Wynton Kelly

Wynton Charles Kelly (December 2, 1931 – April 12, 1971) was a Jamaican American jazz pianist. He is perhaps best known for working with trumpeter Miles Davis from 1959 to 1962.

Biography
The son of Jamaican immigrants, Kelly was born in Brooklyn, New York. He started his professional career in 1943, before his teens, initially as a member of R&B groups. Around this time he also played organ in local churches. R&B bands that he played with up to 1951 included those led by Ray Abrams, Hot Lips Page, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis.

Kelly became better known after joining Dinah Washington's band in 1951, going on to record 14 titles for Blue Note in his trio in the same year. After this he played with bands led by Lester Young and Dizzy Gillespie, recording with the latter in 1952. Kelly was drafted into the army in September 1952, and stayed for two years, ending that period with a music performance for an audience of 10,000 in the Chastain Memorial Park Amphitheater in Atlanta, Georgia. After leaving the military, Kelly worked with Washington again (1955–1957), Charles Mingus (1956–1957), and the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band (1957), before leaving Gillespie and forming his own trio, which then recorded the second album under Kelly's name, more than six years after the first.

He would, however, be most famous for his stint with Miles Davis from 1959 to 1963, recording such albums with him as Kind of Blue, At the Blackhawk, and Someday My Prince Will Come. On 1959's Kind of Blue, Kelly replaced Bill Evans on the track "Freddie Freeloader". Kelly likewise appeared on a single track from John Coltrane's Giant Steps, replacing Tommy Flanagan on "Naima". 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. This trio also joined Wes Montgomery, appearing on three of the guitarist's albums, including Full House and Smokin' at the Half Note. 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. Other cousins are pianist Randy Weston and rapper Foxy Brown.

Death
Kelly died in Toronto, Canada, from an epileptic seizure, on April 12, 1971. He had travelled there from New York to play in a club with drummer George Reed and vocalist Herb Marshall. Kelly had a longstanding epilepsy problem, and had to monitor his condition to avoid the danger of swallowing his tongue or dentures as the result of a seizure. An account of his death was given by his friend, Jimmy Cobb: "Wynton called his girlfriend in New York and said, 'You know, I don't feel good.' She said, 'Why don't you go downstairs to the bar and if something happens somebody could tend to you.' We don't know if he did that, because when they found him he was in the room." Kelly was found in his room in the Westminster Hotel on Jarvis Street by Herb Marshall. He was reported to have had almost no money at the time of his death.

A memorial concert was held on June 28 in New York and featured numerous well-known musicians of the period.

Playing style
Kelly played "with a crisp, leaping rhythmic blues approach that generated intense excitement". The happiness conveyed in his playing was described by Jimmy Cobb: "It's happy sounding all the time. It's got a West Indian kind of hop to it. Always sparkling".

Influence on others
Kelly's style of playing has been an influence on numerous pianists. Among those to cite him directly as an influence are Brad Mehldau and Monty Alexander. Pianists Dan Nimmer and Willie Pickens have recorded tribute albums to Kelly.

Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis is said to have been named after Kelly.

As sideman
With Julian "Cannonball" Adderley With Nat Adderley With Lorez Alexandria With Gene Ammons With Walter Benton With Bob Brookmeyer With Joy Bryan With Donald Byrd With Betty Carter With Paul Chambers With James Clay With Jimmy Cleveland With John Coltrane With King Curtis With Miles Davis With Curtis Fuller With Dizzy Gillespie With Benny Golson With Paul Gonsalves With Dexter Gordon With Grant Green With Johnny Griffin With Eddie Harris With Jimmy Heath With Bill Henderson With Joe Henderson With Ernie Henry With Billie Holiday With Helen Humes With Illinois Jacquet With Eddie Jefferson With J. J. Johnson With Philly Joe Jones With Sam Jones With Roland Kirk With Steve Lacy With Abbey Lincoln With Booker Little With Johnny Lytle With Chuck Mangione With Blue Mitchell With Hank Mobley With Milt Jackson and Wes Montgomery With Wes Montgomery With Lee Morgan With Mark Murphy With David Newman With Art Pepper With Sonny Red With Dizzy Reece With Wayne Shorter With Sonny Rollins With Don Sleet With Frank Strozier With Art Taylor With Clark Terry With Teri Thornton With Phil Upchurch With Dinah Washington
 * Things Are Getting Better (1958)
 * Cannonball Adderley Quintet in Chicago (1959)
 * Cannonball Takes Charge (1959)
 * African Waltz (1961)
 * The Cannonball Adderley Quintet Plus (1961)
 * Much Brass (1959)
 * That's Right! (1960)
 * Naturally! (1961)
 * Alexandria the Great (Impulse!, 1964)
 * More of the Great Lorez Alexandria (Impulse!, 1964)
 * Night Lights (Prestige, 1970 [1985])
 * Out of This World (Jazzland, 1960)
 * Jazz is a Kick (1960)
 * Make the Man Love Me (1961)
 * Modern Jazz Perspective (Columbia, 1957) - with Gigi Gryce
 * Off to the Races (Blue Note, 1958)
 * Out There (1958)
 * Go... (1959)
 * 1st Bassman (1960)
 * The Sound of the Wide Open Spaces!!!! (Riverside, 1960)
 * Cleveland Style (1957)
 * Giant Steps (1960)
 * Coltrane Jazz (1961)
 * The New Scene of King Curtis (1960)
 * Soul Meeting (1960)
 * Kind of Blue (1959)
 * Someday My Prince Will Come (1961)
 * The Curtis Fuller Jazztet (Savoy, 1959)
 * 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)
 * Benny Golson's New York Scene (Contemporary, 1957)
 * The Modern Touch (Riverside, 1957)
 * Turning Point (Mercury, 1962)
 * Gettin' Together (1960)
 * The Jumpin' Blues (Prestige, 1970)
 * First Session (Blue Note, 1960)
 * Introducing Johnny Griffin (1956)
 * A Blowin' Session (Blue Note, 1957)
 * Cool Sax, Warm Heart (Columbia, 1964)
 * The Thumper (Riverside, 1959)
 * On the Trail (Riverside, 1964)
 * Bill Henderson Sings (1959)
 * Four (1968)
 * Straight, No Chaser (1968)
 * Seven Standards and a Blues (Riverside, 1957)
 * Last Chorus (Riverside, 1957)
 * Lady Sings the Blues (1956)
 * Swingin' with Humes (1961)
 * The Blues; That's Me! (Prestige, 1969)
 * Letter From Home (1962)
 * The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume 2 (1954)
 * Drums Around the World (Riverside, 1959)
 * Together! (Atlantic, 1961) - with Elvin Jones
 * The Chant (Riverside, 1961)
 * Down Home (Riverside, 1962)
 * Domino (1962)
 * Soprano Sax (1957)
 * That's Him! (Riverside, 1957)
 * It's Magic (Riverside, 1958)
 * Abbey Is Blue (Riverside, 1959)
 * Booker Little (1960)
 * The Loop (Tuba, 1965)
 * New and Groovy (Tuba, 1966)
 * Recuerdo (1962)
 * Big 6 (1958)
 * Blue Soul (1959)
 * Blue's Moods (1960)
 * A Sure Thing (1962)
 * Peckin' Time (1958)
 * Soul Station (1960)
 * Roll Call (1961)
 * Workout (1961)
 * Another Workout (1961)
 * Bags Meets Wes! (1961)
 * Full House (1962)
 * Smokin' at the Half Note (1965)
 * Lee Morgan Vol.3 (1957)
 * Here's Lee Morgan (1960)
 * Rah (1961)
 * Staight Ahead (1960)
 * Gettin' Together (1960)
 * Out of the Blue (1959)
 * Star Bright (1959)
 * Introducing Wayne Shorter (Vee-Jay, 1959)
 * Sonny Rollins, Vol. 1 (1956)
 * Newk's Time (Blue Note, 1957)
 * All Members (1961)
 * Fantastic Frank Strozier (1959)
 * A.T.'s Delight (Blue Note, 1960)
 * Serenade to a Bus Seat (Riverside, 1957)
 * Devil May Care (Riverside, 1961)
 * Feeling Blue (1967)
 * Back to the Blues (1962)