Wynton Kelly

Biography

Wynton Kelly (December 2, 1931 – April 12, 1971) was a Jamaican born jazz pianist, who spent his career in the United States. Son of Jamaican immigrants, Kelly was born in Jamaica, 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, Billie Holiday and Dizzy Gillespie he is perhaps best known for working with trumpeter Miles Davis, he was a member of Miles Davis's Quintet from 1959 to 1963. He appea...

Wynton Kelly (December 2, 1931 – April 12, 1971) was a Jamaican born jazz pianist, who spent his career in the United States.

Son of Jamaican immigrants, Kelly was born in Jamaica, 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, Billie Holiday and Dizzy Gillespie he is perhaps best known for working with trumpeter Miles Davis, he was a member of Miles Davis's Quintet from 1959 to 1963. He appears on Davis' seminal 1959 album Kind of Blue, replacing Bill Evans on the track "Freddie Freeloader". Kelly 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 Dinah Washington, Dizzy Gillespie, and Lester Young during 1951-1952. After serving in the military, Kelly worked with Dinah 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", on 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. Another cousin is pianist Randy Weston.
Kelly died in Toronto, Canada, from an epileptic seizure in April 1971.

Discography

As leader
1951: Piano Interpretations (Blue Note)
1958: Piano (Riverside)
1959: Kelly Blue (Riverside)
1959: Kelly Great (Vee-Jay)
1960: Kelly at Midnight (Vee-Jay)
1961: Wynton Kelly! (Vee-Jay)
1961: Someday My Prince Will Come (Vee-Jay)
1963: Comin' in the Back Door (Verve)
1964: It's All Right! (Verve)
1965: Undiluted (Verve)
1965: Smokin' at the Half Note (Verve)
1965: Blues on Purpose (Xanadu)
1967: Full View (Milestone)
1968: Last Trio Session (Delmark)

As sideman
With Julian "Cannonball" Adderley
Things Are Getting Better (1958)
Cannonball Adderley Quintet in Chicago (1959)
Cannonball Takes Charge (1959)
African Waltz (1961)
The Cannonball Adderley Quintet Plus (1961)
With Nat Adderley
Much Brass (1959)
That's Right! (1960)
Naturally! (1961)
With Lorez Alexandria
Alexandria the Great (Impulse!, 1964)
More of the Great Lorez Alexandria (Impulse!, 1964)
With Gene Ammons
Night Lights (1970)
With Walter Benton
Out of This World (Jazzland, 1960)
With Bob Brookmeyer
Jazz is a Kick (1960)
With Joy Bryan
Make the Man Love Me (1961)
With Donald Byrd
Modern Jazz Perspective (Columbia, 1957) - with Gigi Gryce
Off to the Races (Blue Note, 1958)
With Betty Carter
Out There (1958)
With Paul Chambers
Go... (1959)
1st Bassman (1960)
With James Clay
The Sound of the Wide Open Spaces!!!! (Riverside, 1960)
With Jimmy Cleveland
Cleveland Style (1957)
With John Coltrane
Coltrane Jazz (1961)
With King Curtis
The New Scene of King Curtis (1960)
Soul Meeting (1960)
With Miles Davis
Kind of Blue (1959)
Someday My Prince Will Come (1961)
With Curtis Fuller
The Curtis Fuller Jazztet (Savoy, 1959)
With Dizzy Gillespie
Dee Gee Days: The Savoy Sessions (Savoy, 1951-52 [1976])
Dizzy and Strings (1954)
Dizzy Atmosphere (1957)
Birks' Works (1957)
Dizzy in Greece (1957)
Dizzy Gillespie and Stuff Smith (Verve, 1957)
Dizzy Gillespie at Newport (Verve, 1957)
With Benny Golson
Benny Golson's New York Scene (Contemporary, 1957)
The Modern Touch (Riverside, 1957)
Turning Point (Mercury, 1962)
With Paul Gonsalves
Gettin' Together (1960)
With Dexter Gordon
The Jumpin' Blues (1970)
With Grant Green
First Session (1960)
With Johnny Griffin
Introducing Johnny Griffin (1956)
A Blowin' Session (Blue Note, 1957)
With Eddie Harris
Cool Sax, Warm Heart (Columbia, 1964)
With Jimmy Heath
The Thumper (Riverside, 1959)
On the Trail (Riverside, 1964)
With Bill Henderson
Bill Henderson Sings (1959)
With Joe Henderson
Four (1968)
Straight, No Chaser (1968)
With Ernie Henry
Seven Standards and a Blues (Riverside, 1957)
Last Chorus (Riverside, 1957)
With Billie Holiday
Lady Sings the Blues (1956)
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
The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume 2 (1954)
With Philly Joe Jones
Drums Around the World (Riverside, 1959)
Together! (Atlantic, 1961) - with Elvin Jones
With Sam Jones
The Chant (Riverside, 1961)
Down Home (Riverside, 1962)
With Roland Kirk
Domino (1962)
With Steve Lacy
Soprano Sax (1957)
With Abbey Lincoln
That's Him! (Riverside, 1957)
It's Magic (Riverside, 1958)
Abbey Is Blue (Riverside, 1959)
With Booker Little
Booker Little (1960)
With Johnny Lytle
The Loop (Tuba, 1965)
New and Groovy (Tuba, 1966)
With Chuck Mangione
Recuerdo (1962)
With Blue Mitchell
Big 6 (1958)
Blue Soul (1959)
Blue's Moods (1960)
A Sure Thing (1962)
With Hank Mobley
Peckin' Time (1958)
Soul Station (1960)
Roll Call (1961)
Workout (1961)
Another Workout (1961)
With Milt Jackson and Wes Montgomery
Bags Meets Wes! (1961)
With Wes Montgomery
Full House (1962)
Smokin' at the Half Note (1965)
With Lee Morgan
Lee Morgan Vol.3 (1957)
Here's Lee Morgan (1960)
With Mark Murphy
Rah (1961)
With David Newman
Staight Ahead (1960)
With Art Pepper
Gettin' Together (1960)
With Sonny Red
Out of the Blue (1959)
With Dizzy Reece
Star Bright (1959)
With Wayne Shorter
Introducing Wayne Shorter (Vee-Jay, 1959)
With Sonny Rollins
Sonny Rollins, Vol. 1 (1956)
Newk's Time (Blue Note, 1957)
With Don Sleet
All Members (1961)
With Frank Strozier
Fantastic Frank Strozier (1959)
With Art Taylor
A.T.'s Delight (Blue Note, 1960)
With Clark Terry
Serenade to a Bus Seat (Riverside, 1957)
With Teri Thornton
Devil May Care (Riverside, 1961)
With Phil Upchurch
Feeling Blue (1967)
With Dinah Washington
Back to the Blues (1962)
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