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Phil Kelly

In addition to more than 40 years as a composer / arranger for film, TV, and other media applications, he has written for bands like Bill Watrous' NY Wildlife Refuge, the Old Tonight show band , Doc Severinsen, Si Zentner, as well as functioning as arranger/ conductor / drummer for vocalists Buddy Greco, Julius LaRosa, Frank D'Rone, Sylvia Syms, John Gary, Jenny Smith, and Al 'TNT' Braggs among others.. Early on in his career, he also logged several years as a jazz drummer with artists such as Terry Gibbs, Red Garland, and Denny Zeitlin as well as years of work as a studio and recording drummer. In addition to his film and TV writing, He has written music for over 500 national commercials, ESPN, ABC Sports, NFL Films, and industrial films and shows for Cadillac, Chevrolet, Volkswagen, American Airlines and Zales Jewelers. He also was the primary arranger for the Fort Worth (TX) Symphony Pops series for more than 25 years,and has been commissioned to provide custom pop symphonic scores for Doc Severinsen and Peter Nero. He has had arrangements played by the Houston, Dalla, Detroit, Cincinnati, and North Carolina Symphony orchestras. Now semi-retired and residing in Bellingham WA, He still writes jazz and pop orchestra arrangements for publication and on commision, and is beginning an auxiliary career in the educational field as a clinician in film scoring and music for the media at various colleges around the USA , as well as a big band coach at the Bud Shank Centrum Jazz camp in Port Townsend WA. for the past two years. His first big band jazz album under his own name, Convergence Zone has been recorded this summer for fall release on Origin Records.


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416
Album Review

Phil Kelly & the Northwest Prevailing Winds: Ballet of the Bouncing Beagles

Read "Ballet of the Bouncing Beagles" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Phil Kelly spent four decades working the sunny Los Angeles trenches as a composer/arranger for film and television. He wrote music, as well, for more than five hundred television commercials. That was probably a heck of a nice way to pay the rent and put bread and butter on the table. But since his semi-retirement, he has moved into what surely must be his first musical love: big band writing and arranging.Kelly has produced two previous big band ...

396
Take Five With...

Take Five With Phil Kelly

Read "Take Five With Phil Kelly" reviewed by AAJ Staff


Meet Phil Kelly: In addition to more than 40 years as a composer / arranger for film, TV, and other media applications, Phil has written for bands like Bill Watrous' NY Wildlife Refuge, the old Tonight Show band, Doc Severinsen and Si Zentner, as well as functioning as arranger / conductor / drummer for vocalists Buddy Greco, Julius LaRosa, Frank D'Rone, Sylvia Syms, John Gary, Jenny Smith, and Al “TNT" Braggs, among others.Early on in his career, he ...

262
Album Review

Phil Kelly & The Santa Ana Winds: My Museum

Read "My Museum" reviewed by Edward Blanco


Ever so often one comes across an album that sparkles all over, leaving quite an impression, and such is the case with this recording led by composer/arranger Phil Kelly. My Museum is a cleverly crafted album of sensational big band charts, featuring five original compositions wrapped around several classic jazz standards, making for a muscular performance by an elite world-class orchestra. Kelly is no stranger to leading prime-time big band performances; this recording is a followup to his previous Grammy-nominated ...

185
Album Review

Phil Kelly & the NW Prevailing Winds: Convergence Zone

Read "Convergence Zone" reviewed by Jack Bowers


A “convergence zone" is where winds from all over gather together to blow up a storm, which is an entirely appropriate metaphor for this tempestuous new album by composer/arranger Phil Kelly & the NW Prevailing Winds--except that Kelly not only has those formidable winds at his command but muscular brass and rhythm as well.

The tornadic uproar begins with Kelly's tongue-in-cheek “Damp Brown Places" (apologies to Stephen Foster) and doesn't subside until trumpeter Jay Thomas, tenor Pete Christlieb, ...

188
Album Review

Phil Kelly & The NW Prevailing Winds: Convergence Zone

Read "Convergence Zone" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


If you watch any television at all it's a good bet you've heard Phil Kelly's sound. Kelly has worked for forty years as a composer/arranger in film and TV, including over 700 national TV commercials. For Convergence Zone Kelly has assembled some of the finest studio and jazz players in the Northwest for a swinging, sassy set of big band jazz.The opener, “Damp Brown Places"--a sendup of “Camp Town Races"--sets an immediate tone for the recording: clean lines ...

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127

Music Industry

Grammy Nominee, Phil Kelly Joins the Artists Recording Collective

Grammy Nominee, Phil Kelly Joins the Artists Recording Collective

Source: Artists Recording Collective, LLC

Grammy Nominee and noted composer/arranger, Phil Kelly has joined the Artists Recording Collective (ARC). In addition to more than 40 years as a composer/arranger for film, TV, and other media applications, he has written for bands like Bill Watrous' NY Wildlife Refuge, the Old Tonight show band, Doc Severinsen, Si Zentner, as well as functioning as arranger/conductor/drummer for vocalists Buddy Greco, Julius LaRosa, Frank D'Rone, Sylvia Syms, John Gary, Jenny Smith, and Al 'TNT' Braggs among others. Early on in ...

104

Award / Grant

Phil Kelly's CD "My Mueseum" Makes the JazzTimes Top 50 CDs of the Year List

Phil Kelly's CD "My Mueseum" Makes the JazzTimes Top 50 CDs of the Year List

Source: All About Jazz

Phil Kelly's second CD My Museum on Origin records was included in the JazzTimes 2007 50 best CDs of the year. Recorded in 2006 in LA, it will soon be followed by a new CD later this year.

Take Five with Phil Kelly (Q&A)

About Phil Kelly In addition to more than 40 years as a composer / arranger for film, TV, and other media applications, Phil has written for bands like Bill Watrous' NY Wildlife Refuge, the Old Tonight ...

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Recording

Upcoming New Phil Kelly Big Band CD on Origin: "My Museum"

Upcoming New Phil Kelly Big Band CD on Origin: "My Museum"

Source: All About Jazz

Having just gotten the reference dub from my new CD , I feel it's time to start giving out the Details on my new CD My Museum, now slated for mid-September release on Origin Records.

MY MUSEUM Phil Kelly and the Southwest Santa Ana Winds (this is to set it apart from my other band, the Northwest Prevailing Winds, although many of the key players are common to both groups)

JEANNINE 6:11 (Bob Summers tpt, Andy ...

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Performance / Tour

Phil Kellys 'Convergence Zone' CD release concerts, 2/15 and 2/16

Phil Kellys 'Convergence Zone' CD release concerts, 2/15 and 2/16

Source: All About Jazz

Phil Kelly and the Northwest Prevailing Winds held a pair of CD release concerts this past weekend at Tula's in Seattle WA on Sunday 2/15 ( which was packed to the roof ) and again the next night at JazzBones in Tacoma WA.

Almost the entire recording group was present (including our “LA contingent" Pete Christlieb and Andy Martin) and the band sounded absolutely great both nights, especially considering the fact they were basically “resightreading" the book, since it had ...

144

Award / Grant

Phil Kelly's CONVERGENCE ZONE Receives 2003 Twirlie Nomination

Phil Kelly's CONVERGENCE ZONE Receives 2003 Twirlie Nomination

Source: All About Jazz

2003 Twirlie Nominations: TOP 10 BIG BANDS Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra - HIROSHIMA (True Life Jazz) Maria Schneider Orchestra - ALLEGRESSE (Justin Time Records) Gerald Wilson Orchestra - NEW YORK, NEW SOUND (Mack Avenue Records) Renee Rosnes - And The Danish Big Band (Blue Note) The Kim Richmond Concert Jazz Orchestra - REFRACTIONS (Origin Records) David Murray Latin Big Band - NOW IS ANOTHER TIME (Justin Time Records) Phil Kelly and The NW Prevailing Winds - CONVERGENCE ZONE (Origin Records) ...

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Performance / Tour

Phil Kelly's 'Convergence Zone' CD Release Parties

Phil Kelly's 'Convergence Zone' CD Release Parties

Source: All About Jazz


Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Ballet of the...

Origin Records
2010

buy

My Museum

Origin Records
2006

buy

Convergence Zone

Origin Records
2004

buy

Convergence Zone

Origin Records
2003

buy

Note-o-riot-ee

From: Ballet of the Bouncing Beagles
By Phil Kelly

Pleading Dim Cap

From: My Museum
By Phil Kelly

Zip Code 2005

From: My Museum
By Phil Kelly

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