Kenny Wheeler wrote over one hundred compositions and was a skilled arranger for small groups and large ensembles.
14 Facts About Kenny Wheeler
2.
Kenny Wheeler was the patron of the Royal Academy Junior Jazz course.
3.
Kenny Wheeler was born in Toronto, Ontario, on 14 January 1930.
4.
Kenny Wheeler spent a year studying composition at The Royal Conservatory of Music in 1950.
5.
Kenny Wheeler found his way into the London jazz scene of the time, playing in groups led by Tommy Whittle, Tubby Hayes, and Ronnie Scott.
6.
In 1968, Kenny Wheeler appeared on guitarist Terry Smith's first solo album, Fall Out.
7.
Kenny Wheeler performed and recorded his own compositions with large jazz ensembles throughout his career, beginning with the first album under his own name, Windmill Tilter, recorded with the John Dankworth band.
8.
Kenny Wheeler was the trumpeter in the Anthony Braxton Quartet from 1971 to 1976.
9.
Kenny Wheeler was a member of the chamber jazz trio Azimuth with John Taylor and Norma Winstone from 1977 to 2000.
10.
Kenny Wheeler was featured in a profile on composer Graham Collier in the 1985 Channel 4 documentary Hoarded Dreams.
11.
In 1997 Kenny Wheeler received widespread critical praise for his album Angel Song, which featured an unusual drummer-less quartet of Bill Frisell, Dave Holland and Lee Konitz.
12.
Kenny Wheeler recorded seven albums with CAM Jazz from 2005 to 2008 but returned to ECM to record his final album, Songs for Quintet, in 2013.
13.
Kenny Wheeler died after a short period of frail health at a nursing home in London on 18 September 2014.
14.
Kenny Wheeler was survived by his wife, Doreen, and his children, Mark and Louanne.