Wynton Kelly
Piano Solo on
Cherokee

About

Wynton Kelly's piano solo is the closing of 2 solos on this recording, following Johnny Griffin's tenor sax. Spanning half a chorus of the 64-bar AABA form at a brisk 313 BPM with a swing feel in B♭, the solo runs approximately 24 seconds. Pianist Wynton Kelly contributes a half-chorus, providing a brief but effective contrast before the performance concludes. Wynton Kelly was 24 to 25 years old at the time of this 1956 recording. Ray Noble composed Cherokee in 1938 as the first movement of his Indian Suite, a five-movement orchestral work that also included Comanche War Dance, Iroquois, Seminole, and Sioux Sue.

Wynton Kelly was 24 to 25 years old at the time.