WYNTON KELLY
Kelly Blue (Riverside)
Reviewed by Ron Saranich

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Recorded during two dates in 1959, Kelly Blue features 5 tracks with Wynton on piano in a trio with Paul Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums, and 3 tracks with a sextet of Chambers, Cobb, Nat Adderley on cornet, Benny Golson on tenor saxophone, and Bobby Jasper on flute. In between these two dates, Kelly found time to record with Miles Davis for the first time (Freddie Freeloader off the Kind Of Blue Album).

Kelly was a master at bebop piano, influenced by the great Bud Powell. His distinctive solo style included an outstanding sense of rhythm; surging, dynamic block chording; and passionate, bluesy interpretations. In addition, Kelly was a masterful accompanist appreciated by the top names in jazz at the time - artists like Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, Hank Mobley, and Wes Montgomery to name just a few.

On Kelly Blue, Wynton was at the top of his game. His solos were crisp, inventive, melodic, and never dull. His work with the sextet was just as sharp as Kelly manages to blend disparate personalities and approaches into a cohesive whole. No wonder his peers loved to play with him. The man could hold a band together better than duck tape an old car. My favorite numbers are the title track, Softly As A Morning Sunrise, and On Green Dolphin Street.

Kelly, a brilliant pianist with superb technique was also one of the best accompanist on the piano in jazz. The sessions that Kelly lead are relatively limited, since he died at forty following an epileptic fit. Kelly Blue is a good place to hear Wynton Kelly; it is music guaranteed to dispel a bad case of the blues.

© 2000 - Ron Saranich