Wynton Kelly

Wynton Kelly
Kelly c. 1957
Kelly c. 1957
Background information
Birth nameWynton Charles Kelly
Born(1931-12-02)December 2, 1931
New York City, U.S.
DiedApril 12, 1971(1971-04-12) (aged 39)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • composer
InstrumentPiano
Years active1940s–1971
Labels

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.[1][2] After leaving Davis in 1963, Kelly played with his own trio, which recorded for several labels and toured the United States and internationally. His career did not develop much further, and he had difficulty finding enough work late in his career. Kelly, who was known to have epilepsy, died in a hotel room in Canada following a seizure, aged 39.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Light was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kurtz was invoked but never defined (see the help page).