Wynton Kelly
Piano Solo on
Smoke Stack

About

Wynton Kelly's piano solo is the 6th of 7 solos on this recording, following John Coltrane's tenor sax and before Paul Chambers's closing acoustic bass statement. Spanning four choruses of the 12-bar Blues form at a bright 247 BPM with a swing feel in F, the solo runs approximately 48 seconds. The gradual acceleration across the performance, reaching 247 beats per minute by Kelly's second solo, reflects the building excitement of a live-in-the-studio jam. Wynton Kelly was 25 to 26 years old at the time of this 1957 recording. "Smoke Stack" is a twelve-bar blues composed by tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin for his 1957 Blue Note album A Blowing Session.

Wynton Kelly was 25 to 26 years old at the time.