Kenny Wheeler obit

Kenny Wheeler obituary

Modest jazz trumpeter revered for fearless improvisation and prolific composing 

He was not on the list.

The trumpet is by tradition a loud, warlike, declamatory instrument, but the art of playing it quietly goes back a long way. Bix Beiderbecke brought coolness to the instrument in the 1920s, and some of the most inspirational jazz stars have been predominantly quiet players, notably Miles Davis and Chet Baker. That select circle includes the trumpeter and flugelhornist Kenny Wheeler, Canadian-born but long resident in Britain, who has died aged 84.

Unlike Davis, Wheeler was as revered for his composing as his playing. His poignantly harmonised pieces were eventually played all over the world, studied assiduously on college courses and sometimes embellished with lyrics. Wheeler was legendarily shy, with a capacity to denigrate his own work and be astonished by anyone else's interest in it. For a man fascinated by the subject of losers (his first album, made under John Dankworth's wing in 1968, took the windmill-tilter Don Quixote as its theme), his achievements were immense.

n the mid-1960s, Wheeler became a close participant in the nascent free improvisation movement in London, playing with Parker, John Stevens, the Spontaneous Music Ensemble and the Globe Unity Orchestra. Despite the above-noted accomplishments, much of his 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 feature Keith 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.

 

Discography

As leader/co-leader

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)

1991: Spanish Rhapsody (with Creative Art Ensemble Hungary by György Vukán)

1992: Kayak (Ah Um)

1997: All the More (Soul Note) recorded 1993

1997: Angel Song (ECM)

1999: A Long Time Ago (ECM)

2003: Island (Artists House) with Bob Brookmeyer

2003: Dream Sequence (Psi, 1995–2003 [2003])

2004: Where Do We Go from Here? (CAM Jazz) with John Taylor

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)

2015: Songs for Quintet (ECM, recorded 2013)

2015: On the Way to Two (CAM Jazz, recorded 2005)

Collaborations with John Taylor

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)

Pause, and Think Again (Turtle, 1971)

As Azimuth

Azimuth (ECM, 1977)

The Touchstone (ECM, 1978)

Départ, with Ralph Towner (ECM, 1979)

Azimuth '85 (ECM, 1985)

How It Was Then... Never Again (ECM, 1994)

Siren's Song, with The Maritime Jazz Orchestra (Justin Time, 1997)

Other collaborations

wrote/arranged "Ballad to Max" on Maynard Ferguson's album M.F. Horn (Columbia, 1970)

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 Günter Christmann, Gerd Dudek, Albert Mangelsdorff, Paul Rutherford, Manfred Schoof: Horns (FMP, 1979)

with Gordon Beck, Tony Oxley, Stan Sulzmann, Ron Mathewson: Seven Steps to Evans (MPS, 1980)

with Tiziana Simona: Gigolo (ITM, 1986)

with Claudio Fasoli, Jean-François Jenny Clark, Daniel Humair: Welcome (Soul Note, 1987)

with Claudio Fasoli and Jean-François Jenny Clark: Land (Innowo/New Sound Planet, 1989)

with Gordon Beck, Tony Oxley, Stan Sulzmann, Dieter Ilg: A Tribute to Bill Evans (Image Entertainment DVD, filmed 1991, released 1999)

with Jeff Gardner, Hein van de Geyn, André 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 Claudio Fasoli, Mick Goodrick, Henri Texier - double bass, Billy Elgart - drums: "Ten tributes" (Ram records, 1994)

with Rabih Abou Khalil - Sultan's Picnic, Enja Records, 1994)

with Vandoorn (Ineke Vandoorn & Marc van Vugt) - The Question is me, Riff/Baixim records 1994

with Paul Bley: Touché (Justin Time, 1996)

with Sonny Greenwich: Live at the Montreal Bistro (Justin Time, 1998)

with Brian Dickinson: Still Waters [Hornblower, 1999)

with Lee Konitz: Live at Birdland Neuberg (Double Moon, 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 Enrico Pieranunzi, Chris Potter, Charlie Haden & Paul Motian: Fellini Jazz (CAM Jazz, 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)

with Evan Parker, Steve Beresford, John Edwards, Louis Moholo-Moholo: Foxes Fox: Live at the Vortex (PSI, 2012)

Featured

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)

The Jürgen Friedrich Quartet Featuring Kenny Wheeler: Summerflood (CTI, 1998; reissued 2003)

Tim Brady: Visions (Justin Time, 1988) with L'orchestre de Chambre de Montréal

Dezső "Ablakos" Lakatos (sax.), Kenny Wheeler (tr.), György Vukán (piano), Balázs Berkes (bass), Imre Kőszegi (drums), Creative Art Ensemble Brass & Rhythm, in "Spanish Rapsody" of György Vukán (CAE LP 002 Hungaroton, ARTISJUS 1991)

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

With John Abercrombie

 

Open Land (ECM, 1998)

With Rabih Abou-Khalil

 

Blue Camel (Enja, 1992)

The Sultan's Picnic (Enja, 1994)

With George Adams

 

Sound Suggestions (ECM, 1979)

With Pepper Adams

 

Conjuration: Fat Tuesday's Session (Reservoir, 1983 [1990})

With the Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra

 

Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra (Conducted by Alexander von Schlippenbach) (ECM, 1990)

With Jane Ira Bloom

 

Art and Aviation (Arabesque, 1992)

The Nearness (Arabesque, 1995)

With Anthony Braxton

 

The Complete Braxton (Freedom, 1971 [1973])

Quartet: Live at Moers Festival (Ring, 1974 [1976])

New York, Fall 1974 (Arista, 1974)

Five Pieces 1975 (Arista, 1975)

The Montreux/Berlin Concerts (Arista, 1975-6)

Creative Orchestra Music 1976 (Arista, 1976)

Creative Orchestra (Köln) 1978 (hatART, 1978 [1995])

With Jakob Bro

 

2011: Bro/Knak (Loveland) [12]

With Bill Bruford

 

Feels Good to Me (EG, 1978)

With Rainer Brüninghaus

 

Freigeweht (ECM, 1980)

With Don Cherry

 

Actions (Philips, 1971)

With Steve Coleman

 

Rhythm in Mind (Novus, 1991)

With CCS

 

C.C.S. (RAK, 1970)

With Graham Collier

 

Deep Dark Blue Centre (Deram, 1967)

Hoarded Dreams (Cuneiform, 1983 [2007])

With Paolino Dalla Porta

 

Tales (Soul Note, 1993)

With John Dankworth With Pierre Favre

 

Window Steps (ECM, 1995)

What the Dickens! (Fontana, 1963)

With Claudio Fasoil

 

Welcome (Soul Note, 1987)

Guest (Soul Note, 1994)

Ten Tributes (1995)

With Bill Frisell

 

Rambler (ECM, 1985)

With Globe Unity Orchestra

 

Globe Unity 67 & 70 (Atavistic, 2001), 1970 recording only

Live in Wuppertal (FMP, 1973)

Hamburg '74 with the NDR Chor (FMP, 1979)

Evidence Vol. 1 (FMP, 1976; reissued on Rumbling, 1991)

Into the Valley Vol. 2 (FMP, 1976; reissued on Rumbling, 1991)

FMP S 6...Plus (FMP, digital download, 2012)

Jahrmarkt/Local Fair (Po Torch, 1977)

Improvisations (JAPO/ECM, 1977)

Compositions (JAPO/ECM, 1979)

Intergalactic Blow (JAPO, 1983)

20th Anniversary (recorded 1986, FMP, 1993)

40 Years (Intakt, 2007)

With Paul Gonsalves

 

Humming Bird (Deram, 1970)

With Dave Holland Quintet

 

Jumpin' In (ECM, 1984)

Seeds of Time (ECM, 1985)

The Razor's Edge (ECM, 1987)

With Mark Isaacs

 

Elders Suite (Grace Recordings, 1999)

With Philly Joe Jones

 

Trailways Express (Black Lion, 1968 [1971])

With Chris Kase

 

A Song We Once Knew (Satchmo Jazz, 2000)

With Andy Middleton

 

Reinventing the World (2003)

With Joni Mitchell

 

Travelogue (Nonesuch, 2002)

With Roscoe Mitchell

 

Sketches from Bamboo (Moers Music, 1979)

With Louis Moholo-Moholo

 

Spirits Rejoice! (Ogun, 1978)

With Tony Oxley

 

Ichnos (RCA Victor, 1971)

With Enrico Pieranunzi

 

As Never Before (2008)

With Paul Rutherford and Iskra 1912

 

Sequences 72 & 73 (Emanem, 1997)

With Tommy Smith

 

Azure (Linn, 1995)

With Wadada Leo Smith

 

Divine Love (ECM, 1978)

With Thomas Stabenow

 

What’s New (2010)

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 John Surman

 

John Surman (Deram, 1969)

With Ralph Towner

 

Old Friends, New Friends (ECM, 1979)

With Glauco Venier Trio

 

Gorizia (Artesuono, 2013)

With Ernst Vranckx

 

A Child’s Blessing (1998)

With Fabio Zeppetella

 

Moving Lines (1995)