July 31, 1931

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Guitarist Kenny Burrell was born on July 31, 1931 in Detroit, Michigan.

As a college student, Burrell made his first appearance on record playing with trumpeter and bebop trailblazer Dizzy Gillespie.

After moving to New York in 1956, he began recording as a leader and sideman for the Blue Note label.

In the late 1950s, Burrell took the position of one of his primary influences, Charlie Christian, in the Benny Goodman Sextet.

Burrell’s distinctive style fuses the blues and hard bop guitar à la Grant Green and Wes Montgomery. Duke Ellington once termed Burrell his “favorite guitarist,” though the two never played together.

Kenny Burrell performs unaccompanied guitar solos on “Azure” and “Single Petal Of A Rose” after receiving an award in 2015.

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