, R&B and hip-hop and Kirkland shared that outlook, appearing on his funky Buckshot LeFonque project. It was that work, in fact, which led to his association with Sting, who employed Kirkland on hit albums like 1985’s The Dream of the Blue Turtles, 1987’s Nothing Like the Sun and 1991’s The Soul Cages.In 1991, Kirkland recorded his first and only studio album as a leader on GRP produced by trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis (Wynton and Branford’s younger brother). Kirkland spent most of the ‘90s as a sideman, working with alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett, drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, trumpeters Terence Blanchard and Arturo Sandoval and others. Kirkland was only 43 when he died of congestive heart failure on Nov. 12th, 1998.
Kirkland’s legacy is the subject of pianist Noah Haidu’s Doctone (Sunnyside), a multimedia tribute that includes a CD, a film directed by Jeffrey Chuang and a book. In a trio with bassist Todd Coolman and veteran drummer Billy Hart, Haidu interprets pieces Kirkland wrote for his 1991 album as well as for albums that featured him as a sideman. Haidu also features guest saxophonists like Steve Wilson, Gary Thomas and Jon Irabagon. Haidu, who will pay tribute to Kirkland in a live-streamed concert with bassist Buster Williams and drummer Billy Hart this month, stresses that diversity was one of the amazing things about Kirkland.
“If you listened to his most experimental work with Miroslav Vitouš,” Haidu explains, “it’s really hard to tell that it’s the same player a couple of years later on Wynton Marsalis’ Think of One. I’ve found a few commonalities, but without years of study, I would definitely not know it’s the same player. Then, you can go and listen to his work with Sting on Nothing Like the Sun and you would never guess that he’s a jazz player because he played keyboard with a funk or R & B simplicity.”
“Chronologically, Kenny was the first jazz pianist who I really listened to,” Haidu recalls. “I heard jazz around the house because my dad loved it, but I was a fan of Prince and The Police up until age 13. When I found Kenny on Sting’s first solo album in my early teens, it made that language relevant to me because I heard this tremendous jazz piano being played in the context of songs that were accessible to me at that age.”
Haidu stresses that Kirkland will continue to be remembered for his broad-minded approach: “Some [jazz] players wouldn’t be involved with commercial genres, but Kenny didn’t have any prejudice.”
Noah Haidu’s Kirkland project live-streams Oct. 2nd at bkcm.org
Recommended Listening:
• Michał Urbaniak—Cerupa (Inner City, 1977)
• Miroslav Vitous — Miroslav Vitous Group (ECM, 1980)
• Wynton Marsalis—Black Codes (From The Underground) (Columbia, 1985)
• Kenny Kirkland—Eponymous (GRP-Verve, 1991)
• Robert Hurst feat. Kenny Kirkland & Elvin Jones) — One For Namesake (DIW-Columbia, 1993)
• Branford Marsalis—Requiem (Columbia, 1998)
