Members of the Kasimu Taylor Quartet play before the Miles Davis…
A Darpa grant given to Kelland Thomas of the University of Arizona will fund the creation of musical machines that learn to improvise like jazz musicians…
Pittsburgh's Own Regional Notables of Jazz
AFRO-AMERICAN MUSIC INSTITUTE CELEBRATES 36 YEARS
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/building-today-for-tomorrow/x/267428
Pain Relief Beyond Belief
http://www.komehsaessentials.com/
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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Featured Blog Posts (736)
Billy Strayhorn
We're celebrating the exceptional Billy Strayhorn, here in the NY Metro area. Check the current WSJ article on "Musicians Take the A-Train".
http://www.wsj.com/articles/musicians-take-over-the-a-train-1448851140
Billy Strayhorn Lives!
Added by Melissa Jones on November 30, 2015 at 3:56pm — 1 Comment
Interview of Matty Shiner by Jim Pugh
This interview was sent to me by Kevin McManus, who edited it down I guess from a recording of the interview. I did another once over and here it is! Hope you enjoy it as much as I have. I don't know the exact year of the interview - suffice it to say it was in the last 10-15 years. Thanks to Jim, Nelson and Kevin - Great job! JP:
I…
ContinueAdded by Dr. Nelson Harrison on November 14, 2015 at 1:00am — 1 Comment
Centennial celebration gives Pittsburgh-bred composer Strayhorn his due
Added by Billy Strayhorn Memorial Page on November 8, 2015 at 10:28pm — No Comments
2016 NEA Jazz Masters Announced
Archie Shepp, Gary Burton, Pharoah Sanders and Wendy Oxenhorn to be honored
The National Endowment for the Arts has announced its 2016 NEA Jazz Masters honorees. They include three musicians—vibraphonist Gary Burton, saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and saxophonist Archie Shepp—and an advocate, Wendy…
Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on October 25, 2015 at 9:18pm — No Comments
DARPA Wants to Make a Jazz-Playing Robot That Can Jam With Humans
by Charles Q. Choi, LiveScience
Jazz-playing computers and robots could soon yield clues about how to help people collaborate with machines, researchers say.
The new project, called MUSICA (short for Musical Improvising Collaborative Agent), aims to develop a musical device that can improvise a jazz solo in response to human partners, just as real jazz musicians improvise alongside one another.
MUSICA is part of a new program from the Defense Advanced Research Projects…
ContinueAdded by Dr. Nelson Harrison on October 25, 2015 at 5:49am — 8 Comments
Happy Birthday Thelonious Monk & Art Blakey
Thelonious Monk, 10/10 and Art Blakey, 10/11
WKCR.org continues its 74 year history of providing listeners with the glories of Jazz music. Saturday, 10/10, the station will celebrate Thelonious Monk, in a continuous, all-day tribute to the man and his music! WKCR began broadcasting JAZZ, 74 years ago, featuring Roy Eldridge on Gene Krupa's rendition of "Swing Is Here". The station's commitment to JAZZ stems from a massive archive…
ContinueAdded by Melissa Jones on October 7, 2015 at 2:38pm — No Comments
ADAM WADE revisits his alma mater Westinghouse High School for Billy Strayhorn Centennial concert on October 17, 2015
ADAM WADE
Adam Wade (Born Patrick Henry Wade) grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He achieved renown as an American singer, drummer, television, movie and stage actor and director. He is noted for his stint as the host of the 1975 CBS…
ContinueAdded by Dr. Nelson Harrison on October 3, 2015 at 6:33am — 2 Comments
45th Annual Pitt Jazz Seminar & Concert
Jazz Seminar and Concert
A talented group of international jazz musicians will convene at the University of Pittsburgh for the 45th annual Pitt Jazz Seminar and Concert, the longest-running…
Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on October 3, 2015 at 6:24am — No Comments
Entertainment Industry Law Issues
Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on September 21, 2015 at 7:51pm — No Comments
Erroll Garner’s ‘Concert by the Sea’ Gets a New Sound
Photo…
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Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on September 20, 2015 at 5:01pm — 2 Comments
Throngs of fans, admirers turn out for Davis sculpture dedication
First Posted: 10:26 pm - September 12th, 2015 - 3104 Views
By Scott Cousins - For The Telegraph
Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on September 16, 2015 at 2:38am — No Comments
Pittsburgh Jazz Ain’t What It Used To Be: It’s... Something Else
Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on September 16, 2015 at 1:00am — No Comments
PERSONA NON GRATA at James Street
PERSONA NON GRATA I have been unceremoniously banished and denied any possibility of performing again at a well-known Pittsburgh jazz club. WHY? Because, as a board member of Local 82-545 AFM (American Federation of Musicians) I attempted to negotiate fair payment (union scale) for my players for a gig I was offered there. I described its paltry offer as tantamount to exploitation and received this response "Your remarks are way out of line... As the owner of James Street, I will not book…
ContinueAdded by Elizabeth "Betty" Asche Douglas on September 12, 2015 at 9:30pm — No Comments
The Inner Work of Seeking Truth and Acting Within It Is The Key
Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on September 4, 2015 at 5:52am — 1 Comment
Why Sound Heals | Cymatics, Entrainment, Mandalas, Frequencies and DNA
Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on September 4, 2015 at 5:49am — No Comments
Presidential Medal of Freedom for Billy Strayhorn Centennial
Award a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of jazz composer, arranger and pianist Billy Strayhorn.
In honor of the Billy Strayhorn Centennial, we his heirs along with a host of professional musicians, entertainment insiders, educators, and the general public seek a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his contribution as a great American composer, his involvement in social justice (worked with Martin Luther King Jr.) and his…
ContinueAdded by Dr. Nelson Harrison on September 3, 2015 at 2:37am — 1 Comment
Queen of Soul delivers powerful performance at Heinz Hall
Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on August 28, 2015 at 4:30pm — No Comments
Home again, home again, jiggity jig, I went to the market to buy a phat...hey!!!
Friends, I am home.... it has been months..... I came home last week actually, but I had a show in NY and didn't actually return to my home til a couple days ago. Been getting settled, cleaning house, doing laundry, getting reacquainted with my dog, Mr. Pumpkinseed, cooking for the Amoeba....
The last 10 days of my journey were spent in the UK. I went…
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Added by Phat Man Dee on August 28, 2015 at 5:39am — No Comments
ROBO-BOP???? What do you think?
Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on August 24, 2015 at 2:30am — 4 Comments
WCJS RADIO PRESENTS THE ANDREW AND MARY P. O'NEAL CARES PROJECT BENEFIT CONCERT
WCJS RADIO AND THE ANDREW AND MARY P. O'NEAL CARES PROJECT CONCERT TO BENEFIT GHANAIAN MOTHERS' HOPE AND INNOCENTS AT RISK SAVE THE DATE
! On September 19, 2015, WCJS Radio and The Andrew and Mary P. O'Neal Cares Project will sponsor a benefit concert featuring DC's own, Lori…
ContinueAdded by Marta Graciela Bressi on August 14, 2015 at 10:38pm — No Comments
Latest Featured Blog Posts
- Celebrating Bassist Jeff Grubbs
- Homewood Jazz Workshop, Inc. article in Post Gazette
- The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America
- The Aurora Club, another piece of Pittsburgh jazz history, may soon be demolished
- PRE-ELECTION B-PEP CELEBRATION
- PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL - 2024
- Street re-naming ceremony: From E. Jefferson Street to Roger Humphries Way
Most Popular Featured Blog Posts
- an important development
- Unsolved Mystery: So just who IS this fine brother in the photo with Marilyn Monroe (circa 1952)?
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- BRILLIANT YOUNG PIANIST DR. DERRICK R. FINCH DIES IN AUTO CRASH IN LOS ANGELES
- A Student’s Lessons with Joe Henderson
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