The Long Waiting

Song for Someone - The Musical Life of Kenny Wheeler - Brian Shaw

Brian Shaw [+-]
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Brian Shaw is an active performer, arranger, and educator known for his versatility. He is one of the few trumpet players in the world equally comfortable in early music, orchestral, jazz, and commercial settings on modern and period instruments. He has released four albums as a soloist and leader, and holds principal positions the Dallas Winds, Santa Fe Pro Musica, and Spire Baroque Orchestra, and is a frequent guest principal trumpet in American symphony orchestras. A former Banff Centre student of Kenny Wheeler’s, Brian is a passionate advocate for his music and published a book of his solo transcriptions in 2000. He regularly teaches Baroque and modern trumpet at the Eastman School of Music and was Professor of Trumpet and Jazz Studies at Louisiana State University for 15 years. He lives near Seattle with his wife Lana, their sons Thomas and Elliot, and their dog, Ernie.
Nick Smart [+-]
Royal Academy of Music
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Nick Smart is Head of Jazz at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and an internationally renowned jazz educator, trumpeter and musical director. He has been the recipient of the prestigious UK All Party Parliamentary Jazz Award for Education, is a Professor of the University of London, and Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music where he also completed his PhD. Throughout the UK he remains one of the leading jazz musicians on the scene, continuing to record and tour with his own projects as well as being in regular demand as a sideman to players of all generations. Nick was also a close associate of Kenny Wheeler, having played in his last big band and with many of his regular colleagues, and he has been instrumental in keeping Kenny's musical legacy alive in masterclasses and performances around the world.

Description

The final chapter of this book, covering the last decade of Kenny’s life, begins with his 75th birthday tour and a new suite for big band. A period of illness brought a new frailty to his playing and affected his ability to travel comfortably. A particularly difficult week at the Blue Note in New York with pianist Kenny Werner’s band saw his career as a sideman draw to a close, increasing the necessity to play only his own music. Nevertheless, and in some ways against considerable odds, this remained a hugely productive period of composing and playing for Kenny, marked by several CAM Jazz recordings with old friends (including John Taylor and Dave Holland) and new musical partners, including Chris Potter. Renewed interest in recording his large ensemble music followed his 80th birthday celebration, resulting in the release of The Long Waiting (for big band) and Mirrors (for vocal ensemble, rhythm section, and soloists). During this period, Kenny becomes, with his usual reluctance, recognised as an elder statesman of contemporary jazz, and was awarded several honours. Of most significance for him was the 2011 Festival of New Trumpet Music, designated a “Kenny Wheeler Celebration”, curated in New York by Dave Douglas. Despite his deteriorating mobility, Kenny’s big band played two more concerts together at the end of 2012 and his quintet performed up until the end of 2013 – culminating in what would be his last solo recording: a poignant reunion with ECM. Throughout 2014 Kenny’s health declined, leading to his being placed alternately in a nursing facility and hospital. Kenny Wheeler died in Whipps Cross University Hospital, on September 18, 2014.

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Citation

Shaw, Brian; Smart, Nick. The Long Waiting. Song for Someone - The Musical Life of Kenny Wheeler. Equinox eBooks Publishing, United Kingdom. Feb 2025. ISBN 9781781792193. https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/view-chapter/?id=25562. Date accessed: 18 Jul 2024 doi: 10.1558/equinox.25562. Feb 2025

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