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Larry McKenna

One of the world’s finest jazz saxophone players, Larry McKenna is known for his gorgeous tenor saxophone sound, the beauty of his balladry, and his fluid, bebop-inspired improvisations. After six decades in his profession, his international reputation as both a masterful jazz improviser and educator is firmly established. Over the years, Larry has performed and recorded with many jazz stars including Woody Herman, Clark Terry, Buddy DeFranco, Barry Harris, Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Jimmy Heath, Jon Faddis, Harry Allen, Terell Stafford, Eric Alexander, Bill Charlap, Warren Vaché, Kenny Barron, Randy Brecker, Wynton Marsalis and Frank Sinatra.

Larry McKenna’s composing, songwriting and arranging skills received critical acclaim with the 2013 release of his CD, “From All Sides,” supported in part by a Subito Grant from the American Composers Forum. Among other originals, this CD introduced his popular bossa nova “One Falling Tree” with lyrics by Melissa Gilstrap sung by Joanna Pascale, voted the number two song of the year out of 100 by listeners of WRTI 90.1 FM Philadelphia in 2013.

Larry’s writing and arranging skills are further showcased by the Larry McKenna Jazz Orchestra, a 17-piece band dedicated to presenting Larry’s original compositions and arrangements. In 2018, the Larry McKenna Jazz Orchestra was invited by WRTI to film a live performance in the radio station’s recording studio for the station's upcoming jazz video project.

Recently Larry McKenna partnered with longtime friend and fellow Philadelphia tenor player, Robert "Bootsie" Barnes, to release their CD, "The More I See You" (Cellar Live 2018). This critically-acclaimed CD placed on national jazz charts for several weeks, and WRTI selected it as "Jazz Album of the Week" in November 2018.

In addition to being a frequent guest on recordings by other top jazz players, Larry has released three other CDs under his own name to critical acclaim. “Profile” (Dreambox Media 2009) mixes jazz standards with Larry’s original compositions, including the poignant ballad “Perhaps This Wintertime” with lyrics by Melissa Gilstrap. Premiered on the CD by vocalist Nancy Reed, this ballad was critically praised as “destined to become a new standard” and subsequently performed and/or recorded by other internationally known vocalists, including Denise King, Mary Ellen Desmond and Jackie Ryan. Larry’s earlier CDs, “It Might As Well Be Spring” (Dreambox Media 2001) and “My Shining Hour – Music of Harold Arlen” (EPE Records 1995), received praise from jazz critics across the United States and Canada.

Recent performance highlights include Larry McKenna’s 2018 and 2015 “Barry & Larry” concerts with the legendary pianist Barry Harris at William Paterson University in New Jersey. In 2018 and 2014 Larry appeared with the Woody Herman Tribute Band in Los Angeles, including in 2018 a special quintet performance with trumpeter Bobby Shew. Larry was also a featured soloist in two concerts in 2014 with The Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia under the direction of Terell Stafford, together with jazz greats Wynton Marsalis, Jimmy Heath, Kenny Barron, and Randy Brecker. In 2011 the world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra showcased Larry as a soloist, performing movements from an orchestral arrangement of Duke Ellington’s “Nutcracker Suite.” Larry is one of the most sought-out saxophone and jazz theory teachers in Philadelphia. He has taught countless students at University of the Arts, Temple University School of Music, West Chester University, Widener University, and Community College of Philadelphia.

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Liner Notes

John Swana: Philly Gumbo Vol.2

Read "John Swana: Philly Gumbo Vol.2" reviewed by C. Andrew Hovan


It seems like a lot of up and coming trumpeters these days go for the bop stylings of Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw as their main influence. Far fewer look to players like Art Farmer or Kenny Wheeler for inspiration. That's what has made watching the development of Philadelphia trumpet man John Swana so fascinating over the years. While he has the chops needed to communicate in the high-octane language of be-bop, his tone and use of space suggest that ...

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Album Review

Larry McKenna: World On A String

Read "World On A String" reviewed by Richard J Salvucci


Larry McKenna is not really a celebrity. He probably never will be. He plays tenor sax in and around jny: Philadelphia. He apparently does not say a lot--although he clearly has a puckish sense of humor. It comes out in his playing. It is possible to drive by his suburban home, vaguely aware that a saxophonist, a pretty good one, lives there and keep right on going. A sort of metaphor for McKenna and his career (read our 2007 interview). ...

8
Album Review

Maci Miller: Nine

Read "Nine" reviewed by Richard J Salvucci


jny:Philadelphia-based singer Maci Miller gives her audience a variety of looks, all of them good. On first hearing, Blossom Dearie, but then, Blossom Dearie was Blossom Dearie. No one ever sounded quite like her. Then again, there is some mid 1960s Nancy Wilson, hushed, clipped, all business. On reflecting that Dearie and Wilson an odd combination do make, one just listens and stops thinking influences, other than “eclectic." Or maybe Billie Holiday, if Miller is in the mood. A Philly ...

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Album Review

Jim Levendis: The Big Band Project

Read "The Big Band Project" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Jim Levendis knew that time was running out. In his mid-seventies, the veteran Philadelphia-area trumpeter and educator had contracted ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), the effects of which were rapidly sapping his energy and ability to function. As the disease progressed, Levendis confided in Len Pierro, a band mate in the Ward Marston band, that there was one thing he would dearly love to do while he was still able: record some of the big-band arrangements he had written over the ...

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Album Review

The Len Pierro Jazz Orchestra: The Third Quarter

Read "The Third Quarter" reviewed by Edward Blanco


Flourtown, PA native Len Pierro unveils one monster big band album that will be reverberating well beyond the boundaries of Pennsylvania and from radio studios throughout the jazz landscape for quite a long time. The Third Quarter is The Len Pierro Jazz Orchestra's recent offering and what an offering of fresh original compositions and re-imagined jazz standards it is. The 63-year-old saxophonist has produced one heck of an album of traditional straight-ahead swinging jazz that defines what ...

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Album Review

The Len Pierro Jazz Orchestra: The Third Quarter

Read "The Third Quarter" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Any big-band album that opens with a rollicking Four Brothers-style saxophone soli is all but guaranteed to capture one's ear and interest. As it turns out, the buoyant “Fill in the Gap," on which the sax section sparkles, is but the first of many sonic delights on The Third Quarter, a marvelous new CD by Philadelphia-based composer / arranger Len Pierro and his world-class Jazz Orchestra. Simply put, there are no discernible blemishes to mar a bright and picturesque tour ...

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Album Review

Mike Melito/Dino Losito Quartet: You're It!

Read "You're It!" reviewed by Jack Bowers


The album cover says “Mike Melito / Dino Losito Quartet." What it does not say is that drummer Melito and pianist Losito have at their beck-and-call an awesome secret weapon, Philadelphia-based tenor saxophonist Larry McKenna, a phenom from the Lester Young school of elegant swinging whose voice on the horn is as debonair and persuasive as any you are likely to hear. It is hard to imagine while listening to McKenna glide easily through cadences from ballad to barn-burner that ...

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Video / DVD

Three Seasoned Saxophone Pros

Three Seasoned Saxophone Pros

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Last week, Danilo Morandi in Switzerland sent along YouTube clips of two senior tenor saxophonists who played their tails off locally. I added a third. One of these saxophonists is Larry McKenna, a Philadelphian who spent six months in Woody Herman's road band starting in 1959 before devoting much of his career to playing locally. I last included Larry in a post in 2018 here. The other saxophonist Danilo sent is Aubra Graves. An astonishing player. Graves doesn't turn up ...

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Event

Join Us On The Inaugural Bandwagon Excursions Philly Jazz JAWNt For Larry McKenna & The Barry Harris Quartet on November 12

Join Us On The Inaugural Bandwagon Excursions Philly Jazz JAWNt For Larry McKenna & The Barry Harris Quartet on November 12

Source: All About Jazz

Ride with us to see Larry McKenna & The Barry Harris Quartet at the Shea Center for the Performing Arts at William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ on Sunday, November 12, 2017 at 4 pm Bus leaves 1575 The Fairway, Jenkintown, PA (in front of Whole foods Market) at 12:45 pm on Sunday, November 12 Bus arrives back in Jenkintown around 8pm Price: $75 per person (Price includes ticket to show, bus ride, boxed supper & special gift) BYOB GET ...

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Event

Sail with Jazz Bridge on our June Jazz River Cruise!

Sail with Jazz Bridge on our June Jazz River Cruise!

Source: Michael Ricci

Hosted by Jazz Bridge to Raise Money for Musicians in Need Saturday, June 13, 2015, From 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm Be one of only 70 supporters to come aboard the Elite Yacht for a Jazz Cruise from 1:30-4:30 on June 13th! You’ll hear great Jazz with Bootsie Barnes, Larry McKenna, Tom Lawton, Mike Boone and Jim Miller. Ticket price includes automatic raffle entry for stunning prizes, a fantastic luncheon will be served, and Chris’ Jazz Cafe’ will be honored ...

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Festival

Zoot Fest 2014

Zoot Fest 2014

Source: Ted Ricci

Jazz enthusiasts, get ready for a day of listening pleasure! Tickets are now on sale for East Stroudsburg University's fourth annual Zoot Fest, a day of jazz music honoring legends Al Cohn and Zoot Sims. Zoot Fest will take place from noon to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 9, 2014 at the Innovation Center, located at 562 Independence Road in East Stroudsburg, with proceeds to benefit the university's Al Cohn Memorial Jazz Collection (ACMJC) as well as other initiatives to ...

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Performance / Tour

Denis Diblasio & Larry McKenna Together And Free In South Philly On Thursday June 19th!

Denis Diblasio & Larry McKenna Together And Free In South Philly On Thursday June 19th!

Source: Jim Miller

Jazz Bridge and Friends of Hawthorne Park present baritone saxophonist, flutist and scat singer Denis DiBlasio and tenor saxophone legend Larry McKenna for a free concert on Thursday, June 19th. This is the second in a four-concert Jazz in Hawthorne Park series, each featuring our area’s finest jazz artists. Hawthorne Park is at 12th and Catherine Streets, and performances run from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Further information: jazzbridge.org or hecphilly.org...Bring your lawn chairs! Denis DiBlasio is a multi-faceted performer, improviser, ...

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Performance / Tour

Saxophonist Larry McKenna In Old City Phila. On Thurs. Jan. 17th!

Saxophonist Larry McKenna In Old City Phila. On Thurs. Jan. 17th!

Source: Jim Miller

Jazz Bridge in Old City Philadelphia presents saxophonist Larry McKenna at the Arch Street Friends Meeting House — 4th and Arch Street in Philadelphia — on Thursday January 17th. Tickets are $10, $5 for students and are available only at the door. Show time is 7:30. Larry McKenna has been a significant part of the Philadelphia Jazz world—and beyond—for decades, in virtually every type of musical setting. Indeed, he just received the annual Jazz Bridge Making a Difference Award. McKenna, ...

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Event

Larry McKenna Receives 3rd Annual Jazz Bridge "Making A Difference" Award Sun. Dec. 16th @ LaRose!

Larry McKenna Receives 3rd Annual Jazz Bridge "Making A Difference" Award Sun. Dec. 16th @ LaRose!

Source: Jim Miller

Philadelphia jazz saxophone icon Larry McKenna will receive the third annual Jazz Bridge “Making a Difference” Award on Sunday December 16th at LaRose Jazz & Banquet Hall, 5531 Germantown Avenue in Philadelphia. The event runs from 6 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $20. Information: 610-745-3011. This gala is a Jazz Bridge benefit for the Daphne Fund, an organization dedicated to helping Philadelphia area women Jazz and blues musicians. Previous recipients of the “Making a Difference” Award have been Jazz organist ...

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Performance / Tour

Third Annual All-Star Jazz Jam With Jazz Bridge in Somers Point (NJ) On Sunday June 10th!

Third Annual All-Star Jazz Jam With Jazz Bridge in Somers Point (NJ) On Sunday June 10th!

Source: Jim Miller

Jazz Bridge fans and supporters are presenting their last fundraiser of the spring at the Sandi Pointe Coastal Bistro, 908 Shore Road, Somers Point, New Jersey. Appearing at our Third Annual All-Star Jazz Jam with Jazz Bridge Down the Shore on June 10th from 4 - 7:30 pm will be some of the shore's most esteemed Jazz musicians. Tickets are $25 and the price includes a wonderful buffet provided by the chefs at the Sandi Pointe. For info: 856-858-8914 or ...

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Performance / Tour

Jazz Bridge Presents Larry McKenna at the Unitarian Universalist Church on October 19th

Jazz Bridge Presents Larry McKenna at the Unitarian Universalist Church on October 19th

Source: Suzanne Cloud

Opening our new season of Jazz Bridge Neighborhood Concerts at Jazz in Media! will be saxophonist Larry McKenna at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 145 W. Rose Tree Road in Media, PA, on October 19th, 2011. With him will be vibraphonist Tony Miceli, bassist Kevin McConnell and drummer Dan Monahan. One Show: 7:30-9 p.m. $10/$5 students. No advance sales. For info: 610-745-3011 Free refreshments and free on-site parking. Singer Denise Montana is hosting all of the Third Wednesdays each month at ...

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Performance / Tour

Jazz Bridge Celebrates Jelly Roll Morton on September 24th at Trinity Episcopal Church (Ambler, PA)

Jazz Bridge Celebrates Jelly Roll Morton on September 24th at Trinity Episcopal Church (Ambler, PA)

Source: Suzanne Cloud

On Saturday, Sept. 24th, saxophonist Larry McKenna will be celebrating the life and legacy of one of the progenitors of jazz—Jelly Roll Morton—with a dynamite traditional jazz band that will include trumpeter Al Harrison, trombonist Clarence Watson, pianist Tom Lawton, bassist Ed Wise and drummer Jimmy Coleman. This unique concert, which will raise money for two important nonprofits in the area dedicated to jazz, and will take place from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 708 S. Bethlehem Pike, in ...

Paul Colombo
guitar, electric

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

World On A String

BCM&D Records
2023

buy

Nine

Self Produced
2023

buy

The Big Band Project

Self Produced
2022

buy

I Wish I Knew

Lydian Jazz
2020

buy

You're It!

Cellar Live
2020

buy

The Third Quarter

WalkingPath Records
2020

buy

The Nearness of You

From: Nine
By Larry McKenna

Fill In The Gap

From: The Third Quarter
By Larry McKenna

Videos

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