Collection: Kenny Drew

Born Kenneth Sidney Drew in New York City on 28 August 1928, Kenny Drew became one of jazz's most underrated pianists, known for his bebop style and versatility as a sideman and leader. Beginning classical piano lessons at age five and giving his first recital at eight, he attended the High School of Music & Art in Manhattan before shifting his focus to jazz. Influenced primarily by Bud Powell, Drew made his recording debut in 1950 with trumpeter Howard McGhee at age 22, followed by collaborations throughout the early 1950s with Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Buddy DeFranco, and Dinah Washington. He led many recording sessions throughout the decade, appearing on landmark albums including John Coltrane's Blue Train (1957), Jackie McLean's Jackie's Bag, and Sonny Rollins's Tour de Force.

In 1961 Drew relocated to Paris, part of a broader exodus of American jazz musicians seeking greater professional opportunities and escaping racial discrimination in the United States. He moved to Copenhagen in 1964, where he married a Danish woman and became house pianist at the legendary Jazzhus Montmartre, establishing himself as the centre of a largely African-American expatriate jazz colony. There he formed a long-term partnership with Danish bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, recording extensively on the SteepleChase label and backing countless visiting American musicians including Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster, Stuff Smith, and Booker Ervin. Drew remarked that living in Copenhagen allowed him to work in more diverse contexts than staying in New York. He died on 4 August 1993 in Copenhagen, survived by his son Kenny Drew Jr., also a jazz pianist. A street in southern Copenhagen was later named Kenny Drews Vej in his honour.