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Wynton Kelly

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Wynton Kelly
Birth nameWynton Kelly
OriginBrooklyn
GenresJazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentPiano
Years active1950s-1960s

Wynton Kelly (December 2, 1931 – April 12, 1971) was a Jamaican-born jazz pianist, who spent his career in the United States.[1] He is perhaps best known for working with trumpeter Miles Davis from 1959-1962.[1]

Biography

Son of Jamaican immigrants, Kelly was born in Jamaica,[2] and started his professional career as a teenager, initially as a member of R&B groups. After working with Lee Abrams, Cecil Payne, Dinah Washington and Dizzy Gillespie,[3] he was a member of Miles Davis' Quintet from 1959 to 1963. He appears on Davis' seminal 1959 album Kind of Blue, replacing Bill Evans on the track "Freddie Freeloader". He likewise appears on a single track from John Coltrane's Giant Steps, replacing Tommy Flanagan on "Naima".[1]

He recorded 14 titles for Blue Note in a trio (1951), and worked with Washington, Gillespie, and Lester Young during 1951-1952. After serving in the military, he worked with Washington (1955–1957), Charles Mingus (1956–1957), and the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band (1957), but he would be most famous for his stint with Miles Davis (1959–1963), recording such albums with him as Kind of Blue, At the Blackhawk, and Someday My Prince Will Come. When he left Davis, Kelly took the rest of the rhythm section (bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb) with him to form his trio.

Kelly recorded as a leader for Blue Note, Riverside Records, Vee-Jay, Verve, and Milestone.[4] Kelly had a daughter, Tracy, in 1963, with partner Anne. The track, "Little Tracy", from the LP Comin' in the Back Door, is named after Kelly's daughter. Tracy Matisak is a now a Philadelphia television personality.

Kelly's second cousin, bassist Marcus Miller, also performed with Miles Davis in the 1980s and 1990s.[1]

Kelly died in Toronto, Canada, from an epileptic seizure in April 1971.

Discography

As leader

As sideman

With Julian "Cannonball" Adderley

With Nat Adderley

With Lorez Alexandria

  • Alexandria the Great (1964)
  • More of the Great (1964)

With Gene Ammons

  • Night Lights (1970)

With Walter Benton

  • Out of This World (1960)

With Bob Brookmeyer

  • Jazz is a Kick (1960)

With Joy Bryan

  • Make the Man Love Me (1961)

With Donald Byrd

With Betty Carter

With Paul Chambers

With James Clay

  • The Sound of the Wide Open Spaces!!! (1960)

With Jimmy Cleveland

  • Cleveland Style (1957)

With John Coltrane

With King Curtis

  • The New Scene of King Curtis (1960)
  • Soul Meeting (1960)

With Miles Davis

With Dizzy Gillespie

With Benny Golson

  • Benny Golson's New York Scene (1957)
  • The Modern Touch (1957)
  • Turning Point (1962)

With Paul Gonsalves

With Dexter Gordon

With Grant Green

  • First Session (1960)

With Johnny Griffin

With Eddie Harris

  • Cool Sax, Warm Heart (1964)

With Jimmy Heath

With Bill Henderson

  • Bill Henderson Sings (1959)

With Joe Henderson

With Ernie Henry

  • Seven Standards and a Blues (1957)
  • Last Chorus (1957)

With Billie Holiday

With Helen Humes

  • Swingin' with Humes (1961)

With Illinois Jacquet

  • The Blues That's Me (1969)

With Eddie Jefferson

  • Letter From Home (1962)

With J. J. Johnson

With Elvin Jones & Philly Joe Jones

  • Together! (1961)

With Sam Jones

  • The Chant (1961)

With Roland Kirk

With Steve Lacy

With Abbey Lincoln

  • That's Him (1957)
  • It's Magic (1958)

With Booker Little

With Chuck Magione

  • Recuerdo (1962)

With Blue Mitchell

With Hank Mobley

With Milt Jackson and Wes Montgomery

With Wes Montgomery

With Lee Morgan

With Mark Murphy

  • Rah (1961)

With David Newman

  • Staight Ahead (1960)

With Art Pepper

  • Gettin' Together (1960)

With Sonny Red

With Dizzy Reece

  • Star Bright (1959)

With Wayne Shorter

With Sonny Rollins

With Don Sleet

  • All Members (1961)

With Frank Strozier

  • Fantastic Frank Strozier (1959)

With Art Taylor

  • A.T.'s Delight (1960)

With Teri Thornton

  • Devil May Care (1960)

With Phil Upchurch

  • Feeling Blue (1967)

With Dinah Washington

References

  1. ^ a b c d Allmusic Biography
  2. ^ Jazz.com [1].
  3. ^ Down Beat Profile
  4. ^ See Kelly's discography.

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