Roger Kellaway Luncheon

The  November 18th, 2015 ASMAC Luncheon featuring Roger Kellaway was a great success. After an introduction by ASAMC president Chris Walden, Roger shared interesting stories of his personal and professional life. The audience was treated to a number of piano performances including the All In The Family end title with its relatively unknown bridge. Roger also shared some interesting composition techniques including how Darn That Dream played backwards was used for the intro to My Ship. There was never a dull moment. Included in the audience were other piano playing legends Ralph Grierson and Mike Lang. Please check the ASMAC Podcast page for a recording of the event.

Roger Kellaway’s discography runs to more than two hundred and fifty albums. He’s worked with everyone from Elvis to Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie to Yo-Yo Ma, Joni Mitchell to Mancini and Quincy Jones to Michael Tilson Thomas.

Kellaway is not only a major pianist, he is a composer of protean ability, writing in the music fields of jazz, classical and “pop”, also scoring for films and television. His acclaimed “Cello Quartet” albums are described by some as “crossover,” “chamber jazz” and by others as the beginning of “New Age” music. They were the first in an eclectic array of projects beginning in the 1960’s. Roger’s commissions include a ballet for George Balanchine and the New York City Ballet, orchestral pieces for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the National Symphony, the New American Orchestra and a concerto, “Songs of Ascent,” commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta, conductor. He wrote a variety of chamber works for Carnegie Hall performances and served as musical director for Stephane Grappelli’s 80th Birthday Tribute, which included Yo-Yo Ma’s first entry into Jazz. Later, Stephane, Yo-Yo and Roger traveled to Paris together. Kellaway played on and wrote all the arrangements for their album, “Anything Goes.”

Raised in Massachusetts, Kellaway moved to Los Angeles in the mid 60’s to continue doing studio work, which soon included playing on and then writing film scores. He became musical director for Bobby Darin and in 1968 arranged (and conducted) Darin’s album of songs from the film “Dr. Doolittle.” Writing songs and arrangements is a passion that sometimes expands into producing, as was the case for the Carmen McRae album, “I Am Music.” The relationship had started with Roger’s song “I Have The Feeling I’ve Been Here Before,” written especially for her, with a lyric by the legendary team Alan & Marilyn Bergman. Kellaway’s most prized television credit is, “Remembering You,” the closing theme for the ground-breaking, “All in the Family.” Composed in 1970, it is still being heard on TV around the world. In 1988, Kellaway was honored with a Grammy Award for his music on the album “Memos From Paradise” for Eddie Daniels. He has written (and conducted) twenty-nine film scores including Barbara Streisand’s “A Star is Born”, for which he received an Academy Award nomination.

Beginning in1998, Kellaway made numerous trips to Japan to be part of Takao Ishizuka’s prestigious “100 Gold Fingers” concerts. In 1999 Roger was commissioned to compose the music for London’s West End production of “Lenny” starring Eddie Izzard, directed by Sir Peter Hall. In 2000 he was commissioned by the WDR Big Band to write a two-hour show celebrating the 100th birthday of composer Kurt Weill, staring Caterina Valente. As well as arranging the show, he also performed as pianist.

In 2001, Roger began working as Musical Director with Kevin Spacey on the pre-production for his film, “Beyond The Sea,” dedicated to Bobby Darin; and served as Musical Director, conductor and pianist for the Dec, 2004, 13-city “Beyond The Sea” tour. In 2005, Roger conducted the world premiere of Sir Paul McCartney’s “Nova” in Buenos Aires with “The Youth Orchestra of the Americas.” In 2007 he performed at and served as Musical director for “Tribute To Oscar Peterson at Carnegie Hall and later toured with Tony Bennett as his Musical Director. 2008 began with the Prix du Jazz Classique (the French “Grammy”) for Roger’s CD, “Heroes” (dedicated to Oscar Peterson) and ended with his serving as Van Morrison’s Musical Director for the classic “Astral Weeks” live performance/recording (CD/DVD) at the Hollywood Bowl.

2009 found Kellaway working again with the Bergmans on “Visions Of America”, an orchestral, multimedia portrait of Democracy. The “Photo-Symphony,” for full orchestra, Jazz piano, chorus and featured singer Patti Austin, was commissioned by renowned photographer, Joseph Sohm. The show premiered in Philadelphia with The Philly Pops, conducted by Peter Nero. Roger played solo piano at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall to a sold out audience later that year, ending with his orchestrating and conducting the music for Clint Eastwood’s film, INVICTUS.

In 2010, Roger received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, the New England Conservatory of Music and began to spend most of this time writing, only stopping long enough to play a few concerts, including 2011’s acclaimed “Live at the Library of Congress” with Eddie Daniels. In 2012, the Boston Pops performed an expanded “Visions of America” in a series of summer concerts, conducted by Keith Lockhart. Singers Patti Austin and Steve Tyrell were featured with Kellaway on piano. In the fall, Roger recorded “Duke At The Roadhouse – live in Santa Fe,” his third duo CD with Eddie Daniels. This time they added cello to the mix.

In January of 2013, the New West Symphony performed “Visions Of America: A Photo Symphony,” conducted by Marcelo Lehninger. The revised fifty minute show featured Kellaway on jazz piano, a chorus of twenty-four singers, plus Judith Hill & Steve Tyrell, totaling ninety-five performers on stage! The summer months included several shows with Eddie Daniels; Dizzy’s at Lincoln Center, San Francisco Jazz, Johannesburg, South Africa and the Detroit Jazz Festival.

2014 began with the Grand Prix du Jazz (Record Of The Year) for “Duke At The Roadhouse” with Eddie Daniels. Following that, Roger performed at two concerts in NYC (one at the Apollo & the other at Town Hall) celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Beatles. In June, he & Eddie Daniels performed again at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola. Roger’s most recent commission, “Many Moods Of McCartney”, a twenty-three minute piece for two pianos, bass and drums is a Jazz exploration of ten songs by Sir Paul McCartney. The piece premiered to standing ovations at an Ashville Symphony concert in September. In November, Kellaway celebrated his 75th birthday in concert with the “Django Festival All-Stars” – “best concert ever” was the overwhelming response!

The “Eclectic Maestro” continues recording and performing concerts across the U.S. and Europe, also writing for film, theatrical productions and commissioned works. He resides in Ojai, California with his wife (of 49 years) Jorjana.