Brian Kellock: 28 December 1962 – 27 May 2025

Brian Kellock was a musician who spent much of his time in recent years travelling between Glasgow and Edinburgh but his reputation as a pianist stretched across the world.

Americans including saxophonists Herb Geller and Scott Hamilton, trumpeter Warren Vaché and clarinettist Ken Peplowski admired Kellock’s resourceful sensitivity as an accompanist, as did singers, Sheila Jordan, Fionna Duncan, Carol Kidd, Liane Carroll and Tina May. 

Kellock was also a regular at Copenhagen Jazz Festival, where he appeared with singers Cathrine Legardh and Mads Mathias and guitarist Jacob Fischer, and he had a following in Australia through his work with local multi-instrumentalist James Morrison and the impression he made there with Scottish blues singer Tam White.

The hard-swinging, brilliantly creative style that won Kellock honours including Album of the Year at the BBC Jazz Awards for his 2002 Live at Henry’s set was gleaned initially from listening to favourites including Monty Alexander, Oscar Peterson and Count Basie. Kellock had his own voice, however, and it could include humour, an ability to develop improvisations over chorus after chorus, and even judicious use of a forearm smash to achieve the desired emphasis.

Kellock studied classical music at Edinburgh University, where one of his show pieces was George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Much later, following a chat in Bristol Airport with saxophonist Tommy Smith as they waited for a flight home after one of their innumerable duo gigs, Smith made a completely reworked version of Rhapsody a feature for Kellock with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra. Its premiere was a startling showcase for Kellock, who romped and caressed his way through almost an hour of music with the apparent nonchalance he could bring to his fingers’ most animated workouts.

Smith and Kellock had emerged in Edinburgh during the 1980s as part of a generation that was defined by drummer John Rae’s Collective, a band of bandleaders who would all go on to make their mark. Kellock, Rae and bassist Kenny Ellis formed the trio that would go on to record Live at Henry’s and more recently, Think About It! Then, when Rae combined Scottish folk themes with Mingus-like energy in Celtic Feet, Kellock revelled in his job description to celebrate the swing inherent in both jazz and the West Highland dance band tradition of Bobby MacLeod.

Kellock particularly loved working in duos. His partnership with Smith, as well as leading to the SNJO’s internationally acclaimed In the Spirit of Duke tribute, produced three outstanding duo albums. He toured successfully with baritone saxophonist Joe Temperley, played riotous Edinburgh Fringe gigs with trumpeter Colin Steele, and his Ella & Oscar tours with Tina May typified Kellock’s art – serious swing, joyous creativity and rascally fun.