KENNY MILLIONS (KESHAVAN MASLAK)
Genres: Avant-Garde Jazz, Post Bop, Third Stream • United States

Second-generation Ukrainian-American creative improvising saxophonist Kenny Millions was born Kenneth Keshavan Maslak in Detroit, MI, on February 26, 1947, and grew up in one of the ethnic neighborhoods that surround the inner city. His Ukrainian grandfather played music reflective of his Slavic folk heritage, and upon listening to the jazz and rhythm & blues players in Detroit such as Yusef Lateef and Junior Walker, he distilled these elements into his own style. He studied at the legendary Cass Tech High School, a spawning ground for many of the best modern players who emerged from the scene and headed for New York City. Maslak went to another prime school for jazz academics, North Texas State University; during this time he formed his own band and participated in a Southern tour by Motown artists. After a fateful meeting with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, he was one of the few saxophonists to sit in read more...