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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Duke Ellington is first African-American and the first musician to solo on U.S. circulating coin
MARY LOU WILLIAMS
INTERVIEW
Nemacolin Woodlands Founder Joe Hardy III dies at 100.
84 Lumber Founder Joe Hardy III Dies on His 100th Birthday
Hardy is synonymous with his lumber empire, the Fayette County resort he developed and a larger-than-life personality.
PHOTOS COURTESY 84 LUMBER
Creating the largest privately owned home improvement retailer in the United States would be a big enough accomplishment for most people. But as he would demonstrate throughout his career, Joseph Hardy III was always looking for a new challenge.
Hardy died Saturday on his 100th birthday.
“The Hardy family lost their patriarch and all-around great man,” his family said in a statement. “Joe proved that nothing is impossible by willing himself to his 100th birthday. His family is beyond proud of him for making this final accomplishment.”
In 1957, Hardy launched 84 Lumber with a novel cash-and-carry approach aimed at professional contractors and builders. His empire grew to include, at one time, more than 500 stores in 38 states. That success put Hardy, and eventually his daughter Maggie Hardy Knox, who now runs the company, on the Forbes 400 list of the country’s wealthiest people.
Thirty years after creating 84 Lumber, Hardy bought 2,000 acres near Farmington, Fayette County, and began to develop Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa. Today, the resort includes a casino, two golf courses, a driving range, a ski area, a five-diamond hotel, a five-star restaurant, bars and spas.
In 2003, Hardy was elected as a Fayette County commissioner. He donated his commissioner’s salary to a food bank and spent thousands of his own money on a variety of development projects in Uniontown. He did not seek re-election, complaining that he had become frustrated by the slow pace of government.
Hardy loved a good party. For his 84th birthday in 2007, he hosted a huge bash at Nemacolin that included performances by Bette Midler, Christina Aguilera and Robin Williams. There were 500 invited guests, and the party lasted 12 hours, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Hardy’s private life also created headlines. He divorced his wife, Dorothy, after 51 years of marriage only to marry his secretary, Debra Maley, who was 26 at the time. They divorced in 1977. Shortly after that divorce, he married 22-year-old Kristin Georgi. They met when she was doing his nails while working at the Nemacolin Woodlands spa. That marriage lasted just four months. In 2009, he married Rebecca Davis, then 51. That union did not last either and Hardy then married Jodi Santella Williams several years ago.
Hardy is survived by his wife and eight children. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
© 2024 Created by Dr. Nelson Harrison.
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