Song For Someone: The Musical Life of Kenny Wheeler. With Nick Smart & Brian Shaw. Ep. 155

This special episode of The Other Side of the Bell, featuring the life of trumpet composer, performer and innovator Kenny Wheeler, a conversation with biographers Nick Smart and Brian Shaw, is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass.

This episode also appears as a video episode on our YouTube channel, you can find it here:

"Kenny Wheeler Special"

And, find the expanded show notes, transcript and more photos here

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Kenny Wheeler has been an inspiration to trumpet players for generations, but in typical Kenny style, we haven't known a lot about his back story, career path and personality.

 

Until now.

 

Nick Smart and Brian Shaw, trumpet trailblazers in their own right, have collaborated on a new biography of Kenny Wheeler called Song For Someone: The Musical Life of Kenny Wheeler, which draws from interviews and archival material and research to tell a compelling and touching story.

 

Kenny went from small town Canada to becoming one of the most influential yet enigmatic jazz musicians in Europe. Along the way, he navigated through all kinds of obstacles, personal and professional, with quiet and understated courage, to truly become a distinct performer. Kenny's solos, improvisation and technical abilities were so unique that he garnered unmatched praise and respect as his career evolved.

 

And yet, underneath it all were what we would now consider mental health struggles, lack of confidence, imposter syndrome - all things that weren't discussed or acknowledged at the time.

 

Those who knew Kenny personally were full of universal acclaim for his warmth, kindness and subtle humor. Brian and Nick join John Snell on today's special episode to share some of the stories from their book, which paints a full picture of Kenny Wheeler's life and music.

 

About Kenny Wheeler:

From Song For Someone: The Musical Life of Kenny Wheeler:

 

Trumpeter and composer Kenny Wheeler (1930–2014) was one of the most enigmatic and influential musicians in recent memory. His instantly recognisable sound was a driving force within every major innovation in modern European jazz during the last half of the 20th century. More importantly, his life provides us with a profound example of the way music can manifest itself in the most unlikely of vessels.

 

About Nick Smart:

Head of Jazz Programmes at the Royal Academy of Music, Nick Smart is an internationally renowned Grammy nominated jazz trumpeter, conductor and educator who has given guest masterclasses and performances around the world.

 

Nick was a close colleague and friend of the late Kenny Wheeler and has been instrumental in keeping Wheeler’s legacy alive. As well as being a member of Kenny’s big band, Nick helped manage the latter stages of Kenny's career, secured the Kenny Wheeler Archive into the Royal Academy of Music Collections, and completed a PhD focused on Wheeler's development.

 

He also led and produced the Grammy nominated album recording, Kenny Wheeler Legacy - Some Days Are Better - released to critical acclaim on the US label Greenleaf Music in January 2025, featuring the Academy Jazz Orchestra in collaboration with the University Miami’s Frost Jazz Orchestra.

 

About Brian Shaw:

Brian Shaw is an active performer, arranger, and educator known for his versatility. He is one of the few trumpet players in the world equally comfortable in early music, orchestral, jazz, and commercial settings on modern and period instruments, and enjoys an international performing career as a modern and historical trumpet soloist.

 

Brian holds principal positions with the Dallas Winds, Santa Fe Pro Musica, Spire Baroque Orchestra. He is also a regular guest instructor of Historical Trumpet at the Eastman School of Music. From 2007-2021, he was Professor of Trumpet and Jazz Studies at Louisiana State University and was Principal Trumpet of the Baton Rouge (Louisiana) Symphony from 2014-2021. 

 

Music Links From This Episode:

• Some Days Are Better: The Lost Scores (Dave Douglas, Kenny Wheeler Legacy), 2025
• Gnu High, 1976
• Deer Wan, 1978
• Anthony Braxton, New York Fall, 1975
• Ralph Towner Old Friends New Friends, 1979
• Around Six, 1980
• Music for Large and Small Ensembles, 1990

 

Purchase Song For Someone: The Musical Life of Kenny Wheeler 

 

Bob Reeves Brass Upcoming Events and Appearances:

• Arkansas Trumpet Day, April 18th, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR
  Valve alignments: First come, first served!
• Next Up! Concert Series: Los Angeles Brass Alliance, with special composition by Dan Rosenboom

  Pasadena Presbyterian Church, May 9, 7:00 pm

  https://www.labrassalliance.org/events/next-up-2026
  Streaming link will appear in advance.
• William Adam Trumpet Festival
  July 9-12, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Ill.

Podcast Credits:

• “A Room with a View“ - composed and performed by Howie Shear
• Podcast Host - John Snell
• Cover Photo Credits - Courtesy Nick Smart, Brian Shaw and Equinox Publishing
• Audio Engineer - Ted Cragg