Pittsburgh's Own Regional Notables of Jazz
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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
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Violinist John Blake Jr. Dead at 67
Worked as leader and with McCoy Tyner, Grover Washington Jr., and others
Violinist John Blake Jr. passed away Aug. 15 from complications of multiple myeloma, according to a Facebook post from his son, Johnathan Blake. The place of death was not mentioned but the elder Blake was 67.
Blake recorded several albums as a leader for the Gramavision and Sunnyside labels, and served as a sideman for artists such as Grover Washington Jr., McCoy Tyner, Archie Shepp, James Newton, Steve Turre and others.
Born John Edward Blake Jr. July 3, 1947 in South Philadelphia, the classically trained Blake began playing violin in the Philadelphia public school system and at the Settlement Music School. He graduated from West Virginia University, did postgraduate work at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Montreux, Switzerland, and received a grant to study studied East Indian music. A composer, arranger and producer as well as an author, teacher and lecturer, Blake served on the faculty of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. He was also a guest lecturer at Berklee College of Music in Boston and, in 2004, was appointed to the Basler Chair of Excellence for the winter semester at East Tennessee State University. That year also was awarded a Chamber Music America Jazz Composer Grant.
Blake first gained recognition on early-’70s recordings with Shepp and in the mid-’70s spent three years recording and touring as a member of Grover Washington, Jr.’s band. He then spent five years working in ensembles led by pianist Tyner. Among other artists with whom Blake has performed and/or recorded with are the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Turtle Island String Quartet, Quartet Indigo, the Billy Taylor Trio, Avery Sharpe, Cecil McBee and Jay Hoggard.
Blake released his debut as a leader and composer, Maiden Dance, in 1984, on Gramavision Records; another release for that label teamed him up with fellow jazz violinists Michal Urbaniak and Didier Lockwood. His sixth album, 1992’s Quest(Sunnyside), reunited him with Washington. Blake’s first recording with his last quartet, The Traveler, was released in 2007.
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