Brian Kelly

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Born: March 16, 1960 Primary Instrument: Piano

Brian Kelly is a Contemporary Instrumental composer, pianist, and producer. His latest release, Afterplay, was awarded second place in the “Best Instrumental Jazz Album” category in 2009 by the Just Plain Folks Music Awards, and ranked #3 on the NAR top 100 radio chart three months in a row. The album includes the world- renowned talents of Eric Crystal on sax (Boz Scaggs, Omar Sosa), David Rokeach on drums (Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles), Viviana Guzman on flute, James Robinson on guitar, and other fine musicians.

His debut album, Pools of Light, released in 2005 on his own Skylight Music label has received wide critical acclaim. The album charted at #1 for two months on the instrumental music radio chart in North America, was nominated for “Best New Artist 2005” (NAR Lifestyle Music Awards), and voted Top 10 Best New Age Albums of 2004 by Kathy Parsons of Solo Piano Publications.

In 2006 Brian published Pools of Light: The Solo Piano Songbook, a collection of 12 solo piano arrangements (sheet music) from the album. The songbook is available as a digital download in pdf format.

His music receives national and international airplay from radio stations and satellite music networks around the world.

Brian is a graduate of Hampshire College and a voting member of the Recording Academy. He resides in Northern California near San Francisco.

For more information, please visit www briankelly.com

Awards:

2009 - second place "Best Instrumental Jazz Album" (Afterplay) - Just Plain Folks Music Awards.

2009 - nominee "Best Instrumental Jazz Song" ("Celtic Fire", track #8 from Afterplay album) - Just Plain Folks Music Awards.

2005 nominee "Best New Artist" - NAR Lifestyle Music Awards.

1990 Winner of Keyboard Magazine's 5th Annual Reader's Soundpage Contest - Flexi Disc of winning composition, "Todd Pond", included in Feb. 1990 issue.

Last Updated: July 7, 2012

”Pianist Brian Kelly continues his exploration of modern and smooth jazz music with a brilliant performance on Afterplay, a session of soft flowing grooves and a New Age sound culminating in one of the more unique jazz albums around.” - eJazzNews.com

“the swing and complexity of melodic jazz and the studio precision of Steely Dan... make a confident statement.” - East Bay Express

“Brian Kelly follows his brilliant debut release POOLS OF LIGHT with yet another outstanding, compelling collection of originals... The musical integrity and lyrical sensitivity that Mr. Kelly brings to the table for his projects is clearly evident on this release. At a time when commercial Smooth Jazz too often heads in the direction of cliché, Brian Kelly’s AFTERPLAY is a refreshing example of how we can keep this music genre exciting and vibrant!” - SmoothJazz.com

“There is a sense of raw and unadulterated joy in the playing that escapes many artists. You'll definitely want to keep your ears on this gent. He'll be at the top of the charts before you know it ... Grand energy and style that gets a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED from me - very impressive!” - Improvijazzation

”A talent worth watching” - Keyboard Magazine

“...POOLS OF LIGHT is a lush, sparkling journey into a beautiful world of elegant melodies and brilliant artistry. The music rises and falls in powerful, yet gentle, waves of emotion... a totally captivating collection of original compositions…” - SmoothJazz.com

“Kelly's music has that wonderful dream-like quality that comes out of the mist and pulls you towards the light” - New Age Reporter

“The CD has a wonderful flow and cohesiveness, creating an uplifting and relaxing musical experience... Very highly recommended” - Kathy Parsons

2008 - Afterplay
2005 - Pools of Light

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