Kai Winding

Kai Winding
Portrait of Kai Winding, New York, N.Y.(?), ca. Jan. 1947 by William P. Gottlieb
Background information
Birth name	Kai Chresten Winding
Born	May 18, 1922(1922-05-18)
Origin	Denmark
Died	May 6, 1983(1983-05-06) (aged 60)
Genres	Jazz
Occupations	Trombonist Composer
Instruments	Trombone
Years active	1940-1983
Associated acts	J. J. Johnson Paul Chambers Benny Goodman

Kai Chresten Winding (May 18, 1922 – May 6, 1983) was a popular Danish-born American trombonist and jazz composer. He is well known for a successful collaboration with fellow trombonist J. J. Johnson.

Biography

Winding was born in Aarhus, Denmark. In 1934 his family immigrated to the United States. He graduated in 1940 from Stuyvesant High School in New York City, plus that same year he began his career as a professional trombonist with Shorty Allen's band. Subsequently, he played with Sonny Dunham and Alvino Rey until he entered the United States Coast Guard during World War II.

After the war, Winding joined Benny Goodman's band, and later moved on to Stan Kenton's orchestra. Winding participated in the first of the Birth of the Cool sessions in 1949, appearing on 4 of the 12 tracks (while Johnson appears on the other eight, having participated on the other two sessions). In 1954, at the urging of producer Ozzie Cadena, he joined forces with Johnson to produce a highly successful series of trombone duet recordings, which were initially on Savoy Records and then on the Columbia Records label. While at Columbia, Winding experimented with different instrumentation in brass ensembles: the 1956 album Jay & Kai + 6 features a trombone octet, as well as Winding and Johnson performing on the trombone-like valved horn called the trombonium. Winding also arranged and/or composed many of the tracks he and Johnson recorded.

During the 1960s, Kai had a long stint at Verve Records and under producer Creed Taylor made some of his most memorable jazz-pop albums. His best-known recording from this period is More, the theme from the movie Mondo Cane. Arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman, "More" featured what is probably the first appearance of the French electronic music instrument the Ondioline on an American recording. Though Winding himself was credited with playing the Ondioline, guitarist Vinnie Bell, who worked on the session, has said he remembers distinctly that the French electronic-music pioneer Jean-Jacques Perrey was the actual player. He served as Musical Director for the Playboy Club, in the mid-sixties, when rock and roll was beginning to edge out jazz as the fashionable club music.

While at Verve, Kai further experimented with various ensembles, made solo albums, and even an album of country music with the Anita Kerr Singers. In the late 1960s, Kai followed Creed Taylor to his new recording label at A&M/CTI and made at least two more albums with Johnson.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Kai recorded for a number of independent record labels. During this time, he continued to give clinics, play jazz concerts and even reunited with Johnson for a live concert in Japan. He was a member of the all-star jazz group Giants of Jazz in 1971-2. He also wrote instructional jazz trombone books that included transcribed solos.

Winding died of a brain tumor in New York City in 1983. He was survived at the time by his wife, the accomplished painter Ezshwan Winding, and his son, the session keyboardist Jai Winding.

Discography

(From left:) Eddie Safranski, Kai Winding, Stan Kenton, Pete Rugolo, and Shelly Manne, ca. January 1946.
Photograph by William P. Gottlieb.

Albums with J. J. Johnson as co-leader

• 1954: Jay and Kai Savoy SV0163 (CD)
• 1954: An Afternoon at Birdland
• 1954: Jay and Kai Prestige
• 1955: 'Nuf Said Bethlehem 20-40062 (CD)
• 1955: Trombone for Two Columbia (LP); Collectables (CD)
• 1956: Jay and Kai + 6 Columbia (LP); Collectables (CD)
• 1960: The Great Kai & J. J. Impulse! Records MCAD-42012
• 1966: Dirty Dog Verve
• 1968: Israel (A&M/CTI)
• 1968: Betwixt & Between (A&M/CTI)
• 1969: Stonebone (A&M/CTI (Japan))

Solo albums

• 1960: The Incredible Kai Winding Trombones (Impulse!)
• 1961: Kai Ole
• 1963: The Kai Winding Trombones (Jazz Vault)
• 1965: Rainy Day (verve) V-8620
• 1967: Penny Lane and Time (Verve) V-8691
• 1964/1965 Modern Country (Verve) V6-8602

With Curtis Fuller as co-leader

• 1980: Bone Appétit

As sideman

With Paul Desmond

• Summertime (A&M/CTI, 1968)

With Lalo Schifrin

• New Fantasy (Verve, 1964)

External links

• Official website
• The Incredible Kai Winding at Trombone Page of the World
• Kai Winding at Allmusic
• Kai Winding discography at Discogs
• Kai Winding at the Internet Movie Database
• Kai Winding at Find a Grave