Larry McKenna - RIP

[Dan Gould]

“You never wanted to play a melody with Larry,” says trumpeter Terell Stafford. “You would end up sounding like such an amateur trying to match his style, dignity and eloquence. When he started to take a solo, forget about it — it was almost like he wasn’t soloing, just writing a bunch of beautiful melodies that lasted chorus after chorus after chorus.”

Despite the reverence in which he was held in Philadelphia, McKenna remained largely a hometown secret for the bulk of his career. While music was his livelihood throughout his life, he didn’t release his debut album as a leader, My Shining Hour, until 1997, when he was 60. He followed that with the springtime-themed It Might As Well Be Spring in 2000, but remained under-recorded until a spate of late-life output beginning with Profile in 2009.

 

https://www.wrti.org/wrti-spotlight/2023-11-20/larry-mckenna-tenor-saxophonist-and-philly-jazz-legend-dies-at-86?fbclid=IwAR1DRw4aBQmB_Jg0covaJzszOWgbDcP4qlvMn8984-NPfpgmliWFONVkais

[Quasimado]

Wonderful musician - one of the very best of the so-called Lester tenors - swing, melody, imagination, feeling - he had it all.

Check out this from Smalls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EA5gYjaCo8

Thank you Larry. RIP

 

[Dan Gould]

Thanks for sharing that. There is a Smalls Live release I assume this same gig/group.

Edit to say Cellar Live, not Smalls.

Edited November 21, 2023 by Dan Gould

[Michael Weiss]

Larry was the real deal. I played with him once but it was a treat. In 2017 Barry Harris had a fall in Italy so he sent me in to sub on a concert at William Paterson U. with Larry, Ray Drummond and Leroy Williams. It was a gas.

 

 

[felser]

Yes, he was a wonderful musician and a dignified live presence.  Saw him live many years ago at Chris' Jazz Cafe.  It was John Swana's gig, with vibes/bass/drums as the rhythm section.  McKenna was mesmerizing.  I have a couple of his CD's, and they are excellent.  RIP and thank you.

 

Edited November 27, 2023 by felser