Rodney Kendrick

Born on 30 April 1960 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Kendrick grew up in Miami after his family relocated there shortly following his arrival. Initially drawn to the drums, he later took up the piano in emulation of his father and benefited from a household steeped in gospel traditions. These roots proved useful in the late 1970s when he secured his first professional work alongside soul figures including James Brown and George Clinton. By the start of the following decade he had settled in New York City to study under Barry Harris. His jazz performances placed him alongside distinguished colleagues such as George Benson, Freddie Hubbard and J.J. Johnson. In the early 1990s he joined Abbey Lincoln’s trio while simultaneously forming and directing his own small ensemble. A poised stylist whose restrained technique conceals considerable depth, Kendrick has shown consistent artistic development that singles him out as a musician worth following through the opening years of the twenty-first century.