Life and Music of Kenny Davern

Clarinetist Kenny Davern ranked among the best jazz musicians for over 50 years. The unique and instantly recognizable sound of his clarinet, coupled with a wide ranging intellect and quick sense of humor drew praise and applause and endeared him to his fans and friends. The Life and Music of Kenny Davern tells the story of this fascinating musician who had a vision of how he wanted his music to sound and who persisted in the face of adversity until he achieved that vision.Edward N. Meyer conducted interviews with friends, family, colleagues, and critics of Kenny Davern, as well as the man himself, to gain a comprehensive and personal narrative of the artist's life. Beginning with the tragic events that shaped his early life, Meyer traces Davern's growth from a young boy raised in an atmosphere of conflict into an acclaimed, self-assured musician and a warm and loving husband and father. Meyer describes the state of the jazz music business in the last half of the 20th century and fully establishes Davern's status within that scene. Meyer also explores a side of Davern that the public never saw: Davern's hunger for reading made him a knowledgeable and well-respected person with experts outside the world of jazz. With more than 30 photos, a comprehensive discography, bibliography, and index, this volume will fascinate jazz students, fans, and scholars.

It's hard to imagine a more complete coverage of the man and his music than what Ed Meyer has written., This fine biography tells [John Kenneth Davern's] story with insightful affection and reinforces his important place in jazz history. The author knew him well, has researched extensively and interviewed all the key people who knew and worked with Kenny....The sturdily bound and clearly printed book has a full discography....The book seems especially appealing for Jazz Journal's core readers., Homage to Davern recently appeared in the form of a fine biography....Meyer has done his homework thoroughly in preparing this study. In addition to that with Davern, he interviewed more than 50 musicians and others who worked with or knew the clarinetist well....Discographical information seems to be carefully compiled and is clearly presented. It is a valuable component of the book....This book is an excellent account of the life and music of a major jazz musician of the last half of the twentieth century. It should be of interest to all clarinetists who care about that genre of music., A thorough...outline of Davern's life, his playing priorities and aspirations and a clear-eyed look at his many recordings as sideman or leader. There's a complete discography and a good selection of photographs....Those who appreciated Davern as a good companion and consummate player will find much to enjoy here., An interesting experience…. Ed Meyer has done his home work well, and the result is a book that yields a lot of information about Davern that was heretofore known only to a select few in his circle of family and close friends. While much of this information is surprising, some of it is stunning. Meyer has done nothing in his book to make some of the more eye-opening aspects of Davern's life sensationalized in any way. He simply presents the story of Davern's life and art in a straight forward, informed and informative manner, and done so in a highly readable volume that is the essence of what a good jazz biography should be…. This book helps greatly in putting the complete Kenny Davern into a proper perspective.

Edward N. Meyer teaches courses in the history of jazz at St. Edwards University. He is the author of Giant Strides: the Legacy of Dick Wellstood (Scarecrow, 1999).