About 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)