Website: Elden Kelly Music
Website Resources: Smokin’ Sleddog Records – Elden Kelly (World and Jazz)
Elden Kelly is a seasoned jazz improviser, band leader, and a highly skilled solo guitar fingerstylist, composer and songwriter. After graduating from Boston’s prestigious New England Conservatory of Music with a degree in Contemporary Improvisation in 2008, Elden accepted a full scholarship and teaching assistantship at Michigan State with Rodney Whitaker, earning a graduate degree in 2011. Since then Elden has made waves with his music in the local scene, rising to prominence as an in-demand recording artist, entertainer and educator. Kelly has worked in a variety of genres with Grammy award-winner Rhonda Larson, former member of the Paul Winter Consort and Paul Simon’s bassist Bakithi Kumalo (“You Can Call Me Al”), award-winning percussionist Jamey Haddad, and as a session guitarist on the album “Love is Awake” that reached #1 on the iTunes World Music charts.
Kelly is an active educator. He serves as adjunct professor of music at Jackson College, faculty at Jackson Symphony Orchestra Community Music School, private instructor to 30-50 students, and also teaches sold-out group workshops throughout the year. He has served as a guest lecturer in guitar at Western Michigan University and as a teaching assistant at Michigan State University Jazz Studies program.