Born: January 1, 1958 Primary Instrument: Drums
Shawn Kelley was raised in Syracuse, New York and is a graduate of City College of New York where he studied jazz under the tutelage of Ron Carter, John Lewis, Gil Evans, and Sonny Igoe.
After years of playing in the New York jazz scene, Shawn relocated to the warmer climates of Asia, where he has been in high demand since 1993. Shawn's love and command of all kinds of music has led him to work with a diverse range of artists.
Recently Shawn played with jazz living legend, James Moody at a special concert for His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, and had the honor of playing together with H.M. the King, who is an accomplished musician and composer.
In 2004, Shawn performed and recorded with Ernie Watts and Jeremy Monteiro, and can be heard on the new Jazznote releases by singers Anne Weerapass and Rani Singam, the recently Jeremy Monteiro album Homecoming, the new release by Thailand’s Koh Mr. Saxman, “The Other Side of Koh” and Roy Meriwether’s Trio CD “Live” at The Four Queens. Las Vegas.
Shawn performs regularly at The Living Room at the Sheraton Grande Hotel, arguably the best jazz room in Bangkok with Eldee Young, Jeremy Monteiro, Ernie Watts, Leroy Jones, Carmen Bradford, and Vanessa Ruben.
He has also performed at Jazz festivals in Asia with artists such as Jeff Lorber, Eric Marienthal, Phil Perry, and Terumaso Hino.
Shawn can also be heard on Jeremy Monteiro's 2003 release “Swingin' in Chicago” on which he was also assistant producer, and he also found time to be assistant producer on the award winning audiophile recording “A Song For You Karen” on the First Impression Music label (FIM) which was named one of the three best sound recordings of 2003 by Sound Stage magazine of the US.
Shawn Kelley is a highly versatile and virtuostic drummer, and is able to span the entire dynamic spectrum of jazz, from the most sensitive nuance to the most driving and explosive of drum solos.
