Dave McKenna

Back in the early 1990’s I was producing a series of summer jazz concerts here in Pennsylvania. Over the course of six years I met a lot of great jazz players and heard some exceptional music.

One of the artists whom I got to know a little was pianist Dave McKenna. I was familiar with his playing through his recordings that I was playing on my radio show.

When I was assembling a series of solo piano concerts Dave was one of the first names that came to mind. I knew that his rumbling left hand bass notes would roll like thunder through the open-air concert hall.

To see Dave McKenna without knowing what his profession was one would think he might have been an accountant or some other office scribe. He was the quietest most self-effacing person I had ever met.

Make no mistake, you could engage him in conversation about music or his beloved Red Sox and you’d find a friendly though soft-spoken man. However, for the most part he let his music do the talking. For instance, in the two concerts he performed for me he never spoke a word to the audience. He would acknowledge their applause with a smile and nod of the head and then it would be back to work.

Of course his playing was sublime and swung like crazy. I was able, with his permission, to record the second concert for radio. What strikes me the most from the recording is McKenna’s seemingly spontaneous assembly of tunes into lengthy cohesive medleys.

My friend and recording engineer had just become a father a day or two before the gig. Dave must have heard us talking about the birth because to our amazement the second half of the concert contained a lengthy medley of tunes each with the word baby in the title.

I’ve frequently wondered what happened to Dave McKenna. Wikipedia says he retired around the turn of the millennium. Too bad for we fans but good for him.