Kenny Wheeler
Jazz trumpeter and flügelhornist Kenny Wheeler was one of the most advanced voices on his instrument. Blessed with a full, lovely tone and an astounding range, Wheeler sounded equally at home in fiery free jazz explorations or softer, more lyrical post-bop meditations. Wheeler was born in 1930 in Toronto, Ontario, and began playing trumpet at age 12. After studying at Toronto's Royal Conservatory, he moved to London in 1952, where he gigged with swing and dance bands. He appeared with John Dankworth's orchestra at the 1959 Newport Festival and remained with that group until 1965. In 1966, Wheeler discovered free jazz, and, fascinated, joined John Stevens' Spontaneous Music Ensemble for the next four years. In addition, he played jazz-rock fusion with the Mike Gibbs Orchestra from 1969-1975, and joined Tony Oxley's sextet (along with free jazz giants like Derek Bailey and Evan Parker) from 1969-1972. Through the latter, Wheeler was invited to join German pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach's groundbreaking free jazz big band the Globe Unity Orchestra in 1970, an association Wheeler maintained for years to come.
During the first half of the '70s, Wheeler played with Anthony Braxton, which became his primary focus. In 1975, he signed with the ECM label and recorded the well-received Gnu High, which established him as a solo artist of note; the following year, he left Braxton and joined the trio Azimuth. Wheeler turned out a series of excellent ECM albums, including 1977's Deer Wan and 1983's Double, Double You (that year, Wheeler also began a four-year run with the Dave Holland Quintet). Several more generally fine outings followed in the '90s, including the ECM dates Music for Large and Small Ensembles and The Widow in the Window (both recorded in 1990), plus other recordings for Justin Time and Soul Note later in the decade. During the 2000s and 2010s, he recorded several dates for CAM Jazz, including 2008's Other People with the Hugo Wolf String Quartet and 2011's One of Many with Steve Swallow. Wheeler died on September 18, 2014 after a brief illness. His final studio session, the Manfred Eicher-produced Songs for Quintet, was released in 2015 on what would have been Wheeler's 85th birthday.
© Steve Huey /TiVo
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Mirrors
Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone, London Vocal Project
Jazz - Released by Edition Records on 25 feb. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Where Do We Go From Here?
Jazz - Released by CAM JAZZ on 8 jun. 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Tales
Kenny Wheeler, Paolino Dalla Porta, Stefano Battaglia, Bill Elgart
Jazz - Released by Soul Note on 1 jan. 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Deep Dark Blue Centre
Jazz - Released by jazzcontinuum on 1 jan. 1967
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kpm 1000 Series: Underscore - Volume 2
Johnny Pearson, Kenny Wheeler, David Lindup
Jazz - Released by KPM 1000 LP Series on 1 jan. 1970
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Live at the Montreal Bistro (Live)
Kenny Wheeler, Sonny Greenwich
Jazz - Released by Justin Time Records Inc. on 1 okt. 1997
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gorizia
Glauco Venier, Kenny Wheeler, Klaus Gesing
Jazz - Released by Artesuono on 1 jan. 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Out of Genre
Jonathan Mayer, Mitel Purohit, Kenny Wheeler, Bernard Wystraëte, Andy Bratt
Jazz - Released by First Hand Records on 18 feb. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nineteen Plus One
Kenny Wheeler Colours Jazz Orchestra
Jazz - Released by Orpheus on 1 jan. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Reinventing the World
Andy Middleton, Kenny Wheeler, Nils Wogram
Jazz - Released by intuition on 19 okt. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Swis Radio Days Jazz Series
Jazz - Released by TCB - The Montreux Jazz Label™ on 17 jun. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Long Shadows (with NDR Pops Orchestra)
Robert Cornford, Tony Coe, Kenny Wheeler
Jazz - Released by Cherry Red Records on 31 dec. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo