ECM: Zum Tod von Kenny Wheeler 1930-2014

„Angel Songs“

Kenny Wheeler 1930-2014

The news of Kenny Wheeler’s death, at the age of 84, reached us just two weeks after we’d finished work on the mixing and mastering of his new album, which was recorded at London’s Abbey Road last Christmas.  The session itself was inspirational, a very frail Kenny rousing himself to play creative and touching flugelhorn improvisations in a programme of nine of his fine songs, surrounded and supported by some of his favourite players:  Stan Sulzmann on tenor sax, John Parricelli on guitar, Chris Laurence on bass, Martin France on drums.  Three of the band were able to join us for the mix of an album which was to have marked a return to ECM for Kenny after some years away.  A release date for the album is not yet finalized, but early 2015 seems likely.

                                                                                                                    Manfred Eicher / Steve Lake

Appreciations of Kenny Wheeler are appearing in the jazz press and daily newspapers:

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/sep/19/kenny-wheeler-jazz-musician-dies-aged-84

http://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/music/jazzblog/rip-kenny-wheeler

http://www.ram.ac.uk/news?nid=468