{"title":"Kenny Drew","description":"\u003cp\u003eBorn 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 \u0026amp; 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 \u003cem\u003eBlue Train\u003c\/em\u003e (1957), Jackie McLean's \u003cem\u003eJackie's Bag\u003c\/em\u003e, and Sonny Rollins's \u003cem\u003eTour de Force\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"kenny-drew-undercurrent-1989-japanese-blue-note-stereo-lp-limited-edition","title":"Kenny Drew - Undercurrent (1989 Japanese Blue Note Stereo LP Limited Edition)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eVinyl\u003c\/b\u003e: EX\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSleeve\u003c\/b\u003e:\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eEX\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eObi:\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eNone\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur grading system explained \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dpbg4u-d1.myshopify.com\/pages\/secondhand-grading-guide\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ehere\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003cbr\u003ePhoto is of the actual item.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKenny Drew - \u003cem\u003eUndercurrent\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eVinyl LP - 1989 Japanese Blue Note LP Last Reissue Limited Edition Stereo\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePianist Kenny Drew's 1960 Blue Note session showcases his hard bop credentials leading a quintet featuring two of the era's rising stars: trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, supported by bassist Sam Jones and drummer Louis Hayes. Recorded on 11 December 1960 at Rudy Van Gelder's Englewood Cliffs studio and produced by Alfred Lion, the six Drew originals demonstrate his compositional range from the funky title track through blues-based material to the closing ballad. Released in Japan on 8 November 1989 as part of Blue Note's LP Last Reissue programme and manufactured by Toshiba EMI, this limited edition stereo pressing captures Drew before his 1961 move to Europe where he would spend most of his remaining career.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDrew's compositions provide ideal frameworks for the quintet's explorations, each theme balancing memorable melodies with harmonic interest. The frontline pairing of Hubbard and Mobley represents complementary approaches: Hubbard's bright, aggressive trumpet meeting Mobley's warm, slightly behind-the-beat tenor sound. Drew's piano work demonstrates both his fluent bebop technique and his gift for blues-based funk, tracks like \"Funk-Cosity\" and \"The Pot's On\" showcasing the harder-edged side of hard bop. The rhythm section of Jones and Hayes swings relentlessly, their support both propulsive and responsive to the soloists' needs.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Blue Note","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43198084939835,"sku":null,"price":120.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/3203\/3339\/files\/IMG_6034.jpg?v=1770363317"},{"product_id":"kenny-drew-trio-dark-beauty-1975-japanese-steeplechase-vinyl-lp","title":"Kenny Drew Trio - Dark Beauty (1975 Japanese SteepleChase Vinyl LP)","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eVinyl\u003c\/b\u003e: NM\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSleeve\u003c\/b\u003e: EX\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eObi:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e None\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOur grading system explained \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dpbg4u-d1.myshopify.com\/pages\/secondhand-grading-guide\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ehere\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePhoto is of the actual item.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKenny Drew Trio - \u003cem\u003eDark Beauty\u003c\/em\u003e | Vinyl LP - 1975 Japanese SteepleChase (UPS-2152-S, Teichiku Records Co. Ltd.)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKenny Drew moved to Copenhagen in 1964 and effectively never returned to New York, becoming one of the central figures in the Danish jazz scene. He settled into a regular role as house pianist at the Montmartre Jazzhus, where he worked alongside Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and, when he was in Copenhagen, drummer Albert \"Tootie\" Heath. The trio that emerged from that arrangement was not assembled for the occasion — it was the product of years of shared work, and its recordings for Nils Winther's SteepleChase label in 1974 document it at its most comfortable and precise.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDrew, NHOP and Heath recorded at Rosenberg Studio on May 21 and 22, 1974. Freddy Hansson engineered. Four of the eight tracks are Drew originals. \"Run Away\" is uptempo and hard-driving. \"Dark Beauty,\" the ballad that gives the album its title, moves between composed melody and open improvisation — Drew later published the manuscript. \"Silk Bossa\" shifts into a different rhythmic feel. \"Blues Inn\" closes the set. \"All Blues\" is Miles Davis's modal piece from \u003cem\u003eKind of Blue\u003c\/em\u003e (1959), taken here in trio format without the blowing context of the original. \"Summer Night\" is the Harry Warren and Al Dubin standard. \"It Could Happen to You\" is the Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen piece from \u003cem\u003eAnd the Angels Sing\u003c\/em\u003e (1944). \"Love Letters\" is Victor Young and Edward Heyman's 1945 ballad.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNHOP was twenty-three. He had been performing at the Montmartre since his mid-teens and was already regarded as one of the most gifted bassists in jazz. Albert Heath, the youngest of the three Heath brothers, brought a warm, unhurried approach that suited the trio's character throughout.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"SteepleChase","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43454524260411,"sku":null,"price":45.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/3203\/3339\/files\/IMG_6733.jpg?v=1777102331"}],"url":"https:\/\/lushliferecords.com.au\/collections\/kenny-drew.oembed","provider":"Lush Life Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}