Wynton Kelly
Encyclopedia
Wynton Kelly was a Jamaica
n-born jazz
pianist
, who spent his career in the United States
. He is perhaps best known for working with trumpeter Miles Davis
from 1959-1962.
, 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
, 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
".
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
. 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.
Kelly died in Toronto
, Canada
, from an epileptic seizure in April 1971.
With Nat Adderley
With Lorez Alexandria
With Gene Ammons
With Walter Benton
With Bob Brookmeyer
With Joy Bryan
With Donald Byrd
With Betty Carter
With Paul Chambers
With James Clay
With Jimmy Cleveland
With John Coltrane
With King Curtis
With Miles Davis
With Dizzy Gillespie
With Benny Golson
With Paul Gonsalves
With Dexter Gordon
With Grant Green
With Johnny Griffin
With Eddie Harris
With Jimmy Heath
With Bill Henderson
With Joe Henderson
With Ernie Henry
With Billie Holiday
With Helen Humes
With Illinois Jacquet
With Eddie Jefferson
With J. J. Johnson
With Elvin Jones
& Philly Joe Jones
With Sam Jones
With Roland Kirk
With Steve Lacy
With Abbey Lincoln
With Booker Little
With Chuck Magione
With Blue Mitchell
With Hank Mobley
With Milt Jackson and Wes Montgomery
With Wes Montgomery
With Lee Morgan
With Mark Murphy
With David Newman
With Art Pepper
With Sonny Red
With Dizzy Reece
With Wayne Shorter
With Sonny Rollins
With Don Sleet
With Frank Strozier
With Art Taylor
With Teri Thornton
With Phil Upchurch
With Dinah Washington
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n-born jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, who spent his career in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He is perhaps best known for working with trumpeter Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
from 1959-1962.
Biography
Son of Jamaican immigrants, Kelly was born in JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, and started his professional career as a teenager, initially as a member of R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
groups. After working with Lee Abrams, Cecil Payne
Cecil Payne
Cecil Payne was a jazz baritone saxophonist born in Brooklyn, NY. Payne also played the alto saxophone and flute...
, Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...
and Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, he was a member of Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
' Quintet from 1959 to 1963. He appears on Davis' seminal 1959 album Kind of Blue
Kind of Blue
Kind of Blue is a studio album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released August 17, 1959, on Columbia Records in the United States. Recording sessions for the album took place at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in New York City on March 2 and April 22, 1959...
, replacing Bill Evans
Bill Evans
William John Evans, known as Bill Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists including: Chick Corea, Herbie...
on the track "Freddie Freeloader
Freddie Freeloader
"Freddie Freeloader" is a composition by Miles Davis and is the second track on his album Kind of Blue. The piece takes the form of a twelve-bar blues in B-flat, but the chord over the final two bars of each chorus is an A-flat7, not the traditional B-flat7 followed by either F7 for a turnaround or...
". He likewise appears on a single track from John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
's Giant Steps
Giant Steps
-Personnel:* John Coltrane — tenor saxophone* Tommy Flanagan — piano* Wynton Kelly — piano on "Naima"* Paul Chambers — bass* Art Taylor — drums* Jimmy Cobb — drums on "Naima"* Cedar Walton — piano on "Giant Steps' and Naima" alternate versions...
, replacing Tommy Flanagan
Tommy Flanagan
Thomas Lee Flanagan was an American jazz pianist born in Detroit, Michigan, particularly remembered for his work with Ella Fitzgerald...
on "Naima
Naima
"Naima" is a ballad composed by John Coltrane in 1959, and named after his then-wife, Juanita Naima Grubbs. It first appeared on the album Giant Steps, and is notable for its use of a variety of rich chords over a bass pedal...
".
He recorded 14 titles for Blue Note
Blue note
In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note sung or played at a slightly lower pitch than that of the major scale for expressive purposes. Typically the alteration is a semitone or less, but this varies among performers and genres. Country blues, in particular, features wide variations from the...
in a trio (1951), and worked with Washington, Gillespie, and Lester Young
Lester Young
Lester Willis Young , nicknamed "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and clarinetist. He also played trumpet, violin, and drums....
during 1951-1952. After serving in the military, he worked with Washington (1955–1957), Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist.Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third stream, free jazz, and classical music...
(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
Kind of Blue
Kind of Blue is a studio album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released August 17, 1959, on Columbia Records in the United States. Recording sessions for the album took place at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in New York City on March 2 and April 22, 1959...
, At the Blackhawk
In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk, Complete
In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk, Complete, also called The Complete Blackhawk, is a 2003 four-disc collection of the 1961 live performances of the Miles Davis Quintet at the Black Hawk nightclub in San Francisco...
, and Someday My Prince Will Come. When he left Davis, Kelly took the rest of the rhythm section (bassist Paul Chambers
Paul Chambers
Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers, Jr. was a jazz bassist. A fixture of rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, his importance in the development of jazz bass can be measured not only by the length and breadth of his work in this short period but also his impeccable time, intonation, and virtuosic...
and drummer Jimmy Cobb
Jimmy Cobb
-External links:* - includes full discography* * * * * * *...
) with him to form his trio.
Kelly recorded as a leader for Blue Note, Riverside Records
Riverside Records
Riverside Records was a United States record label specializing in jazz. Founded by Orrin Keepnews and Bill Grauer under his firm Bill Grauer Productions, Inc. in 1953, the label was a major presence in the jazz record industry for a decade...
, Vee-Jay, Verve
Verve Records
Verve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...
, and Milestone
Milestone Records
Milestone Records is a United States based jazz record label, founded in 1966 by Orrin Keepnews and Dick Katz in New York City. The company was incorporated into Fantasy Records in 1972, since then it has been used for reissues as well as for new recordings....
. Kelly had a daughter, Tracy, in 1963, with partner Anne. The track, "Little Tracy", from the LP Comin' in the Back Door
Comin' in the Back Door
-Track listing:# "If That's the Way You Want It" - 2:36# "Comin' in the Back Door" - 2:20# "Don't Wait Too Long" - 2:10# "Nocturne" - 2:40# "The Bitter End" - 2:00...
, is named after Kelly's daughter. Tracy Matisak is a now a Philadelphia television personality.
Kelly's second cousin, bassist Marcus Miller
Marcus Miller
Marcus Miller is an American jazz composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Miller is best known as a bassist, working with trumpeter Miles Davis, singer Luther Vandross, and saxophonist David Sanborn, as well as maintaining a prolific solo career...
, also performed with Miles Davis in the 1980s and 1990s.
Kelly died in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, from an epileptic seizure in April 1971.
As leader
- 1951: Piano InterpretationsPiano Interpretations-Track listing:# "Blue Moon" - 3:09# "Fine and Dandy" - 2:50# "I Found a New Baby" - 2:53# "Cherokee" - 3:08# "Born to Be Blue" - 3:26...
(Blue Note) - 1958: PianoPiano (Wynton Kelly album)Piano , also released as Whisper Not, is an album by jazz pianist Wynton Kelly released on the Riverside label featuring performances by Kelly with Kenny Burrell, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones recorded in 1958.-Reception:...
(Riverside) - 1959: Kelly BlueKelly BlueKelly Blue is an album by American jazz pianist Wynton Kelly, released in 1959.-History:Coming off of his success as a sideman with Miles Davis’ sextet, Riverside Records gave Kelly an opportunity to expand on his solo career...
(Riverside) - 1959: Kelly GreatKelly Great- Reception :In his Allmusic review, music critic Scott Yanow wrote the album "is pretty brief, but what is here on the formerly rare session should satisfy collectors of the style."-Track listing:#”Wrinkles” – 8:05...
(Vee-Jay) - 1960: Kelly at MidnightKelly at Midnight-Track listing:# "Temperance" - 7:31# "Weird Lullaby" - 7:11# "On Stage" - 5:13# "Skatin'" - 5:48# "Pot Luck" - 6:48*Recorded at Bell Sound Studios in New York City on April 27, 1960-Personnel:...
(Vee-Jay) - 1961: Wynton Kelly!Wynton Kelly!-Track listing:# "Come Rain or Come Shine" - 5:53# "Make the Man Love Me" - 3:39# "Autumn Leaves" - 6:11...
(Vee-Jay) - 1961: Someday My Prince Will ComeSomeday My Prince Will Come (Wynton Kelly album)-Track listing:# "Someday My Prince Will Come" - 3:02# "Gone with the Wind" - 4:15# "Autumn Leaves" [Take 2] - 4:28...
(Vee-Jay) - 1963: Comin' in the Back DoorComin' in the Back Door-Track listing:# "If That's the Way You Want It" - 2:36# "Comin' in the Back Door" - 2:20# "Don't Wait Too Long" - 2:10# "Nocturne" - 2:40# "The Bitter End" - 2:00...
(Verve) - 1964: It's All Right!It's All Right!-Track listing:# "It's All Right" - 2:51# "South Seas" - 5:30# "Not a Tear" - 5:59# "Portrait of Jennie" -Track listing:# "It's All Right" (Curtis Mayfield) - 2:51# "South Seas" (Rudy Stevenson) - 5:30# "Not a Tear" (Stevenson) - 5:59# "Portrait of Jennie" -Track listing:# "It's All Right"...
(Verve) - 1965: UndilutedUndiluted-Track listing:# "Bobo" - 4:02# "Swingin Till the Girls Come Home" - 6:33# "My Ship" - 3:51# "Out Front" - 4:00# "Never" - 4:04# "Blues on Purpose" - 4:52...
(Verve) - 1965: Smokin' at the Half NoteSmokin' at the Half NoteSmokin' at the Half Note is a jazz album recorded by Wes Montgomery and the Wynton Kelly Trio and released in 1965.-History:The album is considered important to the history of jazz because it paired Miles Davis's rhythm section, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb, with Montgomery...
(Verve) - 1965: Blues on PurposeBlues on Purpose-Track listing:# "Blues on Purpose" - 7:34# "If You Could See Me Now" - 6:19# "Somebody's Blues" - 9:52# "Another Blues" - 8:16# "Old Folks" - 5:54# "Milestones" - 5:27...
(XanaduXanadu RecordsXanadu Records was a jazz music record label specializing in bebop throughout the 1970s and 1980s founded by Don Schlitten, recording and issuing recordings by some legendary names in jazz music.-Discography:...
) - 1967: Full ViewFull View-Track listing:# "I Want a Little Girl" - 4:42# "I Thought" - 4:51# "What a Diff'rence a Day Made" - 4:47# "Autumn Leaves" - 3:51...
(MilestoneMilestone RecordsMilestone Records is a United States based jazz record label, founded in 1966 by Orrin Keepnews and Dick Katz in New York City. The company was incorporated into Fantasy Records in 1972, since then it has been used for reissues as well as for new recordings....
) - 1968: Last Trio SessionLast Trio Session-Track listing:# "When Love Slips Away" - 4:12# "Castilian Waltz" [Take 12] - 4:23# "Say a Little Prayer for Me" - 3:24# "Kelly's Blues" - 7:56...
(Delmark)
As sideman
With Julian "Cannonball" Adderley- Things Are Getting BetterThings Are Getting BetterThings Are Getting Better is the eleventh album by jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, and his second release on the Riverside label, featuring performances with Milt Jackson, Wynton Kelly, Percy Heath, and Art Blakey...
(1958) - Cannonball Adderley Quintet in ChicagoCannonball Adderley Quintet in ChicagoCannonball Adderley Quintet in Chicago is an album by jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, his final release on the Mercury label, featuring performances by Adderley with John Coltrane, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb...
(1959) - Cannonball Takes ChargeCannonball Takes ChargeCannonball Takes Charge is an album by jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley released on the Riverside label featuring performances by Adderley with Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb with Percy and Albert Heath replacing Chambers and Cobb on two selections...
(1959) - African WaltzAfrican WaltzAfrican Waltz is an album by jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley released on the Riverside label and performed by Adderley with an orchestra conducted by Ernie Wilkins. The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 3 stars and states "The music on this CD reissue is better than it should be...
(1961) - The Cannonball Adderley Quintet PlusThe Cannonball Adderley Quintet PlusThe Cannonball Adderley Quintet Plus is an album by jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley released on the Riverside label featuring performances by Adderley with Nat Adderley, Wynton Kelly, Victor Feldman, Sam Jones and Louis Hayes...
(1961)
With Nat Adderley
Nat Adderley
Nathaniel Adderley was an American jazz cornet and trumpet player who played in the hard bop and soul jazz genres. He was the brother of saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley....
- Much BrassMuch Brass-Track listing:# "Blue Concept" - 7:37# "Little Miss" - 4:28# "Israel" - 3:53# "What Next?" - 3:20# "Moving" - 5:03# "Blue Brass Groove" - 5:39...
(1959) - That's Right!That's Right!-Track listing:# "The Old Country" - 3:56# "Chordnation" - 6:11# "The Folks Who Live On the Hill" - 4:15# "Tadd" - 4:17# "You Leave Me Breathless" - 4:16...
(1960) - Naturally!Naturally!-Track listing:# "Naturally" - 5:05# "Seventh Son" [aka "Lateef Minor Seventh"] - 6:51# "Love Letters" - 4:16# "This Man's Dream" - 5:29...
(1961)
With Lorez Alexandria
Lorez Alexandria
Lorez Alexandria was an American jazz and gospel singer....
- Alexandria the Great (1964)
- More of the Great (1964)
With Gene Ammons
Gene Ammons
Eugene "Jug" Ammons also known as "The Boss," was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, and the son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons.-Biography:...
- Night Lights (1970)
With Walter Benton
Walter Benton
Walter Benton was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Benton first began playing saxophone as a high schooler in Los Angeles. After three years of service in the Army in the early 1950s, he played in 1954 with Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, and Clifford Brown. From 1954 to 1957 he played with Perez...
- Out of This World (1960)
With Bob Brookmeyer
Bob Brookmeyer
Robert Brookmeyer is an American jazz valve trombonist, pianist, arranger, and composer.-Biography:Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Brookmeyer first gained widespread public attention as a member of Gerry Mulligan's quartet from 1954 to 1957. He later worked with Jimmy Giuffre...
- Jazz is a Kick (1960)
With Joy Bryan
- Make the Man Love Me (1961)
With Donald Byrd
Donald Byrd
Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II, is an American jazz and rhythm and blues trumpeter. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd is best known as one of the only bebop jazz musicians who successfully pioneered the funk and soul genres while simultaneously remaining a...
- Off to the RacesOff to the RacesOff to the Races is an album by American trumpeter Donald Byrd recorded in 1958 and released on the Blue Note label in 1959 as BLP 4007.-Reception:...
(1958)
With Betty Carter
Betty Carter
Betty Carter was an American jazz singer renowned for her improvisational technique and idiosyncratic vocal style...
- Out ThereOut There (Betty Carter album)Out There is a critically acclaimed avante-garde bop album by Betty Carter, released in February 1958. Ron Wynn of Allmusic called the album "a dynamic set."...
(1958)
With Paul Chambers
Paul Chambers
Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers, Jr. was a jazz bassist. A fixture of rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, his importance in the development of jazz bass can be measured not only by the length and breadth of his work in this short period but also his impeccable time, intonation, and virtuosic...
- Go... (1959)
- 1st Bassman (1960)
With James Clay
James Clay
James Clay may refer to:* James Clay , English MP and writer about the game of whist* James Clay, a pseudonym used by Phil Foglio , cartoonist and comic book artist...
- The Sound of the Wide Open Spaces!!! (1960)
With Jimmy Cleveland
Jimmy Cleveland
Jimmy Cleveland was an American jazz trombone born in Wartrace, Tennessee.Cleveland worked with many well-known jazz musicians, including Lionel Hampton, Miles Davis, Sarah Vaughan, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Quincy Jones, Lucky Thompson, Gigi Gryce, Oscar Peterson, Oscar Pettiford and James Brown...
- Cleveland Style (1957)
With John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
- Coltrane JazzColtrane Jazz (album)Coltrane Jazz is the sixth album by jazz musician John Coltrane, released in 1961 on Atlantic Records, catalogue SD 1354. It marks the first appearance of the early John Coltrane Quartet on record, featuring pianist McCoy Tyner and drummer Elvin Jones....
(1961)
With King Curtis
King Curtis
Curtis Ousley , who performed under the stage name King Curtis, was an American saxophone virtuoso known for rhythm and blues, rock and roll, soul, funk and soul jazz. Variously a bandleader, band member, and session musician, he was also a musical director and record producer...
- The New Scene of King Curtis (1960)
- Soul Meeting (1960)
With Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
- Kind of BlueKind of BlueKind of Blue is a studio album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released August 17, 1959, on Columbia Records in the United States. Recording sessions for the album took place at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in New York City on March 2 and April 22, 1959...
(1959) - Someday My Prince Will Come (1961)
With Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
- Dizzy and Strings (1954)
- Dizzy Atmosphere (1957)
- Birks' Works (1957)
- Dizzy in Greece (1957)
- Dizzy Gillespie at NewportDizzy Gillespie at NewportDizzy Gillespie at Newport is a 1957 live album by Dizzy Gillespie, featuring his big band. -Track listing:# "Dizzy's Blues" – 11:51# "School Days" Dizzy Gillespie at Newport is a 1957 live album by Dizzy Gillespie, featuring his big band. -Track listing:# "Dizzy's Blues" (Dizzy Gillespie, A.K....
(1957)
With Benny Golson
Benny Golson
Benny Golson is an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger.-Biography:While in high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Golson played with several other promising young musicians, including John Coltrane, Red Garland, Jimmy Heath, Percy Heath, Philly Joe Jones, and...
- Benny Golson's New York Scene (1957)
- The Modern Touch (1957)
- Turning Point (1962)
With Paul Gonsalves
Paul Gonsalves
Paul Gonsalves, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist best known for his association with Duke Ellington. At the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, Gonsalves played a 27-chorus solo in the middle of Ellington's "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue"...
- Gettin' TogetherGettin' Together (Paul Gonsalves)-Track listing:#"Yesterdays" - 3.32#"J. And B. Blues"#"I Surrender, Dear"#"Hard Groove"#"Low Gravy"#"I Cover the Waterfront"#"Gettin' Together"#"Walkin"'-Performers:*Paul Gonsalves - Tenor Saxophone*Nat Adderley - Cornet...
(1960)
With Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and an Academy Award-nominated actor . He is regarded as one of the first and most important musicians to adapt the bebop musical language of people like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell to the tenor saxophone...
- The Jumpin' Blues (1970)
With Grant Green
Grant Green
Grant Green was a jazz guitarist and composer....
- First Session (1960)
With Johnny Griffin
Johnny Griffin
John Arnold Griffin III was an American bop and hard bop tenor saxophonist.- Early life and career :Griffin studied music at DuSable High School in Chicago under Walter Dyett, starting out on clarinet before moving on to oboe and then alto sax...
- Introducing Johnny GriffinIntroducing Johnny GriffinIntroducing Johnny Griffin is the debut album by jazz tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin. It was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's Hackensack studio on April 17, 1956.- Track listing :# "Mildew" - 3:56# "Chicago Calling" - 5:38...
(1956) - A Blowin' Session (1957)
With Eddie Harris
Eddie Harris
Eddie Harris was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ...
- Cool Sax, Warm Heart (1964)
With Jimmy Heath
Jimmy Heath
James Edward Heath , nicknamed Little Bird, is an American jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger. He is the brother of bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert Heath.-Biography:...
- On the Trail (1964)
With Bill Henderson
Bill Henderson (actor)
William Randall "Bill" Henderson is an American jazz vocalist and actor in television and film.Henderson was born in Chicago, Illinois. Henderson's acting credits have been numerous. Beginning in the mid-1970s, and continuing to this day, he has frequently appeared on television in supporting,...
- Bill Henderson Sings (1959)
With Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than forty years Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent labels, including Blue Note.-Early life:From a very large family with five sisters and nine...
- FourFour (Joe Henderson album)Four is the first album by jazz saxophonist Joe Henderson released on the Verve label. It was recorded on April 21, 1968 and features a live performance by Henderson with Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb...
(1968) - Straight, No ChaserStraight, No Chaser (Joe Henderson album)Straight, No Chaser is the second album by jazz saxophonist Joe Henderson released on the Verve label. It was recorded on April 21, 1968 and feature a live performance by Henderson with Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb...
(1968)
With Ernie Henry
Ernie Henry
Ernie Henry was an American jazz saxophonist.Henry played in the late 1940s with Tadd Dameron , Fats Navarro, Charlie Ventura, Max Roach, and Dizzy Gillespie . From 1950 to 1952 he played in the band of Illinois Jacquet...
- Seven Standards and a Blues (1957)
- Last Chorus (1957)
With Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
- Lady Sings the BluesLady Sings the Blues (Billie Holiday album)Lady Sings the Blues is an album by Billie Holiday. This was Holiday's last album released on Clef Records, for the following year, it would be absorbed into Verve Records. Lady Sings the Blues was taken from sessions taped during 1954 and 1956...
(1956)
With Helen Humes
Helen Humes
Helen Humes was an American jazz and blues singer.Humes was successively a teenaged blues singer, band vocalist with Count Basie, saucy R&B diva and a mature interpreter of the classy popular song.-Career:...
- Swingin' with Humes (1961)
With Illinois Jacquet
Illinois Jacquet
Jean-Baptiste Illinois Jacquet was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, best remembered for his solo on "Flying Home", critically recognized as the first R&B saxophone solo....
- The Blues That's Me (1969)
With Eddie Jefferson
Eddie Jefferson
Eddie Jefferson was a celebrated jazz vocalist and lyricist. He is credited as an innovator of vocalese, a musical style in which lyrics are set to an instrumental composition or solo. Perhaps his best-known song is "Moody's Mood for Love", though it was first recorded by King Pleasure, who cited...
- Letter From Home (1962)
With J. J. Johnson
- The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume 2The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume 2The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume 2 is an album by American jazz trombonist J. J. Johnson featuring performances recorded in 1954 and 1955 originally released on the Blue Note label as 10 inch LP records.-Reception:...
(1954)
With Elvin Jones
Elvin Jones
Elvin Ray Jones was a jazz drummer of the post-bop era. He showed interest in drums at a young age, watching the circus bands march by his family's home in Pontiac, Michigan....
& Philly Joe Jones
Philly Joe Jones
Joseph Rudolph Jones was a Philadelphia-born United States jazz drummer, known as the drummer for the Miles Davis Quintet.Philly Joe Jones was often confused with another influential jazz drummer, Jo Jones...
- Together! (1961)
With Sam Jones
- The Chant (1961)
With Roland Kirk
- DominoDomino (Rahsaan Roland Kirk album)Domino is an album by Roland Kirk recorded and released in 1962. The follow-up to We Free Kings, his 1961 breakthrough as a bandleader, it found him increasingly reliant on standards and cover versions. It was reissued in 2000 on Verve with bonus tracks featuring sessions with Herbie Hancock...
(1962)
With Steve Lacy
Steve Lacy
Steve Lacy , born Steven Norman Lackritz in New York City, was a jazz saxophonist and composer recognized as one of the important players of soprano saxophone....
- Soprano SaxSoprano Sax (album)Soprano Sax is the debut album by Steve Lacy which was released on the Prestige label in 1958. It features performances by Lacy, Wynton Kelly, Buell Neidlinger and Dennis Charles.-Reception:...
(1957)
With Abbey Lincoln
Abbey Lincoln
Anna Marie Wooldridge , better known by her stage name Abbey Lincoln, was a jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress. Lincoln was unusual in that she wrote and performed her own compositions, expanding the expectations of jazz audiences.-Biography:Born in Chicago, Illinois, she was one of many...
- That's Him (1957)
- It's Magic (1958)
With Booker Little
Booker Little
Booker Little, Jr was an American jazz trumpeter and composer.-Biography:Despite his premature death from kidney failure at the age of 23, Little made an important contribution to jazz. Stylistically, his sound is rooted in the playing of Clifford Brown, featuring crisp articulation, a burnished...
- Booker LittleBooker Little (album)Booker Little is an album by American jazz trumpeter Booker Little featuring performances recorded in 1960 for the Time label. The CD re-release entitled Booker Little: Complete Quartet Recordings added six bonus tracks recorded in 1958.-Reception:...
(1960)
With Chuck Magione
- Recuerdo (1962)
With Blue Mitchell
Blue Mitchell
Richard Allen Mitchell was an American jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock, and funk trumpeter, known for many albums recorded as leader and sideman for Riverside, Blue Note and then Mainstream Records.-Biography:...
- Big 6Big 6 (album)Big 6 is the debut album by American trumpeter Blue Mitchell recorded in 1958 and released on the Riverside label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 5 stars and stated "Mitchell is heard in excellent form in an all-star sextet".-Track listing:*Recorded in New York City...
(1958) - Blue SoulBlue SoulBlue Soul is the third album led by American trumpeter Blue Mitchell recorded and released in 1959 on the Riverside label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Michael G...
(1959) - Blue's MoodsBlue's MoodsBlue's Moods is the third album by American trumpeter Blue Mitchell recorded in 1960 and released on the Riverside label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4 stars and stated "the trumpeter is typically distinctive, swinging and inventive within the hard bop...
(1960) - A Sure ThingA Sure ThingA Sure Thing is an album by American trumpeter Blue Mitchell with orchestra recorded in late 1962 and released on the Riverside label.-Reception:...
(1962)
With Hank Mobley
Hank Mobley
Henry Mobley was an American hard bop and soul jazz tenor saxophonist and composer. Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to describe his tone that was neither as aggressive as John Coltrane nor as mellow as Stan Getz...
- Peckin' TimePeckin' TimePeckin' Time is an album by saxophonist Hank Mobley and trumpeter Lee Morgan first released on the Blue Note label in 1959 as BLP 1574. It was recorded on February 9, 1958 and features Mobley, Morgan, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Charlie Persip....
(1958) - Soul StationSoul StationSoul Station is an album by jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley, released in 1960 on Blue Note Records, catalogue BLP 4031. Along with Roll Call, the LP which followed this release, this is one of Mobley's best-known albums...
(1960) - Roll CallRoll Call (Hank Mobley album)Roll Call is an album by jazz tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley. Considered one of his best alongside Soul Station , Roll Call features some of the most prominent musicians of the hard bop era, specifically Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Art Blakey, and Freddie Hubbard.- Track listing :All compositions...
(1961) - WorkoutWorkout (album)Workout is an album by jazz tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley released on the Blue Note label in 1961. It features performances by Mobley, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Grant Green and Philly Joe Jones...
(1961) - Another WorkoutAnother WorkoutAnother Workout is an album by jazz tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley recorded on December 5, 1961 and first released on the Blue Note label in 1986...
(1961)
With Milt Jackson and Wes Montgomery
Wes Montgomery
John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Russell Malone, Emily...
- Bags Meets Wes! (1961)
With Wes Montgomery
Wes Montgomery
John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Russell Malone, Emily...
- Full House (1962)
- Smokin' at the Half NoteSmokin' at the Half NoteSmokin' at the Half Note is a jazz album recorded by Wes Montgomery and the Wynton Kelly Trio and released in 1965.-History:The album is considered important to the history of jazz because it paired Miles Davis's rhythm section, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb, with Montgomery...
(1965)
With Lee Morgan
Lee Morgan
Edward Lee Morgan was an American hard bop trumpeter.-Biography:...
- Here's Lee MorganHere's Lee MorganHere's Lee Morgan is an album by jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan originally released on the Vee-Jay label. It was recorded on February 8, 1960 and features performances by Morgan with Clifford Jordan, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Art Blakey.-Reception:...
(1960)
With Mark Murphy
Mark Murphy (singer)
Mark Murphy is an American jazz singer based in New York. He is most noted for his definitive and unique vocalese and vocal improvisations with both melody and lyrics...
- Rah (1961)
With David Newman
David Newman (jazz musician)
David "Fathead" Newman was an American jazz saxophonist.-Biography:Born in Corsicana, Texas, Newman's professional career as a musician began in 1954 as a member of the Ray Charles Band....
- Staight Ahead (1960)
With Art Pepper
Art Pepper
Art Pepper , born Arthur Edward Pepper, Jr., was an American alto saxophonist and clarinetist.About Pepper, Scott Yanow of All Music stated, "In the 1950s he was one of the few altoists that was able to develop his own sound despite the dominant influence of Charlie Parker" and: "When Art Pepper...
- Gettin' Together (1960)
With Sonny Red
Sonny Red
Sonny Red was an American alto saxophonist associated with the hard bop idiom among other styles...
- Out of the BlueOut of the Blue (Sonny Red album)Out of the Blue is an album by American saxophonist Sonny Red recorded in late 1959 and early 1960 and released on the Blue Note label.-Reception:...
(1959)
With Dizzy Reece
Dizzy Reece
Alphonso Son "Dizzy" Reece is a hard bop jazz trumpeter with a distinctive sound and compositional style.Reece was born 5 January 1931 in Kingston, Jamaica, the son of a silent film pianist. He attended the Alpha Boys School , switching from baritone to trumpet at 14...
- Star Bright (1959)
With Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.He is generally acknowledged to be jazz's greatest living composer, and many of his compositions have become standards...
- Introducing Wayne ShorterIntroducing Wayne ShorterIntroducing Wayne Shorter is the debut album by Wayne Shorter in the hard bop medium, performing with other jazz greats like Lee Morgan and Paul Chambers...
(1959)
With Sonny Rollins
Sonny Rollins
Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins is a Grammy-winning American jazz tenor saxophonist. Rollins is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. A number of his compositions, including "St...
- Sonny Rollins, Vol. 1Sonny Rollins, Vol. 1Sonny Rollins, Vol. 1 is a jazz album by Sonny Rollins.-Track listing:#"Decision"#"Bluesnote"#"Plain Jane"#"Sonnysphere"#"How are things in Glocca Mora?"-Personnel:*Sonny Rollins - Tenor Saxophone*Donald Byrd - Trumpet*Max Roach - Drums...
(1956) - Newk's TimeNewk's TimeNewk's Time is an album by Sonny Rollins. It was his third album for Blue Note Records, released in 1957. Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Hackensack, NJ on September 22, 1957. The title of the album is a reference to Rollins' nickname "Newk", which is apparently based on his resemblance...
(1957)
With Don Sleet
- All Members (1961)
With Frank Strozier
Frank Strozier
Frank Strozier is an alto saxophonist renowned for his playing in the hard bop idiom.Strozier grew up in Memphis Memphis, Tennessee...
- Fantastic Frank Strozier (1959)
With Art Taylor
Art Taylor
Arthur S. Taylor, Jr. was an American jazz drummer of the hard bop school.After playing in the bands of Howard McGhee, Coleman Hawkins, Buddy DeFranco, Bud Powell, and George Wallington from 1948 to 1957, he formed his own group, the Wailers...
- A.T.'s Delight (1960)
With Teri Thornton
Teri Thornton
Teri Thornton, born Shirley Enid Avery was an American jazz singer....
- Devil May Care (1960)
With Phil Upchurch
Phil Upchurch
Phil Upchurch is an American jazz and R&B guitarist and bassist.Upchurch started his career working with The Kool Gents, The Dells, and The Spaniels before going on to work with Curtis Mayfield, Otis Rush and Jimmy Reed. He then returned to Chicago to play and record with Woody Herman, Stan Getz,...
- Feeling Blue (1967)
With Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...
- Back to the Blues (1962)
External links
- Wynton Kelly Discography at jazzdisco.org accessed August 19, 2010
- Wynton Kelly Discography with cover photos accessed August 19, 2010
- Wynton Kelly Hardbop Homepage accessed August 20, 2010
- [ Wynton Kelly Allmusic Biography] accessed August 20, 2010