Brian Kelly is an American composer, pianist, and producer creating music in a variety of genres, including Contemporary Instrumental, Contemporary Jazz, Jazz Fusion, Smooth Jazz, Neo-Classical, and New Age.
Born in New York City, Brian grew up in Palo Alto, California. He began piano at age 8. His experience as a stage actor and performer in dozens of plays and musical theatre productions, as well as his four years of singing madrigals in an a cappella group, continue to inform his creative work. He studied music composition at Hampshire College and studied jazz piano with Art Lande.
In 2005 he released his debut album of piano instrumentals, ''Pools of Light'', on his own Skylight Music label. The album charted 1 for two months on modern instrumental radio in North America and was voted Top 10 Best New Age Albums of 2004 by Kathy Parsons (MainlyPiano.com). Brian was nominated for the NAR (New Age Reporter) Lifestyle Music Artist of the Year award. In 2006 he published ''Pools of Light: the Solo Piano Songbook'', a collection of transcriptions and solo piano arrangements of 11 tracks from his ''Pools of Light'' CD.
Brian's second CD of piano-based instrumental music, "Afterplay" (released in 2008), heads into upbeat contemporary jazz territory while displaying his gifts for strong melodies, fluid chops, and richly detailed arrangements. The album includes the world-renowned talents of Eric Crystal on sax, David Rokeach on drums, Viviana Guzman on flute, James Robinson on guitar, and other fine musicians.
Brian Kelly is winner of the Keyboard Magazine Soundpage Award for his original composition "Todd Pond" (1990). His music receives national and international airplay from radio stations and satellite music networks around the world. Brian is a graduate of Hampshire College, and a voting member of the Recording Academy. He resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.
".POOLS OF LIGHT is a lush, sparkling journey into a beautiful world of elegant melodies and brilliant artistry. The music rises and falls in powerful, yet gentle, waves of emotion. a totally captivating collection of original compositions…" – SmoothJazz.com
"A talent worth watching" - Keyboard Magazine
"Kelly's music has that wonderful dream-like quality that comes out of the mist and pulls you towards the light" - New Age Reporter
"The CD has a wonderful flow and cohesiveness, creating an uplifting and relaxing musical experience. Very highly recommended" - Solo Piano Publications
For more information, please visit www.briankelly.com
