Known for piano skills that stand alongside those of Dick Hyman, Roger Kellaway found his pre-1980s work in commercial fields caused the jazz community to overlook him at first. He studied both piano and bass at the New England Conservatory from 1957 to 1959 before leaving to perform on bass with Jimmy McPartland. Once he committed to piano alone, he accumulated experience with Kai Winding, the Al Cohn/Zoot Sims pairing, and the Clark Terry/Bob Brookmeyer ensemble between 1963 and 1965. Recording dates followed with Ben Webster, Maynard Ferguson, Wes Montgomery, and Sonny Rollins. After relocating to Los Angeles in 1966, he joined Don Ellis’s forward-looking orchestra. Kellaway later served as Bobby Darin’s musical director, supplied the piano for the All in the Family theme during studio sessions, composed film scores, explored electric keyboards, appeared with Tom Scott, and issued albums with his popular though largely non-jazz Cello Quartet. Local appearances with Zoot Sims and Harry “Sweets” Edison continued, yet only in the mid-1980s did he begin concentrating on jazz nearly full-time. The many albums he has since released on Concord, All Art, Stash, and Chiaroscuro display his considerable abilities.
