Wynton Kelly: his life and music

Abstract

This thesis explores the music of jazz pianist Wynton Kelly. Wynton Kelly was a mainstream hard bop stylist who made a significant mark on the jazz world through the 1950s and 60s. Although most famed for his five-year tenure with the Miles Davis band from 1959 to 1963, Kelly is most respected amongst musicians for his formidable sideman abilities, and his compelling time feel - his swing. The great challenge of this thesis is that the most alluring aspect of Kelly's music, his swing, is not a ready subject for academic analysis. (From introduction)