Connie Kay
After trying his hand at piano at an early age, he studied drums at the age of
12. He then had the opportunity to play with Miles Davis in the early '40s, when
they were both barely 18. A little later, Lester Young hired him on several
occasions in the '50s. Before replacing Kenny Clarke in the Modern Jazz Quartet
(MJQ), he accompanied the best soloists of the time, including Charlie Parker.
From then on, his story followed that of the MJQ, although he took advantage of
some downtime to rent out his services to other greats of the era. From 1954 to
1974, then from 1981 to 1992, t...
