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.
WELCOME!
Groups
Badge
Duke Ellington is first African-American and the first musician to solo on U.S. circulating coin
MARY LOU WILLIAMS
INTERVIEW
Perrennial Jazz Fan & Supporter Jesse Fardella passes at 96
Obituary
Jesse V. Fardella, age 96, of Bethel Park, PA, originally of Coraopolis, passed away peacefully on June 5, 2016. Jesse is survived by his loving and longtime companion, Marleen Suess of Indiana Township, his four children, Jess Fardella (Marcia) of Brooklyn, NY, Janet Schaeffer, Laurel Fardella (Don Miller), and Amy Fardella (Cliff Hakim), all of the Boston, MA area. Jesse also is survived by five grandchildren: Grace Fardella, Teresa Fardella, Eric Schaeffer, Gabriella Hakim, and Devon Miller, and by his sister Lucy Weisler, formerly of New London, CT and now of Burlington, MA. Jesse was formerly married to Rita Thomas Fardella, the mother of his four children, now of Arlington, MA,.
Jesse had many happy memories from his college days at Penn State where he received a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 1943, was a member of the Sigma Pi fraternity, and served as all-college vice president. At Penn State he also was a member of the boxing team and won the Eastern Collegiate Boxing Association title in his weight class in 1942. Jesse always remained a fiercely loyal Penn State football fan, traveling to both home and away games and enjoying many years of tailgate parties. Following college, Jesse served in WWII as an officer and salvage diver in the US Navy, which awarded him the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, its highest non-combat decoration for heroism. He spent more than 35 years at the Westinghouse Electric Corporation as a mechanical engineer, most of it working on nuclear power projects for the US Navy and later for commercial clients in the US and abroad. Jesse was an avid jazz fan and long-time mainstay of the Pittsburgh Jazz Society, and remained everyone's favorite swing dance partner into his nineties.
A memorial mass will be held on Saturday, June 18th at 10AM at St. Gabriel's Church, 5200 Greenridge Dr., Whitehall, followed by a memorial reception at 1PM at The Grand Concourse at Station Square, 100 West Station Square Dr., Pittsburgh. Donations may be made in lieu of flowers to Jazz Workshop, Inc., 7101 Hamilton Ave., Pittsburgh PA 15208, http://www.jazzworkshopinc.org/, or Family Hospice & Palliative Care, 50 Moffett St., Pittsburgh PA 15243,https://www.familyhospicepa.org/donate.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Laurel Fardella on
-
Thank you so much for posting this and for the great pictures of my dad, Nelson! And Elaine, thank you for connecting us to Nelson and the Pittsburgh Jazz Network. We are forever grateful to you both for your service, for the friendships and community you provided for my father, and for keeping jazz alive and well! What a gift to us all.
-
© 2024 Created by Dr. Nelson Harrison.
Powered by
