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1 Male
Origin
New York, USA
Genre
Jazz
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1 MaleOrigin
New York, USAGenre
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Born
1956
Active
---Present...
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Most Loved Tracks4 users
Kenwood Dennard - Teen Town4 users
Kenwood Dennard - Just Do It4 users
Kenwood Dennard - Purple Rain4 users
Kenwood Dennard - Just Phrases4 users
Kenwood Dennard - Just Desserts
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Drummer and composer Kenwood Dennard was born on March 1, 1956 in Brooklyn, NY. He began playing piano at age 3, and moved on to the drums at age 9. Since then, Kenwood has recorded and performed with numerous artists such as Sting, Maceo Parker, Pat Martino, Brand X, Stanley Jordan, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Wayne Shorter.
In 1968 Kenwood attended David Mannes School where he studied ear training, theory, and piano. In 1971 he furthered his classical studies at the Manhattan School of Music Prep. Department, where he studied percussion with Jim Price.
Kenwood graduated from the prestigious Dalton High School at age 17 and attended Berklee College of Music in Boston from 1973-1976. At Berklee, he majored in composition and his principal instrument was drums, which he studied with Gary Chaffee and Alan Dawson. Kenwood attended the accelerated program in order to make time to study theory with Nadia Boulanger during the summer of 1975 in Fontainebleu, France.
Kenwood has developed numerous innovations in music, including his pansonic coordination technique, the "Woodstroke" technique (one handed drum roll) and his turbo-solfege technique which all come together in his Meta-Rhythmic Orchestra (MRO) one man band, where he plays multiple keyboards, drums and vocals simultaneously. According to a February 1995 Modern Drummer article, Kenwood says "A few years later, after playing with Pat Martino and Brand X, I decided to concentrate on developing the MRO. My first concert was in 1979, where I played three keyboards and drums at the same time. I eventually developed it to the point where I could play eight ostinatos simultaneously, and that led to playing all the parts of a song where I could sound like an entire band."
Kenwood was an artist-in-residence and taught free jazz at the New School in New York. He was also one of the founding faculty members of The Drummer's Collective in NYC where Kenwood started in 1977. Kenwood returned to Berklee in 1996 as an associate professor to teach private percussion lessons, ensembles, and labs. In the fall of 2013, he was promoted to full professorship.
Kenwood Dennard has enjoyed a multifaceted, star-studded career as a performer, recording artist, and educator. He has toured the world with such diverse artists as George Clinton, Chick Corea, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Jaco Pastorius, Maceo Parker, Stanley Jordan, Bobby McFerrin, Gill Evans, Larry Coryell, Pharoh Saunders, The Manhattan Transfer, Whitney Houston, Wayne Shorter, The Allman Brother's Band, Warren Haynes and Joe Zawinul; and led the Meta-Funk All-Stars, the Real Thing, and Quintessence. His numerous recordings include Sting's Nothing Like the Sun, Vanessa Williams's The Sweetest Days, and Live at Montreux with Miles Davis and Quincy Jones.
Over the past couple of years, Kenwood has performed with The Allman Brothers Band, Warren Haynes, Ernie Isley, Gill Evans Orchestra, Stanley Jordan Trio, Larry Coryell, Moe, The Funky Meters, Grey Boy Allstars, Karl Densen's Tiny Universe, The Mike Dillon Band, Ryan Montbleu Band, Max Creek, Phish, and Umphrey's McGee. He's played at the Gathering of the Vibes, Moe.down, Strangecreek, Peach Fest and Wormtown. He also starred in John Walker's award winning documentary "A Drummer's Dream"
Kenwood is endorsed by Pearl Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth, Remo, Latin Percussion (LP), Rhythm Tech, Zendrum.
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