Contact: Marty Ashby
Executive Producer
PITTSBURGH’S JAZZ COMMUNITY GETS ITS DUE
WITH NEW DOCUMENTARY
“We Knew What We Had: The Greatest Jazz Story Never Told” Premiering on WQED-TV February 15 at 8pm
Pittsburgh, PA, —Manchester Craftsmen’s…
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/
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.
WELCOME!
MARY LOU WILLIAMS
I have been tied up with music for about as long as I can remember. By the time I was four I was picking out little tunes my mother played on the reed organ in the living-room. We lived in a big, timber-framed building: what we called a shotgun house, because if you fired through the front door the shot passed through all the rooms and out into the back yard, likely ending up in…
Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on July 24, 2021 at 1:00am — No Comments
Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on July 24, 2021 at 1:00am — No Comments
When I had been working in Café Society for a year I decided I needed a vacation, and took off July and August to do some writing. Moe Asch, the best recording man in the business, wanted me to do a session. I have always admired Asch. The poor guy never quite made it financially because he was too nice to musicians. He would pay their price even if he had to sleep in the rain. And he…
Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on July 24, 2021 at 12:30am — No Comments
Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on June 3, 2021 at 4:30am — No Comments
National Negro Opera Company House in Homewood. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
National Negro Opera House — once the center of Black cultural life in Pittsburgh — receives $500K grant
Michael Machosky April 14, 2021 City Design, Current Features, Homewood
For 20 years, Jonnet Solomon has made it her mission to preserve, protect and ultimately…
Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on April 16, 2021 at 11:00pm — No Comments
Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on December 14, 2018 at 4:49am — 2 Comments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marty Ashby
Executive Producer
PITTSBURGH’S JAZZ COMMUNITY GETS ITS DUE
WITH NEW DOCUMENTARY
“We Knew What We Had: The Greatest Jazz Story Never Told” Premiering on WQED-TV February 15 at 8pm
Pittsburgh, PA, —Manchester Craftsmen’s…
Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on February 14, 2018 at 4:00pm — 1 Comment
Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on February 4, 2018 at 7:02pm — 3 Comments
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Swinger with a MissionMary 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…
Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on April 28, 2013 at 2:30am — No Comments
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…
Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on April 28, 2013 at 2:22am — No Comments
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…
ContinueAdded by Dr. Nelson Harrison on April 28, 2013 at 1:37am — No Comments
Added by Dr. Nelson Harrison on April 28, 2013 at 1:30am — No Comments
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