Jazz Articles about Dave McKenna

Harry Allen: Love Songs Live!

by Jack Bowers
August 1, 2001

Two words are about all that are needed to sum up the singular talents of swing–based tenor saxophonist Harry Allen — smooth and consistent, each of which aspect of his charismatic persona is abundantly present on this compilation of love songs recorded in concert between 1993 and ’96. I’m not fully conversant with Allen’s influences but Stan Getz had to be one of them (listen, for example, to Jobim’s “Once I Loved”). Others, he says, include Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins ...

Harry Allen: Love Songs Live!

by Dave Nathan
January 1, 2001

Nagel Heyer has put together an album of romantic love songs performed by the Coleman Hawkins influenced, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims like tenor horn of Harry Allen. All of the tracks were compiled from previously released recordings of live concerts, mostly in Hamburg where Allen was on the stage with a variety of first rate jazz musicians. Given that virtually every song is played in that slow, ballad tempo, this album could just as well have been titled Music for ...

Dave McKenna: Dave "Fingers" McKenna

by Dave Nathan
November 1, 2000

Dave McKenna fills more than five pages in Tom Lord's Jazz Discography and those are just his albums as a leader excluding the scores of albums he has been on as a sideman. Although dubbed by many as one of jazz piano's legends, McKenna dismisses it all by saying that he is just a saloon player. That falls into the same category as Frank Sinatra's deprecating self characterization that he was nothing more than a saloon singer.

This album is ...

Dave McKenna and Buddy DeFranco: Dave McKenna and Buddy DeFranco: You Must Believe in Swing

by C. Michael Bailey
March 1, 1998

Sing, Sing, Sing. Dave McKenna and Buddy DeFranco have been active musicians over approximately that same period. Both are recognized as expert in their respective musical areas. Dave McKenna is an acknowledged master of the swing piano school, specializing in songs of the 1930s. Buddy DeFranco is reputed to be the evolutionary link between Benny Goodman and Eddie Daniels. These two performers make for a splendid and interesting duo. The clarinet, because of Benny Goodman, will forever be heard in ...

Dave McKenna: Christmas Ivory

by Jim Santella
November 1, 1997

Widely respected for his clean, animated bass lines and fluid, swinging right hand melodies, Dave McKenna has put together an hour of solo piano work for the Christmas season. All alone, with the microphones adjusted to further define right and left hands, McKenna provides the listener with a pleasant respite from days of weary holiday shopping.

In the spirit of Christmas, some lyrics are provided with the liner notes, and McKenna's comfortable consonant methods could provide suitable sing-along music for ...

Dave McKenna: Christmas Ivory

by Robert Spencer
November 1, 1997

Dave McKenna is 67 years old, virtually the same age as Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor and Sonny Rollins. For pianists that lands his formative years in the days of Duke, Basie, even Earl Hines. His piano playing bears a trace of the stride, edging over into Monk territory now and again. Not that Monk is an influence; McKenna and Monk may have had the same influences, but took them in different (and not-so-different directions.)

McKenna is fluid, agile, and cheerful. ...