Biography Wynton Kelly

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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