Whistle Stop: Kenny Dorham, Jazz, and the Journey of a Texas Family (American Made Music Series)

Whistle Stop traces the remarkable life of trumpeter and composer Kenny Dorham (1924-1972), whose journey from rural Texas to the forefront of modern jazz mirrors the broader story of Black resilience and creativity in twentieth-century America.Dorham was born in Freestone County to a sharecropping family whose roots stretch back to Reconstruction, when his great-grandfather owned and farmed land in East Texas.Raised there and in segregated East Austin, Dorham found his voice on the trumpet at Anderson High School, and after brief stops at Wiley College and in the army, he landed in New York just as bebop was transforming American music. Dorham quickly became a cornerstone of that transformation.From performing with Charlie Parker, Art Blakey, and Max Roach to mentoring younger talents like Joe Henderson, he played a defining role in shaping modern jazz.A gifted composer, collaborator, and teacher, Dorham also helped lay the foundation for formal jazz education.Yet despite his immense