Connie Kay
Connie Kay (born April 27, 1927 in Tuckahoe , Westchester County , New York as Conrad Henry Kirnon , † November 30, 1994 ) was an American jazz drummer .
Life
Kay learned the piano from his mother and took drum lessons . He played with Fats Noel in 1939 , worked with Sir Charles Thompson and Miles Davis in the mid-1940s , but also with Cat Anderson's band (1946) and with Lester Young . After engagements with Beryl Booker and Charlie Parker , he played with Davis in 1952 - as well as with Stan Getz - at the Birdland jazz club . He also worked as a studio musician and was involved in rhythm 'n' blues recordings (e.g. by Ruth Brown or Big Joe Turner ). From 1952 to 1955 he was in Lester Young's band, then until 1974 he was a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet . He also worked with Clark Terry , Bud Powell , the Orchestra USA , Coleman Hawkins , Roy Eldridge and taught at the School of Jazz in New York. In the late 1970s he worked on Dixieland projects and played with Benny Goodman (including a performance at Carnegie Hall in 1978 ). Since 1981 he was involved in the reunion of the Modern Jazz Quartet .
Kay was able to bring out his own subtle style of drumming, especially when working with the Modern Jazz Quartet . Its light, springy swing went very well with the low volume level of the band.
Web links
- Works by and about Connie Kay in the catalog of the German National Library
- Drummerworld to Conny Kay
- Connie Kay at Allmusic (English)
- Obituary 1994 at Der Spiegel (print edition)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Jeff Potter: What Do You Know About ... Connie Kay. In: Modern Drummer Magazine. Retrieved January 25, 2019 (American English).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kay, Connie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Kirnon, Conrad Henry (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz drummer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 27, 1927 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Tuckahoe , Westchester County , New York |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 30, 1994 |