A trumpeter who worked on around two dozen recording sessions between the late '20s and early '50s, Willis Kelly garnered some notice for being on the bandstand during the early days of clarinetist Artie Shaw's ride to fame as a bandleader and hitmaker. Shaw sides from Kelly's discography entitled In the Beginning: 1936 and His First Three Bands: 1936-1940 are important documentation of a particular era in swing as well as tracking the trumpeter's techniques. Kelly is also present on collections by lesser-known dance band performers from the same period, such as Larry Clinton and Bea Wain, some on a label named for the perceived style of its customers, Hep. Later collaborations include the Sunflower Quartet, a mainstream jazz combo from the mid-'40s that is of interest to collectors primarily because they are not sure who the members are, though it seems certain Kelly is the trumpeter. Logs from the studio session are no help, since the producer was fond of adding extra names to these documents and then pocketing the surplus session fees. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi