Connie Kay

Who was Connie Kay?

Connie Kay was an American jazz drummer. He was best known for his long membership in the Modern Jazz Quartet.

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 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.