KELLY SHEPHERD – 9PM & 11PM

Kelly now resides in New England and has played at numerous major festivals including Nestle Jazz Festival at Melkweg and the Open Tropen Museum Series in Amsterdam, Holland, the Fete de la Musique Festival in Lille, France, the Black Swamp Music Festival in Bowling Green, Ohio, the Mellon Jazz Festival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Artscape and Afram Festivals in Baltimore, Maryland and the Greater Hartford Jazz Series at Bushnell Park in Hartford, Connecticut. Kelly has opened up for performers Gladys Knight, The Temptations, Buckwheat Zydeco, George Coleman and many more.

Kelly Shepherd’s primary influences are Charlie Parker, Sidney Bechet, John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong, Junior Cook, Pharoah Sanders, Gary Bartz, John Gilmore, Sonny Rollins, Billie Holliday, Dinah Washington, Stevie Wonder and Karen Carpenter, to name a few. Kelly has performed with Curtis Fuller, Grady Tate, Gary Bartz, Winard Harper, Lyle Atkinson, Carl Grubbs, Dave Hubbard, Tardol Hammer, Yusef Salim and many more. Kelly has recorded and performed with Curtis Fuller, Richard Wyands, Paul Brown, Virgil Jones, LeRoy Williams, Charles Davis and Kenny Wright.

The healing aspect of music that Kelly found in his early years is what motivates and inspires him today. He would like to share this with people from all over. “Music expresses our deepest sensations and feelings which cannot be conveyed through words or even thoughts.”

Kelly exemplifies this thought and feeling on his debut cd THE BEAUTY OF SIMPLICITY (Somerset 2-0017). With his second effort DREAMWORLD featuring special guest Curtis Fuller(also available on cdbaby.com/cd/dworldcf) (Somerset 2-0019/20), Kelly explores areas new to him musically while playing with some of the best musicians in jazz today. In 2000, Kelly realized the longtime dream of recording with his father on the cd FAMILY, FRIENDS AND MUSIC (Somerset 2-0018). All three cds have received great reviews and airplay. With over 15 years of performing and teaching experience, Kelly is always looking for new musical vistas to explore. Kelly is available for concerts, bookings, clubs, workshops and private lessons. Look for Kelly’s next cd featuring his new group NoMad Stories.