Kenny Drew
Some of the most gifted American jazz pianists made their finest music thousands of miles from home. Among the fifty players in jazz journalist Gene Rizzo's ranking of the greatest jazz pianists, Kenny Drew lands at number 13 — a superb hard-bop player and prized accompanist whose move to Europe, Rizzo suggests, was a clear loss to American jazz. As Rizzo puts it, Drew treated a melody with "an almost canine loyalty" to the composer.
This profile covers who Kenny Drew was, how a New York prodigy became a fixture of the European scene, what made him such a valued sideman and leader, and the recordings — plus scores — to start with today.
The short answer: Kenny Drew (1928–1993) was a New York–born pianist who moved from bebop apprentice to in-demand accompanist and leader, then expatriated to Europe, where he anchored Copenhagen's jazz scene for three decades.
Life and career
Drew was born in New York City in 1928 and began private piano lessons at five, coached further by his mother, a classical pianist; by twelve he was imitating Fats Waller and Art Tatum. He graduated from New York's Music and Art High School as the student body's "boogie-woogie king," then fell in with the bebop movement, arriving with a strong Bud Powell impression. His first professional job was accompanying dancer Pearl Primus on 52nd Street, and a friendship with Al Haig — who let him sit in with Charlie Parker — helped steer him out from under Powell's shadow.
Hired by trumpeter Howard McGhee in 1950, he built a résumé that soon included Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Art Blakey and Buddy DeFranco. By the mid-1950s he was recording well as a trio leader and appeared on John Coltrane's Blue Train (1957). Weary of racism at home, he moved to Paris in 1961 and settled permanently in Copenhagen in 1964, joining the house rhythm section at the city's Jazzhus Montmartre. He kept recording — Recollections appeared in 1989 — and was survived by his son, the pianist Kenny Drew Jr.
Style and influence
Drew's playing married bebop fluency to a real respect for song. As a soloist he would harmonize a theme subtly while staying faithful to the composer's original melody — the quality Rizzo captured with the line about "an almost canine loyalty." That made him an ideal accompanist: he supported rather than upstaged, and he made the tune, not the pianist, the point.
His foundations were Fats Waller and Art Tatum in his youth, then Bud Powell and Al Haig as he entered bebop. His own influence carried directly into the next generation through his son, and more broadly through the many European players who studied him at close range in Copenhagen.
Essential recordings
Drew's discography spans his American years and his long European chapter:
| Recording | Label / year | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Train (with John Coltrane) | Blue Note, 1957 | His best-known sideman date, and a benchmark of tasteful hard-bop comping |
| Pal Joey | Riverside, 1957 | A trio songbook that shows his loyalty to a melody while gently reharmonizing it |
| Undercurrent | Blue Note, 1961 | His strongest statement as a leader, and the home of his composing |
| Recollections | Timeless, 1989 | A late, reflective set from his European years |
Play Kenny Drew's music
Drew is a fine model for anyone learning to solo without abandoning the tune. Take a standard, state the melody plainly, then reharmonize only underneath it — keep the top line intact. His originals "Undercurrent" and "Blues for Nica" show the same discipline applied to his own writing. A few of his signature pieces are open on MuseScore below, in arrangements from approachable to advanced.
Where Kenny Drew ranks among jazz pianists
Rizzo places Drew thirteenth, among the hard-bop players. See the full list in our guide to the best jazz pianists of all time, and compare him with the bebop model he grew out of, Bud Powell, and with his ranking neighbors Gene Harris and Hampton Hawes. To understand the harmony he worked beneath the melody, our guide to jazz chord progressions is a good starting point.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kenny Drew on Coltrane's Blue Train?
Yes. Drew is the pianist on John Coltrane's Blue Train (Blue Note, 1957), one of the most celebrated hard-bop albums, and his comping there is often cited as a model of supportive accompaniment.
Why did Kenny Drew move to Europe?
Drew left the United States to escape the racism he faced at home, moving to Paris in 1961 and settling permanently in Copenhagen in 1964, where he became a mainstay of the local scene for the rest of his life.
What should I listen to first?
Start with Blue Train for his most famous sideman work, then hear Undercurrent (1961) to appreciate him as a leader and composer.