Kenny Wheeler

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Kenny Wheeler

Kenny Wheeler performing in 2007
Background information
Birth name Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler
Born January 14, 1930 (age 84)
Toronto, Canada
Genres Avant-garde jazz, post bop,
chamber jazz, free improvisation
Occupations Composer, musician
Instruments Trumpet, flugelhorn
Years active 1950s-present
Labels ECM, Fontana, FMP, Soul Note,
PSI, CAM Jazz
Associated acts John Dankworth, Evan Parker,John
Taylor, Azimuth, Anthony Braxton, Dave
Holland, Globe Unity Orchestra, Berlin Contemporary
Jazz Orchestra
Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC (born 14 January 1930 in Toronto, Canada) is
a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhornplayer, based in the U.K. since the 1950s.
[1]

Most of his output is rooted in jazz, but he has also been active in free improvisation and has
occasionally contributed to rock music recordings. Wheeler has written over one hundred
compositions and is a skilled arranger for small groups and larger ensembles.
Wheeler still lives in Britain today
[when?]
and is the patron of the Royal Academy Junior Jazz
course.
Contents
[hide]
1 Biography
2 Discography
o 2.1 As leader
o 2.2 Collaborations with John Taylor
2.2.1 As Azimuth
o 2.3 Other collaborations
o 2.4 Featured
o 2.5 As sideman
3 References
4 External links
Biography[edit]


Kenny Wheeler performing with the United Jazz + Rock Ensemble, 1992
Growing up in Toronto, Wheeler began playing cornet at age 12, and became interested in jazz
in his mid-teens. Wheeler spent a year studying composition at the Royal Conservatory in
Toronto in 1950. In 1952, Wheeler moved to Britain. He found his way into the London jazz
scene of the time, playing in groups led by Tommy Whittle, Tubby Hayes, and Ronnie Scott. In
the late 1950s, he was a member of Buddy Featherstonhaugh's quintet together with Bobby
Wellins. Throughout the sixties, he worked with John Dankworth, and also formed part of (Eric
Burdon and) The Animals Big Band that made its only public appearance at the 5th Annual
British Jazz & Blues Festival in Richmond (1965) with tenors Stan Robinson, Dick
Morrissey and Al Gay, baritone sax Paul Carroll, and fellow trumpets Ian Carr and Greg Brown.
In 1968, Wheeler appeared on guitarist Terry Smith's first solo album, Fall Out.
Wheeler has performed and recorded his own compositions with large jazz ensembles
throughout his career, starting with his first albumWindmill Tilter, (1969), recorded with the John
Dankworth band. The Windmill Tilter LP today is a collector's item, since the original master
tapes have been lost. A digitally remastered CD was released by BGO Records in September
2010. The big band album Song for Someone(1973) fused Wheeler's characteristic orchestral
writing with passages of free improvisation provided by musicians such as Evan
Parker and Derek Bailey, and was also named Album of the Year by Melody Maker magazine in
1975. This has subsequently been reissued on CD by Parker's Psi label.
[2]

In the mid-1960s, Wheeler became a close participant in the nascent free improvisation
movement in London, playing with John Stevens Parker, the Spontaneous Music Ensemble and
theGlobe Unity Orchestra. His involvement in this genre continues to this day. Despite the above-
noted accomplishments, much of Wheeler's reputation rests on his work with smaller jazz
groups. Wheeler's first small group recordings to gain significant critical attention were Gnu
High (1975) and Deer Wan (1977), both for the ECM label. Gnu High is one of the few albums to
featureKeith Jarrett as a sideman since his tenure with Charles Lloyd. One exception from the
ongoing collaboration with ECM was his rare album on CBC called Ensemble Fusionaire in 1976.
This had three other Canadian musicians and was recorded in St. Mary's Church in Toronto for a
different character to the sound than on the ECM recordings.
Wheeler was the trumpet player in the Anthony Braxton Quartet from 1971 to 1976; and from
1977 he was also a member of chamber jazz group Azimuth (with John Taylor and Norma
Winstone). In 1997 Wheeler received widespread critical praise for his album Angel Song, which
featured an unusual "drummerless" quartet of Bill Frisell (guitar), Dave Holland (bass) andLee
Konitz (alto sax).
Discography[edit]
[3][4][5][6]

As leader[edit]
1968: Windmill Tilter (Fontana) with The John Dankworth Orchestra
1973: Song for Someone (Incus)
1975: Gnu High (ECM)
1976: Ensemble Fusionaire (CBC)
1977: Deer Wan (ECM)
1980: Around 6 (ECM)
1984: Double, Double You (ECM)
1988: Flutter By, Butterfly (Soul Note)
1988: Visions (Justin Time)
1990: Music for Large & Small Ensembles (ECM)
1990: The Widow in the Window (ECM)
1992: Kayak (Ah Um)
1993: All the More (Soul Note, released 1997)
1997: Angel Song (ECM)
1999: A Long Time Ago (ECM)
2003: Dream Sequence (PSI, recorded 1995-2003)
2005: What Now? (CAM Jazz)
2006: It Takes Two! (CAM Jazz)
2008: Other People (CAM Jazz) with Hugo Wolf String Quartet featuring John Taylor
2011: One of Many (CAM Jazz) with John Taylor and Steve Swallow
2012: The Long Waiting (CAM Jazz)
2013: Mirrors (Edition Records) London Vocal Project with Norma Winstone
2013: Six For Six (CAM Jazz, recorded 2008)
Collaborations with John Taylor[edit]
with Norma Winstone, Paolo Fresu, Paolo Damiani, Tony Oxley: Live at Roccella
Jonica (Ismez Polis, 1985)
featuring Gabriele Mirabassi: Moon (Egea, 2001)
with Riccardo Del Fra: Overnight (Sketch, 2002)
Where Do We Go from Here (CAM Jazz, 2005)
As Azimuth[edit]
Azimuth (ECM, 1977)
The Touchstone (ECM, 1978)
with Ralph Towner: Dpart (ECM, 1979)
Azimuth '85 (ECM, 1985)
How It Was Then... Never Again (ECM, 1994)
with The Maritime Jazz Orchestra: Siren's Song (Justin Time, 1997)
Other collaborations[edit]
arranged "Fire and Rain", "My Sweet Lord", and "Your Song" on Maynard Ferguson's
album Alive & Well in London (Columbia, 1971)
arranged Theme from Summer of '42 and wrote/arranged Free Wheeler on Maynard
Ferguson's album M.F. Horn Two (Columbia, 1972)
with Elton Dean and Joe Gallivan: The Cheque Is in the Mail (Ogun, 1977)
with Gnter Christmann, Gerd Dudek, Albert Mangelsdorff, Paul Rutherford, Manfred
Schoof: Horns (FMP, 1979)
with Tiziana Simona: Gigolo (ITM, 1986)
with Claudio Fasoli, Jean-Franois Jenny Clark, Daniel Humair: Welcome (Soul Note, 1987)
with Claudio Fasoli and Jean-Franois Jenny Clark: Land (Innowo/New Sound Planet, 1989)
with Jeff Gardner, Hein van de Geyn, Andr Ceccarelli: California Daydream (Musidisc,
1992)
with David Friedman, Jasper van't Hof: Greenhouse Fables (Sentemo, 1992)
with Paolino Dalla Porta, Stefano Battaglia, Bill Elgart: Tales (Soul Note, 1993)
with Paul Bley: Touch (Justin Time, 1996)
with Sonny Greenwich: Live at the Montreal Bistro (Justin Time, 1998)
with Brian Dickinson: Still Waters (Hornblower, 1999)
with Fred Hersch, Norma Winstone, Paul Clarvis: 4 in Perspective (Village Life, 2000)
with Marc Copland and John Abercrombie: That's for Sure (Challenge, 2001)
with Stan Sulzmann and John Parricelli: Ordesa (Symbol, 2002)
with Bob Brookmeyer: Island (Artist House, 2003)
with Marc Copland and John Abercrombie: Brand New (Challenge, 2004)
with Tony Coe, John Edwards, Alan Hacker, Sylvia Hallett, Marcio Mattos, Evan
Parker, Philipp Wachsmann: Free Zone Appleby 2003 (PSI, 2004)
with Gerd Dudek, Paul Dunmall, John Edwards, Tony Levin, Tony Marsh, Evan Parker, Paul
Rogers, Philipp Wachsmann: Free Zone Appleby 2005 (PSI, 2006)
with Evan Parker, Paul Dunmall, Tony Levin, John Edwards: Live at the Vortex,
London (Rare Music, 2011)
Featured[edit]
Robert 'Bob' Cornford, Tony Coe, Kenny Wheeler and the NDR 'Pops' Orchestra: Long
Shadows (Chapter One, 2007; recorded 1979)
The Guildhall Jazz Band: Walk Softly (Wave, 1998; recorded 1987)
Tim Brady: Visions (Justin Time, 1988) with L'orchestre de chambre de Montral
The Upper Austrian Jazzorchestra: Plays the Music of Kenny Wheeler (West Wind, 1996)
The Maritime Jazz Orchestra: Now and Now Again (Justin Time, 2002; recorded 1998)
with Norma Winstone and John Taylor
UMO Jazz Orchestra: One More Time (A-Records, 2000) with Norma Winstone
Munich Jazz Orchestra: Sometime Suite (Bassic Sound, 2001)
Colours Jazz Orchestra: Nineteen Plus One (Astarte/Egea, 2009)
As sideman[edit]
With John Dankworth
What the Dickens! (Fontana, 1963)
With Philly Joe Jones
Mo'Joe (Black Lion, 1968)
With Collective Consciousness Society
C.C.S. (RAK, 1970)
with Paul Gonsalves
Humming Bird (Deram, 1970)
With Anthony Braxton
New York, Fall 1974 (Arista, 1974)
Five Pieces 1975 (Arista, 1975)
The Montreux/Berlin Concerts (Arista, 1975-6)
Creative Orchestra Music 1976 (Arista, 1976
With Wadada Leo Smith
Divine Love (ECM Records, 1978)
With George Adams
Sound Suggestions (ECM, 1979)
With Ralph Towner
Old Friends, New Friends (ECM, 1979)
With Rainer Brninghaus
Freigeweht (ECM, 1980)
with Bill Frisell
Rambler (ECM, 1985)
With Dave Holland Quintet
Jumpin' In (ECM, 1984)
Seeds of Time (ECM, 1985)
The Razor's Edge (ECM, 1987)
With David Sylvian
Brilliant Trees (Virgin, 1984)
Alchemy: An Index of Possibilities (Virgin, 1985)
Gone to Earth (Virgin, 1986)
Dead Bees on a Cake (Virgin, 1999)
With Pierre Favre (drums)
Window Step (ECM Records, 1995)
With John Abercrombie
Open Land (ECM, 1998)
With Joni Mitchell
Travelogue (Nonesuch, 2002)