Kenwood Dennard


Kenwood Marshall Dennard is an American jazz drummer and retired professor from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.
Dennard learned piano as a child and took up drumming at nine years of age. He attended the Manhattan School of Music from 1972 to 1973 and Berklee College of Music from 1973 to 1976. Later in the decade he worked with Dizzy Gillespie, performed on the acclaimed album Joyous Lake with Pat Martino, was a member of the band High Life and recorded the progressive rock album Livestock with Brand X. He played with Martino again in the late 1980s and with the Manhattan Transfer, Dianne Reeves, Jaco Pastorius, Lew Soloff, Bob Moses, and Stanley Jordan during that decade.
In the 1990s he worked with Miles Davis, Maceo Parker, Quincy Jones, and Howard Johnson. He also led his own ensembles, including Just Advance, the Meta-Funk All Stars, and Quintessence; his sidemen have included Victor Bailey, Dave Bargeron, Hiram Bullock, Stanton Davis, Marcus Miller, and Herman Wright Jr. In 1997 he began teaching at Berklee.

Discography

As leader

Just Advance
  • ''Show No Fear''

As sideman

With Dave BargeronBarge Burns...Slide Flies Tuba Tuba
With Brand XLivestock Live from San Francisco X-Trax Timeline Macrocosm: Introducing...Brand X Rochester 1977
With Stanley JordanCornucopia Stolen Moments State of Nature Friends
With Pat MartinoJoyous Lake Stone Blue First Light
With Maceo ParkerLife on Planet Groove
With Jaco PastoriusPDB Live in New York City Vol. 1: Punk Jazz Live in New York City Vol. 2: Trio Live in New York City Vol. 3: Promise Land Live in New York City Vol. 4: Trio 2 Holiday for Pans Live in New York City Vol. 6: Punk Jazz 2 Live in New York City Modern Electric Bass: Revised Edition
With Dianne ReevesFor Every Heart The Grand Encounter The Palo Alto Sessions
With othersNothing Like the Sun, StingThe Story of Moses, Bob MosesDiamond Land, Toninho HortaIl Suono, John ClarkMiles & Quincy Live at Montreux, Miles Davis and Quincy JonesThe Sweetest Days, Vanessa WilliamsGravity!!!, Howard JohnsonSketches of Coryell, Larry CoryellRight Now!, Howard JohnsonSoul Manifesto Live, Rodney JonesLive Vol. 1, Robin EubanksDavid Fiuczynksi's Planet Microjam, David Fiuczynski