Kenny Wheeler

Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler was born in Toronto and studied composition at the Royal Conservatory of Music. Moving to London, England in 1952, Wheeler became one of the most distinctive and poetic voices in contemporary jazz, playing with the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, John Dankworth, and the Dave Holland Quintet.

Wheeler's 1976 ECM album Gnu High, recorded with Keith Jarrett, Dave Holland, and Jack DeJohnette, is universally regarded as a modern jazz masterpiece. His melancholy, soaring flugelhorn solos and intricate big band suites influenced generations of improvisers across Europe and North America.