Kenny Kirkland was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 28, 1955 and began playing piano at the age of six. Although he is best remembered for his work with Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Kirkland also played with Carla Bley, John Scofield, Arturo Sandoval, Terence Blanchard and Sting. Although he only recorded one album as a leader, his musicianship and concepts of harmony and improvisation were widely recognized and sought-after in the jazz community.

Kirkland studied classical piano performance, theory and composition at the Manhattan School of Music and had his first notable gig with Polish jazz violinist Michael Urbaniak in 1977. He also toured Europe with bass player Miroslav Vitous’ band in the late 1970s. Kenny met Wynton Marsalis in Japan in 1980 and subsequently appeared on the trumpeter’s first four albums.

In 1985 Kirkland began playing with another Marsalis brother, saxophonist Branford. He stayed on with him for over a decade, and when Branford agreed to appear on Sting’s 1985 record “Dream of the Blue Turtles,” Kirkland played on the record, too. That started an eight year and four album musical relationship between Kirkland and Sting. When Branford Marsalis took the job as band leader for the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Kirkland went there, as well. Kirkland’s one recording as a leader is an eponymously titled release for GRP in 1991.

By 1999 Kenny Kirkland was feeling poorly and declined to seek medical attention after working with friend Jeff “Tain” Watts in the recording studio on June 3rd. On June 4th, however, he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Kirkland attended Branford Marsalis’ wedding on November 7th and was found dead in his Queens apartment less than a week later due to his heart condition. After his death guitarist and collaborator Kevin Eubanks said of his friend Kirkland "In my heart, I've always felt that Kenny Kirkland really embodied the essence of a generation of musicians, bridging the past and the future while taking no bows. He always left us wanting more."

Here is a link to Kenny Kirkland playing at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1997:

"MONTREUX 1997"