Kenny Wheeler

[Flyposter]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/worldfolkandjazz/11108457/Kenny-Wheeler-British-jazz-star-dies-aged-84.html

RIP Ken. Great player, nice guy.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

"Dave Holland
@ TheDaveHolland
17h
Thinking about my dear friend Kenny
Wheeler who passed away today. A
beautiful spirit that lives on in his
music & in our memory."

RIP.

BN.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Touching that there are now many people on Twitter etc posting their fav. tracks/albums of KW's.

Mine is the Paul Gonsalves album "Humming Bird" made in 1970 with Kenny and Stan Tracey etc. As Paul is maybe somewhat 'toxicated there is some wonderful Kenny Wheeler trumpet to fill the space. A georgous Body and Soul.

BN.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Fordham has a good blog in Graun

“What I like doing best is writing sad tunes, and then letting wonderful musicians destroy them. I don’t want the players to try to interpret what they think I’m feeling.”

it was the slight figure in the Dankworth ensembles that caught my ear when young and then came all the music .....

[Serial_Apologist]

Coming as his passing does in the immediate wake of the Scots referendum, my wondering how I would take this news, when it came, is answered.

Kenny's timing was always impeccable, but I shall probably miss him more than anybody else in music.

[Tenor Freak]

Not unexpected given how frail he was at his 80th birthday gig but what dreadful news. I really am sorry to hear of this so listening to some of his classics...a request to JRR is in order...

RIP Ken

[Ian Thumwood]

Kenny Wheeler made you feel proud about the kind of jazz that the UK could produce more than any other musician. There was no one else who sounded like him nor who could compose the kind of melodies that he did. He has been a musician who always seemed unique right from the days when I first encountered him when he would perform with Norma Winstone with the BBC Radio Big Band. Later I discovered his work on ECM where it became even more apparent just how original he was. Kenny Wheeler probably was the most original and distinctive jazz musician the UK has ever had.

Thankfully I have encountered him perform on numerous occasions whether fronting big bands performing his unique music or as a member of the all-star quartet that included Lee Konitz, Dave Holland and John Abercrombie or indeed in the line up of other big bands such as Mike Gibbs or Wayne Horovitz. Despite hearing perform on so many occasions, there was always something magical about hearing him perform in concert.

There can't be many jazz fans in the UK who haven't encountered his music nor a jazz musician more universally respected in the UK whether by fans or loved by musicians home and abroad.

Very sad to loose two of my jazz heroes in as many weeks.

[charles t]

WHAT NOW?

As I ask myself, listening to that title tune with Kenny, John Taylor, Chris Potter, Dave Holland

(to be found on YouTube)

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

in his own words