![]() Burrell teaches a course entitled "Ellingtonia", examining the life and accomplishments of Duke Ellington. He has recorded about 106 albums, including Midnight Blue (1963), Blue Lights, Guitar Forms, Sunup To Sundown (1990), Soft Winds (1993), Then Along Came Kenny (1993), and Lotus Blossom (1995).Īs of 1996, Burrell has served as Director of Jazz Studies at UCLA, mentoring such notable alumni as Gretchen Parlato and Kalil Wilson. Ī highly popular performer, Burrell has won several jazz polls in Japan and the United Kingdom as well as in the United States. Although the two never collaborated directly, Ellington called Burrell his "favorite guitarist," and Burrell has recorded a number of tributes to and interpretations of Ellington's works. In the 1970s he began leading seminars about music, particularly Duke Ellington's. He has also led his own groups since 1951 and recorded many well-received albums. Ī consummate sideman, Burrell has recorded with a wide range of prominent musicians. He toured with Oscar Peterson after graduating in 1955 and then moved to New York City in 1956. While a student at Wayne State University, he made his debut recording as a member of Dizzy Gillespie's sextet in 1951, following which he recorded the "Ground Round" single at Fortune Records in Detroit. Guitarists who influenced him include Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, and Wes Montgomery. ![]() Burrell was born in Detroit, Michigan, to a musical family and began playing guitar at the age of 12.
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