Dorham was one of the most active bebop trumpeters. He played in the big bands of Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton and Mercer Ellington and the quintet of Charlie Parker. He was a charter member of the original cooperative Jazz Messengers. He also recorded as a sideman with Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins, and he replaced Clifford Brown in the Max Roach Quintet after Brown's death in 1956. In addition to sideman work, he led his own groups, including the Jazz Prophets (formed shortly after Art Blakey took over the Jazz Messengers name). The Jazz Prophets can be heard on the 1956 Blue Note live album Round About Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia.
Dorham's talent is frequently lauded by critics and other musicians, but he never received the kind of attention from the jazz establishment that many of his peers did. For this reason, his name has become (in the words of writer Gary Giddins) "virtually synonymous with 'underrated.'"
During his final years Dorham suffered from kidney disease, of which he died.
Bye Bye Blackbird
Kenny Dorham Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, what hard luck stories they all hand me
Pack up all my cares and woe, here I go, winging low
Bye, bye, blackbird
Where somebody waits for me
Sugar's sweet, so is she
Bye, bye, blackbird
No one here can love or understand me
Oh, what hard luck stories they all hand me
Make my bed and light the light, I'll arrive late tonight
Blackbird, bye, bye
Bye, bye, blackbird
Where somebody waits for me
Sugar's sweet, so is she
Bye, bye, blackbird
No one here can love or understand me
Oh what hard luck stories they all hand me
Make my bed and light the light, I'll arrive late tonight
Blackbird, bye, bye
In Kenny Dorham's song "Bye Bye Blackbird," Dorham sings about feeling misunderstood and unloved in his current environment. He references the hard luck stories that people constantly tell him, implying that he is tired of listening to other people's problems without anyone being there to understand or support him. The lyrics also suggest that Dorham is leaving this place behind, as he packs up his cares and woes and takes flight ("winging low") to find someone who will wait for him and love him.
The reference to the blackbird can have different interpretations, but it could be interpreted as Dorham leaving behind negative experiences and moving towards a brighter future. In the end, the lyrics suggest that Dorham is finally saying goodbye to his current situation and moving on to a place where he will be valued and loved by someone who is as sweet as sugar.
Line by Line Meaning
No one here can love or understand me
The people around me are unable to connect with me emotionally or understand my thoughts and feelings.
Oh, what hard luck stories they all hand me
Everyone keeps telling me their tales of misfortunes, as if my life is not already filled enough with problems.
Pack up all my cares and woe, here I go, winging low
I need to leave all my worries and emotional baggage behind and start a new journey, feeling down and despondent.
Bye, bye, blackbird
I'm saying farewell to my pain and sorrow.
Where somebody waits for me
I have hope that there is someone out there who will understand and care for me.
Sugar's sweet, so is she
The person waiting for me is loving, affectionate and kind-hearted, just like the sweetness of sugar.
Make my bed and light the light, I'll arrive late tonight
Prepare a place for me to rest, because I'll be arriving late at night, after much wandering and heartache.
Blackbird, bye, bye
I'm saying goodbye to all the pain and hardship that has consumed me, and starting afresh.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: Mort Dixon, Ray Henderson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jan Gunnar Olsen
Dam! How it sings and swing! GREAT music, by GREAT musicans!
Redinho da Flauta
The great Tete Montoliu at PEAK form!
giorgio Alberti
Just bouncing with swing!!!
lastknowngood0
Kenny Blowing up a storm in my old Stomping grounds in Copenhagen. Paris of the North at one time. The last time I went it was blemished by fast food joints and 7 11 's. Mercy, Mercy. Mercy!