Kingfish: Jazz Musician in New York

About Kingfish

Kingfish is the name used by musician and songwriter Matthew Kelly, who emerged from the San Francisco Bay Area scene in the early 1970s, fronting a group built around guitar, harmonica, and road-tested ensemble playing. Though often discussed in rock contexts, the profile appears on NYC jazz calendars through programming connections at Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has been listed alongside artists and ensembles including Wynton Marsalis, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Danilo Pérez, and Godwin Louis. The work favors direct, song-centered phrasing over spectacle, with an emphasis on groove and melodic hooks.