Kenny Wild

Kenny Wild (born 1951) is an American jazz bassist and musician. He plays acoustic, electric, and upright bass.

Besides leading his jazz fusion band Seawind, he performed or recorded with several leading musicians including Marlene, Bruce Lofgren, Alf Clausen, Chris Walden, Quincy Jones, and Johnny Mathis. He also worked as a studio musician on several movies and television shows.

Kenneth A. Wild was born in 1951 in New York into a military family that moved around a lot. He learned clarinet in grade school, later switching to saxophone in high school.

In 1965, the family relocated to Honolulu, Hawaii, where he began playing bass in a trio with his brother Dave Wild.

In 1970, he enrolled at the University of Hawaii, studying bass with double bassist Armand Russell. However, he dropped out of the university in 1972 to co-found a jazz fusion band Seawind with lead singer Pauline Wilson; guitarist Bud Nuañez; drummer Bob Wilson; keyboardist, flutist, and saxophonist Larry Williams; saxophone and flute player Kim Hutchcroft; and trumpeter Jerry Hey.

In the mid-1970s, Wild, with Seawind, moved to Los Angeles, California, where they began recording for Creed Taylor's label CTI Records, with noted drummer Harvey Mason as producer. In 1976, they released an eponymous jazz album on CTI. The following year, they released a jazz/funk album Window Of A Child (CTI Records).

Around that time, he also became an active studio musician, providing music for films and television.

In 1979, Wild played bass on Seawind's Light The Light (Horizon Records), and in 1980, he was on the album Seawind (A&M Records), produced by George Duke. In 1982, Filipina jazz vocalist Marlene collaborated with Seawind in Los Angeles on her second album Summer Nights (CBS/Sony). The album features backing vocals by Tommy Funderburk.

In 1995, Seawind released a compilation album Remember (Noteworthy Records), combining unissued recordings and songs from the CTI recordings.

Over the years, Seawind also opened for Herbie Hancock, Herbie Mann, George Benson, Tower Of Power, and many others at Hawaii concerts.

In the 1980s/1990s, Wild worked with guitarist Bruce Lofgren. In 1986, he played electric bass on Lofgren's jazz/pop album Move Into Your Car on Phoenix Record Productions. It was recorded at Juniper APV Recording, Burbank, California.

In 1999, Wild, as a member of Bruce Lofgren's jazz orchestra, released The Blues And Other Passions on Sea Breeze Jazz Records. Wild played acoustic and electric bass with Glen Garrett (alto saxophone, flute); Mark Hollingsworth (alto + soprano saxophone, flute); Jennifer Hall (baritone saxophone, bass clarinet); Bob Carr (baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, flute); Brian Kilgore (congas, percussion); David Crigger (drums); Nathan Campbell, Suzette Moriarty (French horn); Doug Livingston (keyboards); Glen Berger (tenor saxophone, clarinet, flute); Alan Ferber, John Leys (trombone); Dennis Farias, Mike McGuffey, and Ron King (trumpet, flugelhorn); Billy Hulting (vibraphone, marimba). In 1999, they released The Blues And Other Passions on Sea Breeze Jazz Records.

In 2003, Wild worked with Alf Clausen Jazz Orchestra with Bernie Dresel (drums); Bob McChesney and Robert Payne (trombone); Bob Efford, Dan Higgins, Brian Scanlon, and Bob Sheppard (saxophone); Terry Harrington (clarinet); Bob Summers, Gary Grant, and Warren Luening (trumpet); Chuck Findley (flugelhorn); and Mike Lang (piano). On August 18 and 19, 2003, they recorded Swing Can Really Hang You Up The Most (Sunny NoDak Records) at O'Henry Recording Studios, in Burbank, California.

In the 2000s, Wild was with the Chris Walden Big Band, joining Carl Saunders(trumpet); Alan Grunfeld (violin); Alan Steinberger (piano); Bob McChesney, Arturo Velasco, and Alex Iles (trombone); Dane Little, Andrew Shulman (cello); Brian Dembow (viola); Bob Sheppard and Brandon Fields (saxophone); Brian Monroney (guitar); and Brian O'Connor (French horn). With Walden, Wild was on three albums for Origin Records:

• 2006: No Bounds
• 2007: Kurt Marti Suite
• 2014: Full-On!

He then worked with drummer Allen Carter's Big Band with Andy Martin, Alex Iles, and Bill Reichenbach (trombone); Warren Luening, Gary Grant, Wayne Bergeron, and Bob Summers (trumpet); Brian Scanlon (clarinet, tenor saxophone); Tom Peterson (baritone saxophone); Christian Jacob (piano); Ron Stout, Rob Schaer, and Dan Fornero (trumpet, flugelhorn); Rusty Higgins, Bob Sheppard, Greg Huckins, and Dan Higgins (flute, saxophone); Tom Hynes and Gary Solt (guitar). They recorded two albums at Dragon Sound Studios—Gifts (2008) and Time On My Hands (2016).

After a long gap, Seawind reunited in 2009 to release the album Reunion (Village Records), featuring singer Al Jarreau.

In 2016, Wild played bass on 5 tracks of The Tim Davies Big Band's album The Expensive Train Set (Origin Records). He was accompanied by Mark Cally (guitar); Alan Steinberger (keyboards); Alex Budman, Ann Paterson, Jim Honeyman, Ken Fisher, Lee Secard, and Mike Nelson (saxophone); Jacques Voyemant, Kerry Loeschen, Martha Catlin, Nicholas Daley, and Steve Hughes (trombone); Bobby Burns Jr., Brian Owen, James Blackwell, Javier Gonzalez, Jon Papenbrook, Ken Bausano, Rich Hofmann, and Walt Simonsen (trumpet). The track "Sing Sing Sing" was composed by Louis Prima.

Wild began working as a studio musician in the late 1970s and has since worked on several movies and television shows.

Wild performed live as a member of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra (1992—2006) and as a member of Natalie Cole's touring band (2002—2004).

He has also performed with John Stowell, Herb Ellis, Mike Garson, Dave Weckl, Gene Bertoncini, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Brandon Fields, Andrea Bocelli, Jerry Goldsmith, Gregory Hines, Terence Blanchard, Maureen McGovern, Johnny Mathis, Dianne Reeves, Hubert Laws, Tom Scott, Anthony Wilson, Neil Young, Freddie Hubbard, Diane Schuur, James Moody, Buddy Rich, Peter Gallagher, Ron Jones Influence orchestra, Judy Wexler, Emil Richards, Bonnie Raitt, John Williams, Larry Goldings, Patrice Rushen, Carol Welsman, Quincy Jones, David Foster, Patti Austin, and Clare Fischer Big Band.