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. He began playing professionally at the age of 12 and was pianist on a No. 1 R&B hit at the age of 16. His recording debut as a leader occurred three years later, around the time he started to become better known as an accompanist to singer Dinah Washington, and as a member of trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie's band. This progress was interrupted by two years in the United States Army, after which Kelly worked again with Washington and Gillespie, and played with other leaders. Over the next few years, these included instrumentalists Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Hank Mobley, Wes Montgomery, and Sonny Rollins, and vocalists Betty Carter, Billie Holiday, and Abbey Lincoln.

Kelly attracted the most attention as part of Miles Davis' band from 1959, including an appearance on the trumpeter's Kind of Blue, often mentioned as the best-selling jazz album ever. 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." 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. Kelly made his recording debut aged 16, playing on saxophonist Hal Singer's 1948 "Cornbread", which became a Billboard R&B chart-topping hit. In the following year, Kelly recorded with vocalist Babs Gonzales; these tracks included his first recorded solos. 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). Material from sessions on July 25 and August 1, 1951, formed Piano Interpretations, a trio album that was Kelly's recording debut as leader, released by Blue Note Records later that year. Critic Scott Yanow indicates that, at this stage of his career, Kelly's main influence was Bud Powell, but that his playing "displayed some of the joy of Teddy Wilson's style along with his own chord voicings". Kelly became better known after joining vocalist Dinah Washington's band in 1951.

After a period at Fort McClellan in Alabama, Kelly was part of a Third Army traveling 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 left Mingus to rejoin Gillespie, who led a big band that toured Canada and the southern United States. Commenting on Kelly's ability to move from a small group to a big band setting, saxophonist Benny Golson, also from Gillespie's band, said: "He kept his identity; yet he was able to add something to the band, not only melodically (which he was known for) but rhythmically. He would set up patterns – never interfering with the arrangement, but he was able to get into the cracks and he would always be adding something, giving it impetus, more energy." 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. this band included trumpeter Lee Morgan, with whom Kelly had recorded a few weeks earlier. The recording sessions continued four days later, with Kelly joining Blakey, Morgan and others on Griffin's A Blowin' Session; this was followed by three studio days for Gillespie, and another for trumpeter Clark Terry, before the end of the month. Later that year, Kelly made a rare appearance playing bass, for one track of vocalist Abbey Lincoln's That's Him!, after the regular bassist, Paul Chambers, became drunk and fell asleep in the studio.

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 – Miles Davis. Adderley, the alto saxophonist in the band, related how Kelly came to replace Red Garland on piano: Davis had admired Kelly's playing as part of Gillespie's band, and Garland was invariably late to arrive for their club performances: "One night, Wynton was there when we started and Miles asked him to sit in. When Red came, Wynton was playing. Miles told Red, 'Wynton's got the gig.' Just like that." Kelly stayed with the trumpeter until March 1963, appearing on the studio albums Kind of Blue and Someday My Prince Will Come, as well as on numerous concert recordings. Kelly played on the track "Freddie Freeloader". Even though Kelly was Davis' regular pianist at the time, the trumpeter had planned the album with Bill Evans in mind, so this is the only piece on which Kelly appears. Kelly toured 22 cities in Europe as part of Davis' quintet in the spring of 1960. Fellow pianist McCoy Tyner commented on Kelly's playing with Davis: "His harmonic colorations were very beautiful. But I think above all it was his ability to swing. John [Coltrane] used to mention that. Miles used to get off the bandstand and just look at Wynton with admiration, because he really held the group together."

thumb|left|250px|The Wynton Kelly Trio; Kelly (left), [[Jimmy Cobb (center), Paul Chambers (right)]]

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. In February 1959, when in Chicago for performances with Davis, Kelly was pianist on Cannonball Adderley Quintet in Chicago, and bassist Chambers' Go. Later that year, Kelly made his first album for Vee-Jay Records, in a quintet containing Wayne Shorter; Kelly returned the favor a few months later by playing on the saxophonist's debut as leader, Introducing Wayne Shorter. Kelly also recorded with Coltrane, including for one track, "Naima", from the saxophonist's Giant Steps. When Adderley left Davis in late 1959, he attempted to recruit Kelly; although the pianist declined, he did participate in more recording sessions led by his former bandmate, as well as more with Griffin, Mobley, Morgan, and numerous others. They soon embarked on a national tour and had recording dates with Verve Records, Kelly having left Vee-Jay after four albums. track "Little Tracy" from Kelly's Verve album Comin' in the Back Door reached number 38 on Billboards R&B chart. A few months later, the trio toured Japan for a series of George Wein-organized concerts. In the summer of 1965, they joined Montgomery on a tour of the US that included an appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival, and a club recording released as the Kelly co-led Smokin' at the Half Note. The trio also played with Joe Henderson and others after leaving Davis. Kelly had a longstanding epilepsy problem and had to monitor his condition carefully. Kelly was found in his room in the Westminster Hotel on Jarvis Street by Marshall. 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. as are rapper Foxy Brown, and pianist Randy Weston.

Kelly was a heavy drinker; saxophonist Jimmy Heath described him as "an alcoholic" who "could control his drinking" and not let his playing be affected by it. Kelly was known "for being a very warm, generous human being". Bassist Bill Crow reported that Kelly was "full of fun" and said: "He was often the center of backstage laughing sessions as we told stories on each other. Wynton had a removable upper front denture. While on stage, if he saw some of us standing in the wings listening, he would turn around so the audience couldn't see, give us a stern look, and drop his upper plate forward onto his lower lip, creating a grotesquely comical effect. Sometimes he heightened it by sticking his tongue out at us over his upper teeth."

Playing style

Kelly played "with a crisp, leaping rhythmic blues approach that generated intense excitement", wrote The Washington Posts obituarist.

Kelly was an excellent sight reader, and could memorize parts very quickly, Drummer Philly Joe Jones said that, as an accompanist, Kelly "puts down flowers behind a soloist. He never wanted to steal in. He just put together the right things." Pianist Bruce Barth pointed out that part of Kelly's success as an accompanist came from "occasional and compelling use of 'blues licks' and melodic phrases in place of chords." Pianist Sergio Pamies suggested that Kelly represents the bridge between the supportive comping of Red Garland and the conversational comping of Bill Evans.

Writer David Rosenthal commented: "Kelly seemed unable to escape being typecast as a sideman".

Kelly's style of playing has been an influence on numerous pianists, beginning in the 1960s. Chick Corea, Brad Mehldau, and Chucho Valdés. Pamies suggested that Kelly's comping had a direct influence on Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner. Pianists Dan Nimmer and Willie Pickens have recorded tribute albums to Kelly.

The trumpeter Wynton Marsalis (born 1961) was named after Kelly.

Discography

References

Bibliography

  • Discography at jazzdisco.org
  • Discography with cover photos
  • Wynton Kelly at Icons of Jazz
  • Sergio Pamies Rodríguez, "Wynton Kelly: A Model for Soloing, Comping, and Rhythm Section Interplay", jazz-hitz, No. 4, November 18, 2021.