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Thursday 14th January was trumpeter Kenny Wheeler’s 80th birthday. John Fordham in the Grauniad offers a review of the Birthday Concert that was held this week at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Image: Juan Carlos Hernandez

It sounds like it was a predictably wonderful evening – with a monster band assembled to pay tribute to this most modest of master musicians: including Dave Holland, Evan Parker, John Taylor, Stan Sulzmann and Norma Winstone… all players with long histories of fruitful collaboration with Wheeler.

To catch some of the atmosphere, try out these recordings of Kenny Wheeler with the Colours Jazz Orchestra, recorded in Verona, Italy in February 2006.

As far as I know, the Verona date has never been released commercially, but you can pick up the superb Nineteen Plus One (recorded with the same orchestra) if you like what you hear.

Happy Birthday K.W.!

(Edit: for those of you who don’t want to download, Yann sent me the link to Kenny Wheeler on Deezer)

On odd occasions some wicked jazz turns up on YouTube.  This is an excerpt from the DVD Dave Holland Quintet Live in Freiburg.  Recorded in Germany in 1986, it’s only recently been released.

What a monster band – Dave Holland (b); Smitty Smith (d); Robin Eubanks (tb); Steve Coleman (saxes); Kenny Wheeler (tpt/flh).  It’s a pretty free-sounding date, and set free from chordal constraints the players can go some pretty interesting places.

Anyone’s who’s read this blog for a while will know I’m a bit of a Kenny Wheeler freak. This clip proves he’s a great “free” player. On this tune (Steve Coleman’s Vortex), he’s playing cornet. Sweet.