Pittsburgh's Own Regional Notables of Jazz

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PITTSBURGH JAZZ

Roger Humphries

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

In Her Own Words

PITTSBURGH JAZZ CHANNEL - 24/7

PITTSBURGH MUSIC HISTORY

THE PERIODIC TABLE OF JAZZ HOSTIRY

PITTSBURGH JAZZ CHANNEL

PITTSBURGH MUSIC - CLP

OPEN SKY JAZZ

PITTSBURGH- THEN and NOW

All Blog Posts (936)

Jazz is not a what you do, but a how....

Or at least that's what I tell myself. I also believe that jazz happens when you use music and your instrument to communicate complex ideas and feelings in a conversation that isn't spoken. You don't need words, (though they help, if your a poet and vocalist like me, they are as much a part of your instrument as much as a reed is to sax player or a string is to a bassist). Sometimes those conversations bleed into to other art forms, they shape them and the other…

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Added by Phat Man Dee on May 22, 2013 at 3:53am — No Comments

Vocal Hipspoken Word Artist Tony Adamo featured on AllaboutJazz.com

Featured Jazz Releases

Tony Adamo/Miles of Blu/Random Act Records

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/featured_releases.php

http://randomactrecords.com/…

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Added by Frank Black on May 21, 2013 at 10:25pm — No Comments

Eu e você_Sidnei Piedade

Added by Sidnei Piedade on May 21, 2013 at 6:33pm — No Comments

Tony Adamo Reviewed by @CriticalJazz/Miles of BLU/MOB/Four Stars

"Sort of a deconstructed Miles Davis Birth Of The Cool amped up to the new millennium. Adamo is much in the same way as Miles, a visionary."

Friday, May 17, 2013

Tony Adamo Miles of Blu Random Act 2013 …

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Added by Frank Black on May 19, 2013 at 7:01pm — No Comments

Crossroads of the World

Pittsburgh Music History

Remembering the Jazz Venues of the Hill District…

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Added by Paul Carosi on May 19, 2013 at 5:26pm — No Comments

Tony Adamo Random Act Records/Vocal Hipspoken'Word/Jazz-Funk

Random Act Record Artist Tony Adamo's CD, MILES OF BLU has a street date of May 21, 2013. Due to the high demand for his new CD, MILES OF BLU is being sold early on Doc Kupka's Strokeland Records site. Doc is one of the founding members of Tower of Power. All major outlets for CD sales will be carrying MILES OF BLUE after May 21st.…

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Added by Frank Black on May 9, 2013 at 3:14am — No Comments

MARY LOU WILLIAMS - Swinger with a Mission

Swinger with a Mission
Mary Lou Williams has been making music for 60 years;

now she teaches others how to feel it

By Catherine O'Neill

MARY LOU WILLIAMS is a lady with a mission -- to bring jazz back to the young. In recent years, that quest has brought the 69-year-old pianist and composer to Duke University in…

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Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on April 28, 2013 at 2:30am — No Comments

MARY LOU WILLIAMS - JAZZ PIANO ICON

Mary Lou Williams Facts

Pianist, composer, and arranger Mary Lou Williams (1910-1981) is often referred to as the First Lady of Jazz in the annals of American music history. Williams was a highly respected musician in her day whose repertoire spanned several seminal jazz styles, from boogie-woogie to bebop, and she was an integral member of what became known as the Kansas…

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Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on April 28, 2013 at 2:22am — No Comments

Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians - Williams, Mary Lou (Mary Alfrieda Scruggs)

Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians

Williams, Mary Lou (Mary Alfrieda Scruggs)

From Kansas City in the twenties to New York in the forties and beyond, pianist, arranger and composer Mary Lou Williams made direct contributions to nearly every major development of jazz in her lifetime, but rarely received the recognition she deserved. A devout Roman Catholic, she composed long-form orchestral and religious works, taught at Duke University and helped found the…

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Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on April 28, 2013 at 1:37am — No Comments

MARY LOU WILLIAMS - The Mother of Bebop

http://www.ratical.org

Mary Lou Williams - Pianist,…

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Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on April 28, 2013 at 1:30am — No Comments

A forgotten story: Jazz finds religion in Pittsburgh - Mary Lou Williams, May 8, 1910

Black Catholic Spotlight ~ { Print Version }

The National Black Catholic Congress

www.nbccongress.org…

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Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on April 28, 2013 at 1:00am — 1 Comment

Pittsburgh Music History Honors The Swan Silvertones and Rev. Claude Jeter One of the Greatest Vocal Groups of All Time The Swan Silvertones who made their home in Pittsburgh from the late 1940s thro…

Pittsburgh Music History Honors

The Swan Silvertones and Rev. Claude Jeter

One of the Greatest Vocal Groups of All Time…

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Added by Paul Carosi on April 24, 2013 at 4:54pm — No Comments

Kuntu Repertory Theatre to close after four decades

Created on Sunday, 21 April 2013 17:50

Last Updated on Sunday, 21 April 2013 17:51

Published on Monday, 22 April 2013 06:00

Written by Genea Webb

…

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Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on April 23, 2013 at 1:24am — No Comments

Tony Adamo Vocal/Hipspoken'Word Artist Discovered by Legendary Drummer Mike Clark

In the summer of 2011 legendary drummer, Mike Clark (Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters) recorded with Tony Adamo on a new cover of Tower of Power's "Soul Vaccination." It was at this session a music alliance was formed between the two and Clark became the music producer for Adamo's new CD, MILES OF BLU. Clark had played on Adamo's previous CDs. To complete the mix, Clark brought on board Tim Ouimette, the very talented and highly respected musician, trumpet player, big band leader and music…

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Added by Frank Black on April 19, 2013 at 5:18am — No Comments

¨The Past is back¨ Digital Series ( 2013): Samples¨

The past returns ( DifferenceI Multiply Zoom Overlay I Sharpen I Lighten)…

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Added by Marta Graciela Bressi on April 16, 2013 at 9:29pm — No Comments

Tony Adamo/Jazz/Hipspoken' Word & Soul

"It quickly becomes apparent that in the gray area between jazz, r&b and soul, Tony Adamo is one of the top voices. What Is Hip? is easily recommended."

Scott Yanow, author of The Jazz Singers, Trumpet Kings, Jazz On Film and Jazz On Record 1917-76

http://www.reverbnation.com/tonyadamo/app…

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Added by Frank Black on April 16, 2013 at 7:45pm — No Comments

Tony Adamo's Miles of Blu Takes Flight

http://www.randomactrecords.com/…

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Added by Frank Black on April 15, 2013 at 6:22am — No Comments

TONY ADAMO JEFF BERLIN MICHAEL WOLFF MIKE CLARK/RANDOM ACT RECORDS

TONY ADAMO JEFF BERLIN MICHAEL WOLFF MIKE CLARK/RANDOM ACT RECORDS

COMING SOON: "MILES OF BLU" from HipSpokenWord artist Tony Adamo. Tony has basically invented his own, original genre. This hipster speaks, raps, and sings his compelling stories, with able assistance from Producer Mike Clark and cohorts like Michael Wolff, Delbert Bump, Tim Ouimette, Richie Goods, Bill Summers and even Tower of Power's own physician of the funk, Stephen "Doc" Kupka. This release…

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Added by Frank Black on April 12, 2013 at 4:52pm — No Comments

Burlesque, Jazz & the Return of the Bong Show, a benefit for Pgh NORML!

Oh friends.... what a fascinating, tumultuous and looooong winter it has been.... I'm happy to say I finally believe we may have actually reached the other side. The warm winds blow with the sweet tantalizing promise of beautiful music, graceful dancers and hilarious escapades. I don't trust the wind to deliver these things all by itself, so I have committed myself to helping make them reality.…

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Added by Phat Man Dee on April 6, 2013 at 2:12am — No Comments