Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

WHEELER, Kenny

(b 14 January 1930, Toronto, Canada; d 18 September 2014, London, England) Trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn; composer. From a musical family, he grew up in same small town (St Catharines) as Gene Lees. Began on cornet at twelve, studied at Toronto Conservatory; to UK '52, played in big bands of Roy Fox, Vic Lewis, then with John Dankworth '59-65; began composing and arranging. Studied with British composer Richard Rodney Bennett; played with Ronnie Scott, Joe Harriott, Tubby Hayes, and the Clarke/Boland Big Band. With complete mastery over trumpet range and turning to 'free' jazz, he worked with John Stevens's Spontaneous Music Ensemble, the Globe Unity Orchestra, Anthony Braxton Quartet, other groups; co-founder of trio Azimuth '77, joined United Jazz and Rock Ensemble '79, played in Dave Holland Quintet from '83; toured UK with international George Russell band '85. He composed for groups of all sizes, including Rome, Helsinki, Stockholm radio orchestras, and was also active as an educator.

His own LPs included big band The Windmill Tilter '68 on Fontana; Song For Someone '73 on Incus; Gnu High '76 (a quartet with Holland, Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette), Deer Wan '78 (with Holland, Jan Garbarek, John Abercrombie, DeJohnette), Around Six '80 (sextet), Double, Double You '84 (quintet with Mike Brecker, John Taylor, Holland, DeJohnette), all on ECM. A Canadian broadcast Kenny Wheeler Quintet 1976 with local musicians was released '96 on Just a Memory (the Canadian Justin Time label), Wheeler's solos described by Coda as 'just as unpredictable and dynamic as ever'.

More albums: quintet Around 6 '79 on ECM; Live At Roccella Junction '84 was a sextet plus vocalist Norma Winstone, live in Italy with Taylor, Tony Oxley on drums, and issued on Ismez Polis. Pianist Taylor and Stan Sulzmann on reeds made lovely a duo LP of Wheeler compositions Everybody's Song But My Own '87 on Loose Tubes label. See also entries for Azimuth and Dave Holland. Wheeler toured '88 with a band including Taylor, Holland, John Abercrombie on guitar, Peter Erskine on drums; they made The Widow In The Window '89 and all these plus 13 others including Sulzmann, Evan Parker, Julian Argüelles on reeds, played on two-CD Music For Large And Small Ensembles '90, Winstone singing on three tracks, both on ECM. The Upper Austrian Jazz Orchestra Plays The Music Of Kenny Wheeler '95 was on Westwind; quartet Welcome on Muse, quintet Ten Tributes '94 on Ram, both with Claudio Fasoli; quintet Flutter By, Butterfly on Muse; Touché with Paul Bley on Canadian Justin Time label. The beautiful Angel Song '97 on ECM had a quartet with Lee Konitz, Bill Frisell and Holland playing Wheeler tunes. Quintet Live At The Montreal Bistro and Siren's Song with Taylor, Winstone and the Maritime Jazz Orchestra (directed by Greg Carter) were on Justin Time.