Continuation of . . .

The Incredible Kai Winding--His Official Website

 

Comments on the Artist from Site Visitors

 

Subject:  Kai Winding

Received: 11/30/00 10:14 PM

Hi,

Nice site on Kai you made. I think he deserves it, that is the reason why I wrote his Bio/discography (partly together with him amd his wife Eleanor).

He was a very gentle and softspoken man, but a very good jazz trombonist,who knew exactly what he wanted. I played with him several times and that was very special. His widow gave me one of his trombones after he died, and I am still playing it. It is the one he used during the Giants of Jazz tours I think your site does give him the credits he needs.

Piet van Engelen
The Netherlands

Subject: Discovering the NEW Sites!

Received: 4/9/01 7:32 AM
 

Dear BJ,

For the first time I visited (with Dom Um [Romao] watching with attention) your sites about Bobby Rosengarden and Kai Winding.

I don't know too much about Bobby, but of course I have many of his albums as sideman. . . .

Regarding Kai, I don't have many of his solo albums. But I love his projects with J.J. Johnson.

[. . .]

Your fan,

Arnaldo DeSouteiro
Jazz Station Records
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Subject:  Kai Winding site

Received: 5/9/01 8:02 PM

Hello,

 

I just spent a most satisfying visit to your wonderful and informative website. I was a teenager in the 50's, and loved listening to JJ and Kai.

I was not aware that he was such a prolific composer, and am genuinely impressed with his accomplishments. As was stated on your website, JJ usually got most of the attention and very little information was made of Kai Winding. Growing up on the west coast (LA area) pretty much kept me in the dark over the east coast bonemen.

Thank you for the very taseful representation of his life. My thanks and best wishes to Ezshwan Winding for her input and her most interesting interview, and insight into this great musician.

 

Phil Burton
Great Falls, Montana

Subject: Kai Winding computer site

Received: 5/11/01 6:34 PM


Your dedicated site to the late Kai Winding is superb. having grown up back in the 1950's , finding out about Kai in the early 1960's, he became an inspiration to me, when I took up trombone in high school, as his sound was so cool, after listening to people like Vic Dickinson, and Tommy Dorsey.

With his trombone groups, as well as with JJ Johnson, he managed to make the public sit up, and take notice of the trombone.

While at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Music, in December 1967, I was coming back from a gig, west of Toronto, riding in the backseat of a station wagon, driven by the drummer in my band. We were hit head-on by a drunken 16 year old, and I was tossed through the front windshield, headfirst, and suffered severe head damage, caving in my skull, and also losing all but 10% vision in the inside of my right eye.

I stopped playing for over 33 years, and have just been a house husband, my wife also being legally blind.

[. . .]

Warm regards,

Terry Wright
Belleville, Ontario
Canada

Subject: Kai Winding Webpage

Received: 6/2/01 8:32 PM

 

Wow...the internet really does cover just about everything.

I've only been on the internet for a short time. I wanted to see just how extensive the subject matter was. So, being a trombone player myself since high school (graduated 1973), and knowing how lonely it was, and thinking that there couldn't possibly be too many others besides myself who claimed Kai Winding to be their favorite, I did a search and WHAM!.......up comes your site.

I still have the 33rpm of "Caravan" that I play. That album still amazes me. It has always been one of my treasured favorites.

I saw Kai Winding live only once in the early '70's at the Double Tree Inn in Seattle where I lived at the time. A very cool and intimate setting (about 50 people) and I was too shy to talk to him between sets. Nevertheless, I will never forget it. I was a King player from then on and still am. No one in my opinion could play a ballad like Kai. Caravan was also the album where I thought the keyboard player was the best Kai could have chosen. They complement each other so well! I can't think of his name right now without going upstairs to look! (Last name starts with a "S".)

Anyhow, thanks for all your work on the website. It makes me want to start up my Kai collection again. I still have some of my favorite albums of his, however, during a very stupid period in my life following a divorce, I let many of them go.

Regards,

Eric N. Bjorklund

Subject: Re: Re Official Kai Winding Site

Received: 12/14/02 7:52 PM


Great site. My former teacher the late Rod Johnson got to play with Kai. Kai came to Winnipeg (Manitoba Canada)and played with the local big band lead by Ron Paley. Rod said the trombones sat in front of the band because they were featured on all the songs. He said the highlight of his career was trading 4's with Kai on a J.J./Kai tune. I wish he was still around so I could find out more about that event and more about Kai Winding.

Too bad more of his stuff (any stuff without J.J.?) hasn't been released on cd.

Dennis Butcher

Subject: Kai Winding album - "A New Look at The World"

Received: 10/16/03 8:05 AM
 

Hi,

I was just looking at your Kai Winding site, and noticed you didn't have a track list or album cover for the album he did with Alan Keller called "A New Look at the World".

Just by coincidence, I was just looking through my record collection tonight for that album, because I hadn't listened to it for years. I didn't find it but I know its in there, so I'll have another look and I'll get the info to you to add to your site if you like. You've done such great work, its a shame to leave off a small piece like that.

Cheers,

 

Tom Coyle

Bass Trombone

The Queensland Orchestra

Australia

Subject: from Mike Suter re: Kai Winding site

Received: 12/13/03 6:26 PM

 

Hi,

I just discovered your site, and I'm honored you've included my 'essay' from the Kentonia site.

There's a phenomenon known as the "Trombone Band" (4 trombones + rhythm) that's sprung up all over the world in the past 40 years or so. You never see a "trumpet Band" but "Trombone Bands" are all over the place. Kai obviously pioneered all this.

If I said my band "Slidewerke" (5 trombones + 6 rhythm) wasn't influenced by Kai I'd be telling a lie. The music is very different, but that the band exists at all is because he made it possible for a band to have just trombones in the front line.

And as for my band "Slydz" that will be recording in Europe this Spring: 4 trombones + rhythm. Gee, that rings a bell.

 

Thanks & All The Best,

Mike Suter

Subject: Kai Winding

Received: 12/20/03 2:12 AM

 

Greetings....I found your web site tonight. Kai Winding was a great inspiration to me as a young trombone player growing up in New York in the mid to late 50's. I was very lucky to have actually had the wonderful luck to work with his septet in the early 60's. As a matter of fact, I found a listing of a private recording by Kai of a concert we did at the Ohio State Prison in 1960. Is there any way I can get a CD copy of that concert? If there is, please let me know the price and the rest of the details. I also did an extensive tour of Playboy clubs with Kai. (Maybe in 1961-2) Do you know if Kai recorded any of those?

On behalf of trombone players everywhere, thank you for remembering Kai Winding. I've had the privilege of working with a lot of great trombone players over the years, but Kai was one [of] my all time favorites.

Best regards...

CHIP HOEHLER

Subject: Kai Winding Charts

Received: 12/24/03 5:41 PM
 

Hi B.J.,

I was just exploring your wonderful web site on Kai Winding. The wealth of information is fantastic. Thanks for taking the time to assemble it!

I have a question that nobody has been able to answer for several years now. Do you have any idea where I can get sheet music for the Jay & Kai + 6 trombone octets? I had one lead, which said that Kai's widow donated a set of these charts to the Eastman Music Library, but that had been a dead end.

Any information you can provide would be welcome.

 

Thanks,

 

Chuck Huffine
Director, Greece Jazz Band

Date: Wed Nov 10, 2004 4:16:22 PM US/Eastern

Subject: great site

 

The web site devoted to Kai Winding is an absolute fabulous tribute to the Man. Thank you for getting it created.

Every night for 2 years in the military service I went to sleep listening to albums of duet with J. J. Johnson, & Kai Winding. (I was playing trombone in the service.)

 [. . .] 

Don Ginsberg

Subject: Kai Winding

Date: June 13, 2005 6:26:30 AM EDT

 

I just scrolled through your web site. It's amazing, fabulous, and great. One of the most comprehensive web sites I have seen. ALMOST everything a person could want to know about Kai Winding. [. . .]

 

Thank You

Jim Schumacher

Received in email December 5, 2005:
Subject:  Jay & Kai music

Dear B.J.,
 
Just became aware of your great Kai Winding web site - fantastic! Like yourself, I'm a lifetime Winding fan - in fact I got my first 45 EP with Jay & Kai in 1956 (I believe), at age 12.
 
I'm a jazz trombonist and since 1969 a radio jazz producer at NRK Oslo, Norway.
 
The reason I'm writing: For a lifetime I've ben thinking of putting together a Jay & Kai-group for the fun of it - and not the least for young generations who are not aware of that great 2 trombone sound. Now I'll simply do it!

[. . . .]
 
The best from
 
Erling Wicklund
Oslo, Norway

Date: January 27, 2006 8:39:27 AM EST

Dear B.J. Major,

I have just had the pleasure of visiting the official website of Kai
Winding. It is an impressive and exhaustive compilation of information and
background material on this great artist - and being a Dane I can only feel
pride of being related to him through his nationality. I am also grateful
to those who put such an effort in a contribution to his immortality - it
is really appreciated on this side of the pond.

[. . .]

Yours Sincerely
Jørn Skovsgaard
Author, Jazz-reviewer
_______________________________________________

Jørn Skovsgaard
Senior Adviser
Ministry of Education
The International Unit
Denmark

Received in email 7/11/06:

Hello,

I found your website because I was trying to look up information pertaining to Kai Winding's biography and found so much more! I'm embarrassed to admit that I did not know too much about Kai Winding although my first husband and myself named our son after him! My son Kai Cresten (middle name spelled a little different) was named after I found the name in my husband's jazz encyclopedia in 1974. Thanks to your website, I have learned a great deal and clicked on the Amazon link to order a couple of cd's.

You're probably asking yourself why would they name their child after this grat jazz artist while not knowing too much about him? Well, my husband was a sax man and just wanted the baby to have the initials KC as our last name was Jones, and at the time a grat Boston Celtics player was named KC Jones. I didn't go along with that and dragged out the jazz book and looked for a name that began with a K and middle name with a C, and thats how it happened. In the past 32 years when people have asked us about Kai's name being so unusual, we have explained the story over and over. As a matter of fact several people since have named their children after our son. Just a bit of trivia and to thank you for a wonderful website. I plan on giving my son Kai a CD of his name sake.

Sincerely,

Ginny Jones DeSilva

Received in email on March 19, 2007 from Kai Winding's widow:

Dear B.J.,

Another big thanks to you for all your unceasing work on the site. Every time I check out Kai's "Official site" I learn more about his work. I am so happy to see the photos of the Giants of Jazz. Somewhere in the States I have a small album of casual photos of the group on the road. When I visit my family in May, I will have to look for it.

All the best,

Eschwan (Winding)

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