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Kenny Burrell


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Washington Post has a story; https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/to-think-it-has-come-to-this-kenny-burrells-journey-from-jazz-legend-to-gofundme-appeal/2019/05/15/c57fb07e-7701-11e9-b7ae-390de4259661_story.html?utm_term=.83dc6228df38

Pat Metheny is quoted in this story. (BTW -- I had noticed his name a few days ago on the GoFundMe site as a contributor -- a generous gift of $2,500.) 

Edited by Mark Stryker
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8 hours ago, Hot Ptah said:

I see that the fund is now at $168,000. Dickey Betts, long time guitarist with the Allman Brothers Band (who has had very serious health issues recently) just donated $500.00.

It's way higher than that. They already withdrew about $50K yesterday. It got reset to $150K early yesterday afternoon.

One thing that I've been wondering... Kenny works at UCLA. Kenny was performing at a UCLA venue. He injured himself walking off stage at a UCLA venue. So an company employee hurt themselves on company property. That's a "workplace injury" and it usually falls into a special insurance bucket - one of those "all expenses paid things". That's the way it is at most companies. They do this to avoid getting sued for the injury on their property. Does anyone have any info on this type of injury?

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3 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Was he performing there as an employee?

He is always an employee. If I drive onto my company's property and get injured, it's their property that matters, not why I was there. It's like if your mailman falls on your front steps, he's covered under your homeowner's policy. I just think that a workplace injury falls under a different claim bucket. I know that I am asked about every other year if I have any long term injuries that are due to a workplace injury. They have short and long term disability insurance that covers that stuff.

I saw where the surviving members of The Doors (Densmore & Krieger) donated over $6K to the fund. I never knew The Doors were fans. That's a cool connection.

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18 hours ago, mjzee said:

Growing old is hard.

As an old friend told me lasr week, "growing old is not for cowards".

Glad the funding went so well, glad it all turned out to be legit, or I would have felt pretty bad for posting the link. My best wishes to Kenny and his wife - he will always stay my favourite jazz guitra player.

And, seeimg all the famous musicians who donated, it feels good to see how much he is respected and loved on the scene. He deserves it. 

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Hmmmm....if I come into my office after hours and fall down or something, it's not a comp injury. As for what other liability they would assume, I don't know. If I'm there as a private citizen of my own volition...I don't know. I don't know that I'd expect them to take care of me under those circumstances.

Apparently he was there for an 85th birthday concert. Hard to tell if that would have been a case of him being there in the capacity of a university employee or as a public performer utilizing the facility on a rental basis. If it was the latter, the rental agreement might have had some kind of waiver clause in there stipulating that if you fall down because you got dizzy, or your drummer gets drunk and bumps his head, stuff like that, it ain't our fault. I honestly don't know, would have to see that contract.

But let's not get tunnel-visioned on the medical coverage. Let's also look at the identity theft and the alleged mishandling of it by whatever financial institutions are involved. KB could have had the best health coverage imaginable, but it wouldn't cover somebody taking all his money. The laws covering THAT are not necessarily consumer-friendly.

Burrell has always struck me as a good businessman, and I would hope/think that he's handled his money well. If he got picked clean from the machinations of identity fraud, and the remediation has been bungled, we're probably looking at more than chump change.

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1 hour ago, Kevin Bresnahan said:

He injured himself walking off stage at a UCLA venue.

Do we know this?  The original GFM post only says "Following his 85th birthday concert at Royce Hall, he suffered an accident..."  It might have happened a few weeks later, at a totally different location.

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Or after stopping for breakfast on the way home.

That was always a good time, you play a gig until 2 AM, get outta the club at some point after, maybe you been drinking, maybe not, and then after you get all your shit packed up, somebody says hey, let's go for breakfast, and it's like hell yeah, breakfast as the last meal of the day rather than the first, that's as good as life gets!

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I just caught up with this shocking news from an NPR story on my feed this morning.  Made me cry.  Kenny was an old acquaintance of my late parents going back to their days at Wayne U. and a very close friend of some of their friends both inside and outside of the music world.  

My mother was a probate/elder care attorney late in her career, and through her I have seen things go spectacularly bad for even seemingly secure people.  Often all it takes is a couple of bad events together, combined with the declining health, declining mental and physical energy, fixed income, and increasing personal isolation that are part of growing old (to say nothing of the industry of sharks who exist to profit, legally or illegally, off of these difficulties), to quickly find oneself in serious trouble.  I'm sure it's not too political to say that the way we treat our older people, and our health care non-system, are a national shame.

Anyway, I will certainly give to Kenny and his family.  If only for him taking the time at Baker's a couple of times to speak with my young self and impart some life wisdom and musical knowledge to an ill-informed and taste-deficient teenager.  All you had to do was ask...

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4 hours ago, JSngry said:

Or after stopping for breakfast on the way home.

That was always a good time, you play a gig until 2 AM, get outta the club at some point after, maybe you been drinking, maybe not, and then after you get all your shit packed up, somebody says hey, let's go for breakfast, and it's like hell yeah, breakfast as the last meal of the day rather than the first, that's as good as life gets!

Yeah, I once took Tal Farlow out for breakfast after he came down to hear me play at a club. I still have the bill from the diner somewhere!

6 hours ago, Kevin Bresnahan said:

He is always an employee. If I drive onto my company's property and get injured, it's their property that matters, not why I was there. It's like if your mailman falls on your front steps, he's covered under your homeowner's policy. I just think that a workplace injury falls under a different claim bucket. I know that I am asked about every other year if I have any long term injuries that are due to a workplace injury. They have short and long term disability insurance that covers that stuff.

I saw where the surviving members of The Doors (Densmore & Krieger) donated over $6K to the fund. I never knew The Doors were fans. That's a cool connection.

A lot of those cats from the Dead, the Airplane and the Doors, 60s bands were heavy into Kenny and Wes. I remember reading an interview with Jorma once, and he said he saw Kenny in a club rolling around on the floor when he was playing!

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1 hour ago, Dan Gould said:

Why is it that blue collar people are supposed to be humble?

Probably for the same reason that "folk songs" are supposed to be "noble", or whatever they're supposed to be - because it's easier to process things in terms of "types" than it is actual individual specifics.

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The Go Fund Me account is up to $206,530 and that's after it had $30-50K withdrawn a few days ago. I hope Kenny & his wife can climb out of their financial hole with this money.

Having never seen a Go Fund Me fundraiser succeed so well, I don't know how they "end". Obviously, they've dramatically exceeded their $100,000 goal. Does it stay open until the donations slow down and stop? Don't take this question the wrong way - I'm not complaining. I am very happy that Kenny and his wife are getting the financial help they need. I'm just curious is all.

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2 hours ago, Dan Gould said:

I've got a general contractor who is an arrogant m-f. Would hate to share a meal with him.  Why is it that blue collar people are supposed to be humble?

What Dan said... I think this is probably one of those stereotypes that are superficially positive but often belittling/insulting in practice

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1 minute ago, Kevin Bresnahan said:

The Go Fund Me account is up to $206,530 and that's after it had $30-50K withdrawn a few days ago. I hope Kenny & his wife can climb out of their financial hole with this money.

Having never seen a Go Fund Me fundraiser succeed so well, I don't know how they "end". Obviously, they've dramatically exceeded their $100,000 goal. Does it stay open until the donations slow down and stop? Don't take this question the wrong way - I'm not complaining. I am very happy that Kenny and his wife are getting the financial help they need. I'm just curious is all.

I was wondering the same. It appears the campaign keeps going until the organizer/creator decides to stop it. It's a fair question to ask, since the goal has been way exceeded, when do you stop? I mean according to Mrs. Burrell's statement it certainly seems as if the money will cover medical, legal and credit debt and there will be money to pay "in the event that occurs" and "possible relocation expenses" situations.

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Katherine Burrell sent out the following update this morning:

Given my caregiving hours, and business matters that require attention, I have regrettably been delayed in responding to each donor/donation. I promise, I will respond to each and every one as time allows! Thank you so much! Blessings to all of you. All our love. ❤️

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  • 3 weeks later...
7 hours ago, sonnymax said:

In one month, 4,426 people have donated $238,179. :)

Add at least another $50,000, because that's what was pulled out of it at one point. I wonder why they haven't pulled out more?

BTW - does anyone know how taxes work on these things? Does Kenny and his wife have to declare this as income?

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  • 5 weeks later...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/a-jazz-legend-said-he-was-in-desperate-need-of-money-his-friends-had-questions/2019/07/10/440e76ec-99b6-11e9-830a-21b9b36b64ad_story.html?utm_term=.75733296cd34

I am not feeling so good about donating to this fund. I am most upset at the Jazz Foundation for not doing their homework before issuing their statement confirming the Burrell's financial situation. Oh well, live & learn.

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