Rick Kelly

Rick Kelly is a guitarist, composer, and producer — and the primary recording artist on the Indigo Jazz label. He's the musical heart of the operation: the person whose taste, instincts, and craft define the sound of what we make and how we make it.

Rick co-founded Mad Monkey Creative LLC with Bill Janness, and Indigo Jazz is his musical domain within it. He serves as Artistic Director for the label — involved alongside Bill in every project, from the first session to the final release, whether the music is his own or from another artist on the roster.

As a producer, Rick is hands-on from the first idea to the final mix. He built the studio, writes the music, directs the sessions, and shapes every record from the inside out. His approach is old-school in the best sense — real musicians, real performances, real decisions made in the room. The craft matters to him, and it shows.

Outside the studio, Rick is the creative anchor behind Indigo Jazz Studio, where he shares his knowledge of guitar and music production with a growing audience. That same spirit — generous, direct, deeply musical — is what you get when you work with him.

He is based in the northern suburbs of Chicago, Illinois.