Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Kenny Kersey was born on April 3, 1916 in Harrow, Ontario into a musical family and studied piano and trumpet while attending the Detroit Institute of Musical Arts. In 1936, Kersey moved to New York City where he played with Lucky Millinder, Billy Hicks, Frankie Newton, Billie Holiday, Roy Eldridge, Red Allen and Cootie Williams.

In 1942 he replaced Mary Lou Williams as Andy Kirk’s pianist and Kirk recorded his composition “Boogie Woogie Cocktail”. He joined the Army from 1943 to 1945, where he occasionally played trumpet in military bands, then played from 1946 to 1949 with the Jazz at the Philharmonic touring ensembles. He continued to play with noted musicians through the 1950s, including Eldridge and Allen again, as well as Buck Clayton, Edmond Hall, Sol Yaged, and Charlie Shavers.

Kersey retired from music late in the 1950s after being diagnosed with a bone ailment. He recorded twelve tunes as a bandleader – four for Savoy in 1946, two for Clef in 1949, two for Circle in 1950, and four for Foxy in 1951 which featured Hot Lips Page and Paul Quinichette and as sidemen. Kenny Kersey passed away on April 1, 1983 in New York City.

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