Coming off of his success as a sideman with
Miles Davis's sextet,
Riverside Records gave Kelly an opportunity to expand on his solo career.
Kelly Blue was his second LP for the label. The songs feature Kelly and bassist
Paul Chambers and drummer
Jimmy Cobb. Together they had formed the rhythm section for the Miles Davis bands. Guests include
Nat Adderley,
Bobby Jaspar and
Benny Golson. Producer and jazz
critic Orrin Keepnews described the album as "a repertoire ideally suited to the blues concept on which the album is based". Originally released by Riverside, the album has been reissued on CD several times since 1989 by Riverside and
OJC. One is a hybrid
Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players. The one from 1989 is a straight
mono remaster. 2009 saw a mono vinyl
re-issue. == Reception ==