Connie Kay

Connie Kay (born Conrad Henry Kirnon; 27 April 1927 – 30 November 1994) was an American jazz drummer. He was best known for his long membership in the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ).

He was self-taught, and began his career playing with saxophonist Lester Young's quintet from 1949 to 1955, and also with Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and others.

Kay did R&B sessions for Atlantic Records in the early to mid-1950s, and featured on hit records such as Big Joe Turner's 'Shake, Rattle and Roll'.

Kay joined the MJQ in 1955, replacing original drummer Kenny Clarke, and stayed until the group's dissolution in 1974 and occasional reunions into the 1990s. He also played drums on several of Irish singer/songwriter Van Morrison's most important albums: Astral Weeks, one song on Saint Dominic's Preview and four songs on Tupelo Honey.

Kay was known for incorporating percussion instruments alongside his drum kit, namely timpani, small cymbals, triangle, bell tree and darbukas, the latter referred to as "exotic-looking" drums in a 2006 article.

With Ruth Brown

With Miles Davis

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