Brooks Kerr

A great enthusiast and pupil of Duke Ellington’s music, Brooks Kerr had the chance to train on a handful of Duke’s sidemen after Ellington’s death. He initial performed in public areas when he was nine and, after shifting to NY, Kerr frequently hung out with Willie “The Lion” Smith during 1969-73. He also examined on the Manhattan College of Music with Juilliard. Among the veterans who performed in Kerr’s music group had been Sonny Greer, Russell Procope and (briefly) Ray Nance and Paul Gonsalves. Brooks Kerr documented for Famous Door in 1974 (leading a quartet that also included Paul Quinichette, Gene Ramey and Sam Woodyard), Chiaroscuro (a couple of duets in 1975 with Greer) and Blue Wail during 1981-82 (tributes to Duke Ellington, Extra fat Waller and Irving Berlin).