Wynton Kelly facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wynton Kelly
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Kelly in about 1957
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Wynton Charles Kelly |
| Born | December 2, 1931 Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Died | April 12, 1971 (aged 39) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1940s–1971 |
| Labels |
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| Associated acts | |
Wynton Charles Kelly (December 2, 1931 – April 12, 1971) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He is known for his lively, blues-based playing and as one of the finest accompanists in jazz.
Contents
Early life
Kelly was born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 2, 1931. He was the son of Jamaican immigrants. He began playing the piano at the age of four, but did not receive much formal training in music.
He attended the High School of Music & Art and the Metropolitan Vocational High School in New York, but "[t]hey wouldn't give us piano, so I fooled around with the bass and studied theory."
He began playing professionally at the age of 12 and was pianist on a No. 1 R&B hit at the age of 16. Around this time he also played organ in local churches. In his local area, he played with brothers Lee and Ray Abrams, as well as Ahmed Abdul-Malik, Ernie Henry, and Cecil Payne, who went on to have careers in jazz.
Career
1946–1958
At the age of 15, Kelly toured the Caribbean as part of Ray Abrams' R&B band. He made his recording debut aged 16, playing on saxophonist Hal Singer's 1948 "Cornbread". The track which became a Billboard R&B chart-topping hit.
In the following year, Kelly recorded with vocalist Babs Gonzales. Other R&B bands that Kelly played with included those led by Hot Lips Page (1948 or earlier), Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (1949), and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis (1950).
Kelly became better known after joining vocalist Dinah Washington's band in 1951. After this, he played in bands led by Lester Young in the spring of 1952, and Dizzy Gillespie, recording with the latter later in 1952. In September of that year, just as Kelly was beginning to build a reputation, he was drafted into the army.
In the Army
Kelly served at Fort McClellan in Alabama. Then he became part of a Third Army traveling show. He recruited fellow draftee and future jazz pianist Duke Pearson into the show. By April 1954, Kelly was "Private First Class Wynton Kelly", musical director of the show. He ended his military service with a music performance for an audience of 10,000 in the Chastain Memorial Park Amphitheater in Atlanta.
Kelly was released from the military after two years. He worked on and off with Washington and Gillespie again. Kelly was also part of Charles Mingus' group for a tour of Washington, D.C., California, and Vancouver in late 1956 to early 1957.
In 1956, Kelly recorded with vocalist Billie Holiday, including for the original version of her song "Lady Sings the Blues", as well as for the Blue Note debuts of saxophonists Johnny Griffin and Sonny Rollins. After leaving Gillespie again, Kelly formed his own trio.
Kelly was much in demand as a sideman for recordings and appeared on albums by most of the major jazz leaders in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Early in 1958, Kelly recorded his second album as a leader, the quartet Piano, more than six years after his first.
1959–1971
In January 1959, Kelly joined the musician with whom he became most associated – trumpeter Miles Davis. Davis had admired Kelly's playing as part of Gillespie's band. Kelly stayed with him until March 1963. Kelly toured 22 cities in Europe as part of Davis' quintet in the spring of 1960. Kelly appeared on the trumpeter's Kind of Blue, often mentioned as the best-selling jazz album ever.
Davis often left considerable time between band engagements, which allowed the musicians to do other work, so Kelly continued to record with other leaders, including with other members of the Davis band.
When he left Davis, Kelly formed his own trio with two others leaving the trumpeter – Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb. They soon embarked on a national tour and had recording dates with Verve Records. In May 1964, the calypso track "Little Tracy" from Kelly's Verve album Comin' in the Back Door reached number 38 on Billboard's R&B chart.
A few months later, the trio toured Japan for a series of George Wein-organized concerts. The trio stayed together until 1969, when Chambers died.
Towards the end of his career, Kelly had problems finding work, but played with Ray Nance, and as a soloist in New York. Kelly's final recording session appears to have been in the autumn of 1970, accompanying saxophonist Dexter Gordon.
Death
Kelly, who was known to have epilepsy, died in a hotel room in in Toronto, Canada following a seizure, aged 39.
He was reported to have had almost no money at the time of his death. A memorial concert was held on June 28 in New York and featured numerous well-known musicians of the period.
Personal life and personality
Kelly was survived by a daughter, Tracy. Bassist Marcus Miller is a cousin of Kelly's, as are rapper Foxy Brown, and pianist Randy Weston.
Interesting facts about Wynton Kelly
- Friends described Kelly as "a very warm, generous human being".
- Wynton had a removable upper front denture.
- Kelly was an excellent sight reader, and could memorize parts very quickly, as well as play pieces he had heard but not read before.
- Several commentators have rated Kelly the best accompanist in jazz.
- Kelly's style of playing has been an influence on numerous pianists, beginning in the 1960s.
- The trumpeter Wynton Marsalis (born 1961) was named after Kelly.
- Pianists Dan Nimmer and Willie Pickens have recorded tribute albums to Kelly.
- Monty Alexander, Chick Corea, Brad Mehldau, and Chucho Valdés cite him directly as an influence.
Wynton Kelly quotes
- "Music has to be accessible, entertaining and easy to dance to."
See also
In Spanish: Wynton Kelly para niños
