McKinley Howard "Kenny" Dorham (August 30, 1924 – December 5, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and occasional singer. Dorham's talent is frequently lauded by critics and other musicians, but he never received the kind of attention or public recognition from the jazz establishment that many of his peers did. For this reason, writer Gary Giddins said that Dorham's name has become "virtually synonymous with 'underrated'."
Dorham also composed the bossa nova jazz standard "Blue Bossa", which was first recorded by his associate Joe Henderson.
Biography
Dorham was born in Fairfield, Texas. He began learning piano as a child. Attending L.C. Anderson High School in Austin, Texas, he learned saxophone and trumpet. He studied chemistry and physics at Wiley College before joining the United States Army. He moved to Los Angeles to pursue music after his discharge.
During his final years, Dorham suffered from kidney disease, from which he died on December 5, 1972, aged 48.
Career
Dorham was one of the most active bebop trumpeters. Early in his career, he played in the big bands of Lionel Hampton, Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie, and Mercer Ellington, and in Charlie Parker's quintet. He was a charter member of the original cooperative the Jazz Messengers.
Other work
From 1958-59, Dorham taught at the Lenox School of Jazz. He composed music for the scores for Les Liaisons Dangereuses and Un Témoin dans la Ville.
Legacy
Ron Wynn wrote of Dorham, "A legendary jazz trumpeter, [he] had a deeply moving, pure tone on trumpet; his sound was clear, sharp, and piercing, especially during ballads. He could spin out phrases and lines, but when he slowly and sweetly played the melody, it was an evocative event."
In 2019, Dorham was honored in Austin, Texas, where he attended L.C. Anderson High School, with a public mural created by artist Jonathan “Chaka” Mahone as part of the City of Austin's TEMPO 2D public art program. Located in East Austin, the mural depicts Dorham with a large sunflower and was described by the project as celebrating the history of Austin and the neighborhood's role as "a beacon for culture".
All five daughters of Dorham attended a tribute concert at the University of Georgia in 2023. A Kenny Dorham Centennial Celebration took place at Jazz at Lincoln Center in 2024. Performers included Bruce Harris, Joe Magnarelli, Jeremy Pelt, Jimmy Owens, Tim Hagans, David Wong, Noriko Ueda, Kenny Washington, Ulysses Owens, Jr., and Joe Farnsworth.
Middle daughter Evette Dorham has taught classes about her father's work for the Swing University program of Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Discography
As leader
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Year recorded
!Title
!Label
!Year released
!Personnel/Notes
|-
|1946
|Blues in Bebop
|Savoy Jazz
|1998
|Quintets, with Dorham (trumpet), Sonny Stitt (alto sax), Bud Powell (piano), Al Hall (bass), Wallace Bishop or Kenny Clarke (drums); also includes early material recorded with Billy Eckstine, Milt Jackson, Charlie Parker and Cecil Payne
|-
|1953
|Kenny Dorham Quintet
|Debut
|1954
|Quintet, with Dorham (trumpet), Jimmy Heath (tenor and baritone sax), Walter Bishop Jr. (piano), Percy Heath (bass), Kenny Clarke (drums); 10" LP