Pittsburgh's Own Regional Notables of Jazz
AFRO-AMERICAN MUSIC INSTITUTE CELEBRATES 36 YEARS
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PITTSBURGH JAZZ
From Blakey to Brown, Como to Costa, Eckstine to Eldridge, Galbraith to Garner, Harris to Hines, Horne to Hyman, Jamal to Jefferson, Kelly to Klook; Mancini to Marmarosa, May to Mitchell, Negri to Nestico, Parlan to Ponder, Reed to Ruther, Strayhorn to Sullivan, Turk to Turrentine, Wade to Williams… the forthcoming publication Treasury of Pittsburgh Jazz Connections by Dr. Nelson Harrison and Dr. Ralph Proctor, Jr. will document the legacy of one of the world’s greatest jazz capitals.
Do you want to know who Dizzy Gillespie idolized? Did you ever wonder who inspired Kenny Clarke and Art Blakey? Who was the pianist that mentored Monk, Bud Powell, Tad Dameron, Elmo Hope, Sarah Vaughan and Mel Torme? Who was Art Tatum’s idol and Nat Cole’s mentor? What musical quartet pioneered the concept adopted later by the Modern Jazz Quartet? Were you ever curious to know who taught saxophone to Stanley Turrentine or who taught piano to Ahmad Jamal? What community music school trained Robert McFerrin, Sr. for his history-making debut with the Metropolitan Opera? What virtually unknown pianist was a significant influence on young John Coltrane, Shirley Scott, McCoy Tyner, Bobby Timmons and Ray Bryant when he moved to Philadelphia from Pittsburgh in the 1940s? Would you be surprised to know that Erroll Garner attended classes at the Julliard School of Music in New York and was at the top of his class in writing and arranging proficiency?
Some answers can be gleaned from the postings on the Pittsburgh Jazz Network.
For almost 100 years the Pittsburgh region has been a metacenter of jazz originality that is second to no other in the history of jazz. One of the best kept secrets in jazz folklore, the Pittsburgh Jazz Legacy has heretofore remained mythical. We have dubbed it “the greatest story never told” since it has not been represented in writing before now in such a way as to be accessible to anyone seeking to know more about it. When it was happening, little did we know how priceless the memories would become when the times were gone.
Today jazz is still king in Pittsburgh, with events, performances and activities happening all the time. The Pittsburgh Jazz Network is dedicated to celebrating and showcasing the places, artists and fans that carry on the legacy of Pittsburgh's jazz heritage.
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MARY LOU WILLIAMS
INTERVIEW
Farewell to my friend David Stock
Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble closes refreshing 41st season
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The stimulating and heart-warming concerts which are concluding the 41st season of the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble are fresh proof that this group is an essential part of a healthy musical life.
The program, seen Friday night at City Theatre on the South Side, included four pieces by the group's founder David Stock, whose passing in the fall of 2015 is still keenly felt, and the local premiere of a magnificent song cycle by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts.
The evening began with Stock's setting of the three-fold rabbinic blessing sung a capella by his daughter Sara Stock Mayo. Some music is most impressive at first hearing but this one, which opened every concert this season, grows more rewarding each time I hear it.
Stock's “Fur der alte Welt” was great fun. Violinist Nathalie Shaw, cellist Norbert Lewandowski and pianist Lindsay Garritson seized every opportunity Stock gave them to play with flair and sensitivity. The music has much of the Klezmer spirit and bits of well-known Jewish tunes, as well as other Russian and Eastern European language, but also includes snatches of warm mid-19th century German Romanticism.
The most heartbreaking part of the concert was Sara Stock's exquisite performance of “If I sing you are the music” from the 1989 show “Closer Than Ever” with lyrics by Richard Maltby and music by David Shire. Her father asked her to sing it for him many times when he was hospitalized with his final illness. As she sang, members of the ensemble gathered behind her.
Puts' “In at the Eye” was co-commissioned by the new music ensemble and charismatically performed by baritone Timothy Jones and the instrumentalists. The six texts are love songs by Irish poet William Butler Yeats. The title is taken from the first couplet of the first song in the cycle: “Wine come in at the mouth, and love in at the eye.”
The songs are a wide-ranging farewell to a deceased love, set with impeccable sensitivity by the composer. The vocal lines fit the text so closely it feels as if they were born together. But then Puts won his Pulitzer for his first opera, “Silent Night.” The instrumental parts have the clarity and purposefulness we have come to expect from Puts thanks to the New Music Ensemble's long-time advocacy for this composer.
The concert concluded with two pieces by Stock.
“The Philosopher Stone,” written in 1980, is an ambitious work full of the spirit of exploration. When ideas are taken to their limit, a new consideration arises, including a long section written freely without bar lines.
The violin solo was superbly played by Andres Cardenes, the former concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, who continued his friendship with the composer with this insightful and adept performance. Artistic director Kevin Noe conducted with typical assurance and understanding. The ensemble was enlarged by oboe, bassoon, bass and a second percussionist. Solo percussionist Lisa Pegher and Pittsburgh Symphony bassoon David Sogg were particularly excellent, but the oboe should have played out more.
Cardenes and pianist Garritson brought the evening to a rousing conclusion with Stock's “Santa Fe Salsa,” which the violinist recorded more than two decades ago on his album “Made in the U.S.A.”
This concert will be repeated at 8 p.m. July 30 at City Theatre, 1300 Birmingham St., South Side. Admission is $25, $15 for seniors, $10 for students. Details: 888-718-4253 or showclix.com
Mark Kanny is the Tribune-Review classical music critic. Reach him at 412-320-7877 or mkanny@tribweb.com.
© 2024 Created by Dr. Nelson Harrison.
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