PROGRESSIVE MUSIC COMPANY

AFRO-AMERICAN MUSIC INSTITUTE CELEBRATES 36 YEARS

BOYS CHOIR AFRICA SHIRTS
 
 
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!

 

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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
September 30th, 2019
 
Dear Friends:

I'm thinking about Harold Mabern.  Harold died unexpectedly at age 83 last Tuesday to the shock of the Jazz community.  It felt like Harold would live forever.  He was so powerful and robust it seemed inconceivable that he could be mortal and disappear in a flash.  But Life reminds us continually of the temporal nature of our reality - all things that come together also come apart and in the end are just memory.  In Harold's case a memory of greatness.  A greatness that is staggering in its breadth and only after his passing can one begin to assess how great.

The tenor saxophonist and protege of Harold's, Eric Alexander, described him as "an angel on Earth".  I heartily concur.  I would describe him in Buddhist terms as a "Bodhisattva" - a spiritual teacher manifested here to share his wisdom and to guide others.  Harold or "Mabes" as we called him, was the most modest and humble man I've known.  A simple and direct man with a true workman's mien.  Last Wednesday drummer Joe Farnsworth called me to say that Harold "wasn't feeling well" and that there would be a sub for his regular monthly gig at Smalls.  A chill went through me when he told me this.  I knew it didn't bode well.  I never, in the entire time that I knew Harold Mabern, knew him to miss a gig - never.  Farnsworth, a stoic jazz hero, already knew the dreadful news that Harold had passed but kept it to himself at the request of Harold's son.  So Joe played the gig with a silent knowledge that he could only share with me the next day.

Harold lived far away in deep Queens, past the Aqueduct Raceway.  A commute for him meant a lengthy bus ride and then a lengthy subway ride and yet he never complained.  He would arrive for his gigs early and take the time to sit and listen to the other bands.  I'd greet him sitting there in his baseball cap and trench-coat.  I'd call him "Maestro" and shake his enormous hands.  His eyes sparkled with joy and we'd exchange some news about the scene - who was playing, who was talking shit about whom.  Harold had no patience for pretense but would always praise musicality.  He'd listen intently to young players and assess them with an expert ear.  He'd have a kind word for talent and a sharp tongue for any nonsense.  Musicians would always gather around him and he would immediately begin to teach.  Before his set would begin he'd sit patiently at the piano and discuss the greatness of Clifford Brown and play a Clifford solo note for note.  He'd speak of Phineus Newborn (his hero).  He'd talk about the special characteristics of Jazz Musicians - their intelligence and ability to do nearly anything.  If you could play jazz then you had the mind to do nearly anything else at a high level and he'd be glad to give you examples of some of the subsidiary skills that famous musicians possessed.  More than anything Harold had the mind of the eternal student - always in awe of the enormity and greatness of this music.  He never stopped practicing, never missed a gig, never stopped giving.  Harold Mabern was one of the most generous musicians I've ever know - accessible to everyone, unconcerned about money and just eager to play.

When it was time to hit he'd unleash a fury of groove and sound.  Mabes was a tidal wave of force.  The audience would be washed away and buffeted by his enormous sound and feeling.  The was no denying his greatness and unstoppable energy.  This 83 year old man, with a 3 hour commute, would out-play and out-hang musicians a quarter of his age.  He was a force to be reckoned with.  As a pianist you could only reevaluate your own concept in light of this giant.  Other pianists sounded dainty in comparison.  But it wasn't just brute force, it was great beauty, it was joy.  Harold had tapped some kind of wellspring of Jazz Energy and just turned on the spigot - out it poured, relentless beautiful swinging love.

It's been a tough year.  We lost Roy Hargrove who was ill and, although tragic, was expected.  We lost Lawrence Leathers, brutally murdered and unexpected.  In Harold's case, his passing was unexpected but we can not say tragic.  Harold at 83 years accomplished enormous things as a player and a teacher in his long career.  We can only celebrate his great life fully lived.  Harold Mabern touched lives world-wide.  His passing leaves another huge hole in our Jazz wall but what more can one ask from a Jazz Warrior/Bodhisattva?  Harold Mabern gave and gave and his generosity enriched our lives and inspired us.  We can only be thankful to have known him and been in his presence.  Into the Hall of Heros goes this gentle giant and into our memory.  Thank you Maestro Mabern.  I shed tears of sadness and of gratitude.
 
So you should view this fleeting world --
A star at dawn, a bubble in a stream,
A flash of lightening in a summer cloud,
A flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream
.

Buddha, The Diamond Sutra
 
Peace,

Spike

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Replies to This Discussion

“An 83 year old man with a three hour commute never missed a gig”. Tells us about the inner force of “Mabes”.
I loved his playing but I loved the man more for his enormous and giving humanity.
At Smoke one night after a set we were chatting at the bar when I told him my Red Garland story.
He smiled ruefully then moved to the piano he’d jus left after a powerful set and played a spot-on impression of Red’s unique style as a brilliant and spontaneous homage to my sad tale.
The ‘big set in the great above’ now has a beautiful addition to the celestial chorus.
Thank you Harold Maybern for bringing your great heart and soul with you wherever and whenever.

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