Phil Kelly: big band arranger, composer and bandleader
Phil Kelly spent more than forty years writing for film, television, symphony pops and the bandstand, then made three big band albums of his own for Origin Records. This is his home on the web.
Phil Kelly's first big band album as a leader, Convergence Zone, was recorded in August 2003 with his Seattle-based NW Prevailing Winds and earned two Grammy nominations, for best large jazz ensemble album and best arrangement. Two more albums followed on the same Seattle label: My Museum, cut in Los Angeles with the SW Santa Ana Winds, and Ballet of the Bouncing Beagles, which brought the Northwest band back together with Pete Christlieb and Jerry Dodgion.
Before he led his own band, Phil wrote for Doc Severinsen and the Tonight Show orchestra, for Bill Watrous's Manhattan Wildlife Refuge, and for more than 25 years as primary arranger of the Fort Worth Symphony Pops series. You can trace that path in his career from drummer to arranger, and hear the results in the album clips and track lists.
The three albums
Convergence Zone (Origin 82417)
Ten tracks with the NW Prevailing Winds, including "Damp Brown Places", "Sweet Georgia Upside Down" and "Kathy's Waltz". Nominated for two Grammy Awards.
My Museum (Origin 82468)
Nine charts recorded with an all-star Los Angeles band led on trumpet by Wayne Bergeron. Named among JazzTimes magazine's top 50 albums of 2007.
Ballet of the Bouncing Beagles (Origin 82549)
Ten tracks recorded at Bear Creek Studio in Woodinville, Washington, ending with a four-tenor cutting session.
What you will find here
The site collects the material Phil published over the years. Critics from JazzTimes, Cadence, All About Jazz and Earshot Jazz wrote about each record, and their reviews of all three albums are kept together, with the writer and publication credited. The news page is a running diary of sessions, releases and projects with singers such as Frank D'Rone, Primo Kim and organist Barney McClure.
For band directors, most of the scores from Convergence Zone and My Museum are published for standard 4/4/5/4 stage band, and the big band charts in print page explains where to buy them. Phil also takes commissions, from college jazz orchestra pieces to pop symphony medleys and vocal backgrounds.
Questions about arranging? Aspiring composers and arrangers can send one specific question per email about jazz writing, string writing or full orchestral scoring through the Ask Phil page.