This I Dig of You

Hank Mobley (tenor sax), Wynton Kelly (piano), Paul Chambers (bass) and Art Blakey (drums). From the album Soul Station (1960).

Wynton Kelly was a American Jamaican jazz pianist and composer. In 1943 he began playing in rhythm and blues and jazz bands, and in the early 1950s he recorded with Lester Young and Dizzy Gillespie. In the mid-1950s he accompanied Dinah Washington for three years.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s he recorded with the best soloists: John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Cannonball Adderley, Wes Montgomery, Johnny Griffin, etc., including Miles Davis, with whom he played from 1959 to 1963 replacing Red Garland. In the meantime he also recorded his own albums. When he left Davis, he formed a trio with Paul Chamber and Jimmy Cobb, later joined by Wes Montgomery. He died prematurely in Toronto from an epileptic seizure in 1971 at the age of 39.

This is a medium-fast tempo animated theme. The first one to make his solo is Kelly, whose melodic line is fluid and optimistic. Mobley follows with a balanced and subtle solo separating each phrase so that his statement is well understood. He spends a lot of time playing, which shows he’s at ease. Next Blakey enters performing an impressive solo full of vitality. At last, the group re-exposes the theme with enthusiasm.