Kai Chresten Winding ( / ˈ k aɪ ˈ w ɪ n d ɪ ŋ / KY WIN -ding ; May 18, 1922 – May 6, 1983) was a Danish-born American trombonist and jazz composer. He worked with another trombonist named J. J. Johnson. His recording of the song "More," which is the theme from the movie Mondo Cane, reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963. This was the only song he ever had on that list.

Biography

Kai Winding was born in Aarhus, Denmark. His father, Ove Winding, became a U.S. citizen, which meant Kai, his mother, and his sisters were already U.S. citizens even though they were born outside the United States. In September 1934, Kai’s mother, Jenny Winding, moved Kai and his two sisters, Ann and Alice, to the United States. Kai graduated from Stuyvesant High School in New York City in 1940. That same year, he began working as a professional trombonist with Shorty Allen’s band. Later, he played with Sonny Dunham and Alvino Rey until he joined the United States Coast Guard during World War II.

After the war, Winding became a member of Benny Goodman’s orchestra and then Stan Kenton’s. He took part in the Birth of the Cool recording sessions in 1949, appearing on four of the twelve tracks. J. J. Johnson was on the other eight tracks, as he had participated in two other sessions.

In 1954, at the suggestion of producer Ozzie Cadena, Winding started a long musical partnership with J. J. Johnson. Together, they recorded trombone duets for Savoy Records and then Columbia Records. Winding explored new instruments in brass ensembles. The album Jay & Kai + 6 (1956) included a trombone octet and a unique instrument called the trombonium. He wrote and arranged many of the pieces he and Johnson recorded.

During the 1960s, Winding worked with Verve Records and producer Creed Taylor. In 1963, he released the first version of the song “Time Is on My Side,” which was later recorded by Irma Thomas and The Rolling Stones. His most successful recording from this time was “More,” the theme from the movie Mondo Cane. The song reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and was his only entry there. Arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman, “More” likely included the first use of the French electronic instrument called the ondioline on an American recording. Although Winding was credited with playing the ondioline, guitarist Vinnie Bell, who worked on the session, said Jean-Jacques Perrey, an early pioneer of electronic music, played it. Winding continued to experiment with ensembles, recorded solo albums, and made an album of country music with the Anita Kerr Singers. He followed Creed Taylor to A&M/CTI and continued making music with J. J. Johnson. In 1971, he was part of the all-star jazz group The Giants of Jazz.

Kai Winding’s son, Jai Winding, is a keyboardist who has worked as a session musician, writer, and producer in Los Angeles.

Kai Winding was taken to a hospital in Yonkers, New York, after being told he had a recurring brain disease. He later died from complications of the illness in May 1983.

Discography

• Loaded (1945)
• Kai Winding All Stars (Roost, 1949–1951 [1952])
• Arrangements by Gerry Mulligan (1951)
• Brass Fever (1956)
• Trombone Panorama (Columbia, 1956)
• The Trombone Sound (Columbia, 1956)
• The Axidentals with the Kai Winding Trombones (ABC-Paramount, 1958)
• The Swingin' States (Columbia, 1958)
• Dance to the City Beat (Columbia, 1959)
• The Incredible Kai Winding Trombones (Impulse!, 1960)
• Kai Olé (Verve, 1961)
• Brand New Swinging Together Again (1961)
• Suspense Themes in Jazz (Verve, 1962)
• The Great Kai Winding Sound (1962)
• Soul Surfin' (Verve, 1963) featuring Kenny Burrell – also released as !!!More!!!
• Solo (Verve, 1963)
• Kai Winding (Verve, 1963)
• That's Where It Is (SESAC, 1963)
• Mondo Cane No. 2 (Verve, 1964)
• Modern Country (Verve, 1965)
• Rainy Day (Verve, 1965)
• The In Instrumentals (Verve, 1965)
• Dirty Dog (Verve, 1966)
• More Brass (Verve, 1966)
• Penny Lane & Time (Verve, 1967)
• Danish Blue (1974)
• Caravan (Glendale, 1977)
• Jazz Showcase (1977)
• Lionel Hampton Presents Kai Winding (1977)
• Duo Bones (Red, 1979) with Dino Piana
• Giant Bones '80 (Sonet, 1980) with Curtis Fuller
• Bone Appétit (Black & Blue, 1980) with Curtis Fuller
• Trombone Summit (MPS, 1981) with Albert Mangelsdorff, Bill Watrous, Jiggs Whigham
• In Cleveland 1957 (1994)

• The Four Trombones: The Debut Recordings (1953)
• An Afternoon at Birdland (RCA, 1954)
• Dec. 3, 1954 (Prestige, 1954)
• Jay & Kai (Savoy, 1952–1954 [1955])
• K + J.J. (Bethlehem, 1955)
• Trombone for Two (Columbia, 1955)
• Trombone by Three (Prestige, 1949 [1956])
• Jay & Kai + 6 (Columbia, 1956)
• Dave Brubeck and Jay & Kai at Newport (Columbia, 1956)
• Jay and Kai (Columbia, 1956)
• The Great Kai & J. J. (Impulse!, 1960)
• Israel (A&M / CTI, 1968)
• Betwixt & Between (A&M/CTI, 1968)
• Stonebone (A&M/CTI [Japan], 1969)

With Ralph Burns and Leonard Feather

• Winter Sequence (MGM, 1954)

• Quincy Jones Plays Hip Hits (Mercury, 1963)
• Quincy Plays for Pussycats (Mercury, 1959–1965 [1965])
• Walking in Space (1969)
• I Heard That!! (1976)

• Stan Kenton's Milestones (Capitol, 1943–1947 [1950])
• Stan Kenton Classics (Capitol, 1944–1947 [1952])
• Artistry in Rhythm (Capitol, 1946)
• Encores (Capitol, 1947)
• The Kenton Era (Capitol, 1940–1954, [1955])

• 1954: King Pleasure Sings/Annie Ross Sings
• 1954: The Original Moody's Mood
• 1955: King Pleasure

• Rugolomania (Columbia, 1955)
• New Sounds by Pete Rugolo (Harmony, 1954–1955, [1957])

• 1949: The Brothers
• 1952: Zoot Sims All Stars
• 1962: Good Old Zoot

• 1955: In the Land of Hi-Fi
• 1957: The George Gershwin Songbook, Vol. 1
• 1958: The Rodgers & Hart Songbook
• 1965: ¡Viva! Vaughan

• 1950: Carnegie Hall X-Mas '49, Charlie Parker
• 1950: Chubby Jackson All Star Big Band, Chubby Jackson
• 1951: The George Wallington Trio, George Wall