Connie Kay

Connie Kay (born Conrad Henry Kirnon; 27 April 1927 – 30 November 1994) was an American jazz drummer. He was best known for his long membership in the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ).

He was self-taught, and began his career playing with saxophonist Lester Young's quintet from 1949 to 1955, and also with Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and others.

Kay joined the MJQ in 1955, replacing original drummer Kenny Clarke, and stayed until the group's dissolution in 1974 and occasional reunions into the 1990s. He also played drums on several of Irish singer/songwriter Van Morrison's most important albums: Astral Weeks, "Saint Dominic's Preview" and three songs on Tupelo Honey.

With the Modern Jazz Quartet

 * ''1955: Concorde
 * 1956: Fontessa, first album on Atlantic Records
 * 1957: No Sun in Venice
 * 1957: Modern Jazz Quartet: 1957
 * 1957: Third Stream Music
 * 1958: The Modern Jazz Quartet Live
 * 1959: Odds Against Tomorrow
 * 1959: Longing For The Continent
 * 1959: Pyramid
 * 1960: European Concert
 * 1960: Modern Jazz Quartet in Concert, recorded in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia, May 27, 1960
 * 1960: Modern Jazz Quartet live and at its best
 * 1961: Compact Jazz
 * 1961: The Modern Jazz Quartet & Orchestra
 * 1962: Lonely Woman
 * 1962: The Comedy
 * 1963: In a Crowd [Live]
 * 1964: Collaboration with Almeida
 * 1964: Plays George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess
 * 1964: The Sheriff, Atlantic Records
 * 1966: Place Vendôme The Modern Jazz Quartet and The Swingle Singers
 * 1966: Blues At Carnegie Hall
 * 1969: Under The Jasmin Tree (Apple Records)
 * 1969: Space (Apple Records)
 * 1971: Plastic Dreams
 * 1971: Paul Desmond with the Modern Jazz Quartet, Live in New York
 * 1972: The Legendary Profile (Atlantic Records)
 * 1973: The Art of The Modern Jazz Quartet/The Atlantic Years, 2-LP Anthology (Atlantic Records)
 * 1974: Blues on Bach
 * 1974: The Complete Last Concert
 * 1981: Reunion at Budokan
 * 1982: Together Again! Modern Jazz Quartet Live At The Montreux Jazz Festival 1982 (Pablo Records)
 * 1984: Echoes
 * 1987: Three Windows - The Modern Jazz Quartet with The New York Chamber Symphony (Atlantic Jazz)
 * 1988: For Ellington (EastWest)
 * 1988: The Modern Jazz Quartet at Music Inn - Volume 2 - Guest Artist: Sonny Rollins (Atlantic Jazz)
 * 1988: The Best of The Modern Jazz Quartet
 * 1994: MJQ & Friends - A 40th Anniversary Celebration (Atlantic Jazz)
 * 1995: Dedicated to Connie, released 1995, recorded live in Slovenia in 1960
 * 2001: A Night at the Opera (Jazz Door)
 * 2006: La Ronde: A Proper Introduction to the Modern Jazz Quartet

As sideman
With Paul Desmond With Bill Evans & Bob Brookmeyer With Cannonball Adderley With Jimmy Heath With Milt Jackson With Lucky Thompson With Bobby Timmons With Randy Weston
 * Pure Desmond (CTI, 1975)
 * The Ivory Hunters (United Artists, 1959)
 * Know What I Mean (Riverside, 1961)
 * Swamp Seed (Riverside, 1963)
 * Milt Jackson Quartet (Prestige, 1955)
 * Plenty, Plenty Soul (Atlantic, 1957)
 * Bean Bags with Coleman Hawkins (Atlantic, 1958)
 * Bags' Opus (United Artists, 1958)
 * The Ballad Artistry of Milt Jackson (Atlantic, 1959)
 * Bags & Trane (Atlantic, 1959)
 * Vibrations (Atlantic, 1960–61)
 * Big Bags (Riverside, 1962)
 * Invitation (Riverside, 1962)
 * Statements (Impulse!, 1962)
 * For Someone I Love (Riverside, 1963)
 * Jazz 'n' Samba (Impulse!, 1964)
 * In a New Setting (Limelight, 1964)
 * Lucky Strikes (Prestige, 1964)
 * Born to Be Blue! (Riverside, 1963)
 * Piano á la Mode (Jubilee, 1957)