Pat Kelley

“The First Time I Heard A Guitar It Must Have Sent A Message To My Brain That I Would Have A Lifelong Love Affair With The Instrument. I Cannot Remember When I Did Not Play The Guitar Or Call Myself A Guitarist. Perhaps A Past-Life Experience Taught Me To Have A Sense Of Melody Phrasing And Rhythm From The Onset Because I Could Always Play And Follow Along With Other Players Even From A Very Early Age”. This Is How Pat Recalls His Early Beginnings. His Dad Played The Guitar Around The House And Often Had Other Guitarists Join Him In Jam Sessions Where Pat Was Able To Soak Up The Sound. The ‘50s And ‘60s Were A Good Time To Be Immersed In Music In Tulsa Oklahoma Where He Grew Up. “Dad’s Old 5-Tube Bendix Radio Constantly Played The Hits Of The Country And Early Pop Hit Parade.” Tulsa Also Had Many Local Bands Playing Great Songs From All Kinds Of Genres. Chet Atkins The Ventures Les Paul Elvis Presley Patsy Cline The Beatles Jimi Hendrix Eric Clapton Albert King Johnny Cash Buck Owens Roy Orbison And Everything In Between Seemed To Be Alive And Well. Bob Wills’ Legendary Western Swing Music Blended With The Blues Had A Profound Influence On The Tulsa Music Sound And On Pat’s Guitar Style. Forming His First Band When He Was Twelve Years Old Pat Played In Bands Consistently Into Adulthood. Discovering Jazz At An Early Age Via Wes Montgomery Johnny Smith And Howard Roberts Set Him On A Course To Pursue Jazz Guitar And Studio Work By The Time He Moved To California In The Early Seventies. California During The Seventies Was A Time For More Learning And Plenty Of Work Opportunities In Music. The Recording Session Scene Was Booming And Pat Soon Became Very Active As A Session Player And Touring Guitarist. During This Time He Also Developed As A Songwriter/composer And Began By Observation To Learn Recording Techniques From Various Recording Engineers That He Worked With On Sessions. A Newer Generation Of Guitarists Such As George Benson Pat Martino John McLaughlin And Pat Metheny Caught His Attention Along With Other Musicians Such As Chick Corea Herbie Hancock John Coltrane And Miles Davis. Little Did He Know That Two Decades Later He Would Tour With George Benson For Nearly Five Years Record With Chick Corea And Share The Stage With Pat Metheny Pat Martino Herbie Hancock And Miles Davis. Fast Forward To The Twenty First Century And The Guitar Remains Central To All Pat’s Current Activities. His Interest In Playing The Guitar And Becoming A Better Musician Continues To This Day. Having Recorded Ten Albums As A Leader While Working On Hundreds Of Sessions For Records Television Commercials And Motion Pictures Has Been The Greatest Teacher. Pat Has Also Written More Than One Hundred Songs That Have Been Commercially Recorded And He Has Toured In More Than Thirty Different Countries Performing In Many Prestigious Venues Such As Carnegie Hall The Montreux Jazz Festival London’s Wembley Arena The Hollywood Bowl Wolf Trap And Many Others. A Few Of The Artists With Whom Pat Has Worked Include George Benson Natalie Cole David Benoit Ronnie Laws Hubert Laws Chick Corea Burt Bacharach Tom Scott Herb Ellis John Pisano Rick Braun Dave Brubeck Dave Koz Eric Marienthal Gregg Karukas Al Jarreau Nickel Creek Melissa Manchester Jose Feliciano Randy Crawford And Olivia Newton John. Symphony Orchestra Performances Include San Francisco San Diego Houston Atlanta Tulsa Denver San Antonio Auckland Nashville Toledo And The Asia America Symphony Orchestra. It Was A Significant Honor For Pat To Be Inducted Into The Oklahoma Jazz Hall Of Fame In 2003 Joining The Ranks Of Past Inductees Charlie Christian Barney Kessel Chet Baker Oscar Pettiford Lester Young Taj Mahal And Dave Brubeck. Pat Currently Holds A Full Time Teaching Position In The Studio/Jazz Guitar Department Of The Prestigious USC Thornton School Of Music Where He Has Taught For The Past Fifteen Years. Two Of Pat’s Books Published By Mel Bay Publications Are Part Of The USC Instructional Guitar Book Series Arpeggios For The Evolving Guitarist And Melodic Minor Guitar . In Addition To The Mel Bay Books Pat Is Also Co-Authoring A Book With Jazz Photographer Bob Barry That Will Highlight More Than One Hundred Thirty Barry Photographs Featuring Many Of The World’s Finest Jazz Guitarists. Summer 2012 Will Mark The Second Year That Pat Will Serve As Director Of Guitar Studies For The Oklahoma Jazz Camp Held On The Campus Of The University Of Tulsa. Conducting Music Clinics And Workshops At Various Venues And Colleges Around The Country Are Also Part Of Pat’s Focus. As Founder Of Artsong Studios And The Artsong Music CD Label Producing And Engineering Have Also Become A Considerable Part Of Pat’s Work. The Artsong Music Label Now Has Eight CD Releases. As A Concert Solo Guitarist Pat Has Developed A Music Program Called Standards With Stories. He Features Songs That Have Stood The Test Of Time While He Skillfully Inserts An Historical Humorous And Interesting Narrative And Brings Forth A Uniquely Vibrant Brilliant And Engaging Guitar Performance. Pat’s Most Recent CD Release Is Titled “Reset”. read less