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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- Favorite Pittsburgh musicians/performers
- Too many to mention....
- Favorite Jazz Radio or media station
- Don't listen to radio.
- Favorite Pittsburgh Jazz Venue
- Are there any left...just kidding or am I. I like Backstage Bar and Little E's for now.
- About Me:
- Christiane Leach returned home to Pittsburgh after her many travels, which took her from a Teacher's school in Switzerland, to an Alaskan Fishery, an upstate New York Farm, to the back road campgrounds of New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Utah. She came back to specifically explore her art and become part of the Pittsburgh Arts Community, which she found to be the best around.
Christiane D, poet, singer, songwriter, visual artist, playwright, cultural advocate, hotel queen…instigator.
A little known fact is that Christiane D is a visual artist. She has been drawing since age 5 and has studied visual art at CMU, Tyler School of Art and Lehrer Seminar in Switzerland. Even then, her penchant to incorporate her writings, and her need to perform, challenged many of the learning institutions to accept an artist with multi-faceted outlets for expression. Though Christiane D is a visual artist, performance poet, writer, singer, cultural advocate, event producer, it is all a giant canvas upon which she paints her expression and invites many to participate.
She debuted her play Saffronia at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theatre and was recently seen as the narrator in the Playhouse REP’s, “Mother Courage”. Her visual work has been shown in Women’s Work at 709 Penn Avenue and Bloom at SPACE gallery in the Cultural Trust District. She poetically shared the stage with Sonia Sanchez as part of the She Said series and is working to release a cd of her spoken word.
Christiane D, performs with Soma Mestizo, global dub rebels, and they have released their latest musical effort, Telomere; their Tattoo dub track is featured on Indigenous Resistance records; the Nasty Boy remixes featured on Strobotics Records. Christiane D's lyrical and vocal talents are also featured on the 3 Generations Walking albums that can be heard in the hippest clubs from Paris, LA to Japan. She also continues to write songs for the Pittsburgh based Jazz Chanteuse, Phat Man Dee.
She curated an exhibit, POWER, the feminine definition of power, at the Future Tenant, as part of the August Wilson Center's "First Voice" Festival. She was honored, at the New Hazlett Theatre’s gala, “Celebrating Women in the Arts”.
Christiane D has produced various music events with Element Five and received a Sprout Fund grant to produce two MINI m music festivals along with cohorts Bruce Harris and Matt Calvetti from the band OUVE and co-produced Listen To This with Brooke Schooles, which brought in the world renowned Goddess of spoken word, Ursula Rucker. She is presently working with Liz Berlin on a music festival celebrating the artistry of women.
Christiane Leach is co-founder and former Executive Director of Sun Crumbs, a trans-cultural multi-arts non-profit. For the 2 1/2 years, she was the Program Coordinator for the Brew House Association, an artist non-profit, coordinating exhibitions and performances. She was also one of three producers of the wildly popular and imitated Dark Night Cabaret. Dark Night Cabaret features the best and the eclectic of Pittsburgh artists in all genres.
She received a 2003 PCA Fellowship for World/Jazz/Blues musical composition. She was a recipient of a 2002 40 under 40 award and spoke at the 2002 annual Allegheny Conference.
- Website:
- http://www.christianed.us
- Artist or Fan
- artist, fan
Chrissy Dee's Blog
Heads Up: The Arts Council seeks nominations for the 2009 Work of Art Awards
Posted on January 15, 2009 at 8:37pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
2009 WORK OF ART AWARDS
PITTSBURGH, PA – The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council is seeking nominations for the Work of Art Awards to be presented at a ceremony on June 1, 2009. This biennial event honors and celebrates the individuals, businesses, and organizations that support and create arts and culture in the Pittsburgh region. The deadline for nominations is February 13, 2009; nomination forms and more information can be… Continue
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I look forward to a coffee or ? sometime soon.
-L
We waited a long time for you to find us and we are glad you did. I believe you will find it very easy to express yourself here in any way you so choose and we are anticipating enjoying your delightful artistry on your page. Thank you for joining.