Roger Kellaway
Quick Facts
Biography
Roger Kellaway (born November 1, 1939) is an American composer, arranger and jazz pianist who has recorded over 250 albums, and composed over 20 film scores
Life and career
Kellaway was born in Waban, Massachusetts, United States. He is an alumnus of the New England Conservatory. Kellaway has composed commissioned works for ensembles of various sizes. He also has composed music for film, television, ballet and stage productions. Pianist Phil Saltman was one of his early mentors.
In 1964, Kellaway was a piano sideman for composer/arranger Boris Midney's group The Russian Jazz Quartet's album Happiness on ABC/Impulse jazz records.
Kellaway composed the closing theme, "Remembering You" for the television sitcom All in the Family, which was also used as the closing theme for the spinoff Archie Bunker's Place.
In 1970, Kellaway formed the Roger Kellaway Cello Quartet with cellist Edgar Lustgarden. Their piece "Come to the Meadow" was used as the theme for the NPR program Selected Shorts. For their 1978 album, Nostalgia Suite, the group became a quintet with drummer Joe Porcaro.
On November 7 and 8, 2008, Kellaway was bandleader and pianist for the Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl concerts by Van Morrison, celebrating the 40th anniversary of Morrison's acclaimed 1968 album.
Kellaway was nominated for an Oscar for Best Adaptation Score for A Star Is Born (1976), and a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement for the Eddie Daniels album Memos from Paradise (1988). Guitarist Robben Ford credits Kellaway and Tom Scott, whom he met while playing for Joni Mitchell, as major influences on his music. Kellaway was featured on Ilya Serov's original rendition of Django Reinhardt's song "Swing 42" in 2017.
Discography
As leader
Year recorded | Title | Label | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1963 | A Portrait of Roger Kellaway | Regina | Some tracks trio, with Ben Tucker (bass), Dave Bailey (drums); some tracks quartet, with Jim Hall (guitar), Steve Swallow (bass), Tony Inzalaco (drums) |
1965 | The Roger Kellaway Trio | Prestige | Trio, with Russell George (bass), Dave Bailey (drums) |
1966 | Stride! | World Pacific | With Red Mitchell (bass), John Guerin (drums), strings, brass |
1967 | Spirit Feel | Liberty Records | With Tom Scott (alto and soprano sax), Chuck Domanico (bass), John Guerin (drums), Paul Beaver (tape recorder), Red Mitchell (bass on Double Fault) |
Solo Piano | Dobre | ||
1970 | Say That Again | Dobre | Solo piano; Kellaway adds vocals on two tracks. All tracks on Dobre DR 1045 LP release (p) 1978 Expression Sound, Inc. |
1971 | Cello Quartet | A&M | with strings; Joe Pass (guitar) added on two tracks |
1972 | Center of the Circle | A&M | With various |
1974 | Come to the Meadow | A&M | With Edgar Lustgarten (cello), Chuck Domanico (bass), Emil Richards (drums) |
1978 | Nostalgia Suite | Discwasher | With various |
1981 | Live at Michael's Pub | Jazz Mania | Duo, with Dick Hyman (piano); in concert |
1982 | As It Happened, Vol. 1 | Jazz Heritage | Quartet, with Bob Brookmeyer (valve trombone), Chuck Domanico (bass), John Guerin (drums); in concert |
1986 | Ain't Misbehavin' | Solo piano | |
1986 | In Japan | All Art Jazz | Some tracks solo piano; some tracks trio, with John Goldsby (bass), Terry Clarke (drums); some tracks quartet, with Valery Ponomarev (trumpet) added |
1987 | Fifty-Fifty | Stash Records | With Red Mitchell (bass), Brad Terry (whistling) |
1987 | The Art of Interconnectedness | Challenge | In concert |
1988 | Alone Together | Dragon | Duo, with Red Mitchell (bass) |
1989 | Some o' This and Some o' That | Dragon | With Putte Wickman (clarinet), Red Mitchell (bass) |
1991 | Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume Eleven | Concord Jazz | Solo piano; in concert |
1991 | That Was That | Dragon | With Jan Allan (trumpet), Red Mitchell (bass) |
1992 | Roger Kellaway Meets The Duo: Gene Bertoncini and Michael Moore | Chiaroscuro | Trio, with Gene Bertoncini (guitar), Michael Moore (bass) |
1992 | Life's a Take | Concord Jazz | Duo, with Red Mitchell (bass); in concert |
1993 | Windows | Angel | With Emil Richards (marimba), Chuck Domanico (bass), Joe Porcaro and Bob Zimmitti (percussion), Fred Seykora (cello) |
1996 | Inside & Out | Concord | Duo, co-led with Ruby Braff (cornet) |
2005 | I Was There: Roger Kellaway Plays from the Bobby Darin Songbook | IPO | Solo piano |
2005 | Remembering Bobby Darin | IPO | Trio, with Bruce Forman (guitar), Dan Lutz (bass) |
2006 | Heroes | IPO | Trio, with Bruce Forman (guitar) Brad Lutz (bass) |
2008 | Live at the Jazz Standard | IPO | With Russell Malone (guitar), Jay Leonhart (bass), Stefon Harris (vibraphone), Borislav Strulev (cello); in concert |
2013 | Duke at the Roadhouse: Live in Santa Fe | IPO | Most tracks duo, co-led with Eddie Daniels (clarinet); some tracks trio, with James Holland (cello) added; in concert |
2018 | New Jazz Standards Vol. 3 | Summit | Trio, with Jay Leonhart (bass), Peter Erskine (drums) |
2019 | The Many Open Minds of Roger Kellaway | Trio, with Bruce Forman (guitar), Dan Lutz (bass). |
As arranger
With Melanie
- Born to Be (Buddah, 1968)
- Gather Me (Neighborhood/Buddah, 1971)
- Stoneground Words (Neighborhood, 1972)
- Madrugada (Neighborhood, 1973)
With Carmen McRae
- I Am Music (Blue Note, 1975)
With Diane Schuur
- Love Songs (UMG, 1993)
With Liza Minnelli
- Gently (Angel, 1996)
With Robben Ford
- Supernatural (GRP, 1999)
With Gary Lemel
- Moonlighting (Warner, 1999)
As sideman
With Kenny Burrell
- Guitar Forms (Verve, 1964–65)
With The Russian Jazz Quartet
- Happiness (Impulse!, 1964)
With Stan Getz
- Stan Getz Plays Music from the Soundtrack of Mickey One (MGM, 1965)
With J. J. Johnson and Kai Winding
- Betwixt & Between (A&M/CTI, 1969)
With George Harrison
- Dark Horse (Apple, 1974)
With Jimmy Knepper
- Jimmy Knepper in L.A. (Discomate, 1977)
With Herbie Mann
- Herbie Mann Plays The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd (Atlantic, 1965)
With Mark Murphy
- That's How I Love the Blues! (Riverside, 1962)
With Oliver Nelson
- More Blues and the Abstract Truth (Impulse!, 1964)
- Soulful Brass with Steve Allen (Impulse!, 1968)
- Black, Brown and Beautiful (Flying Dutchman, 1969)
With Sonny Rollins
- Alfie (Impulse!, 1966)
With Lalo Schifrin
- There's a Whole Lalo Schifrin Goin' On (Dot, 1968)
With Bud Shank
- Let It Be (Pacific Jazz, 1970)
With Zoot Sims
- Just Friends with Harry Sweets Edison
With Sonny Stitt
- Broadway Soul (Colpix, 1965)
With Clark Terry
- The Happy Horns of Clark Terry (Impulse!, 1964)
- Tonight (Mainstream, 1965)
- The Power of Positive Swinging (Mainstream, 1965)
With Ben Webster
- See You at the Fair(Impulse!, 1964)
With Kai Winding
- Rainy Day (Verve, 1965)
With Jimmy Witherspoon
- Blues for Easy Livers (Prestige, 1965)
With Stephane Grappelli & Yo-Yo Ma
- Anything Goes (CBS, 1989)