Pittsburgh's Own Regional Notables of Jazz
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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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INTERVIEW
Starfall Orchestra
Event Details
Time: February 23, 2010 from 7:30pm to 9:30pm
Location: Washington & Jefferson College Olin Fine Arts Center
City/Town: Washington PA 15301
Event Type: concert
Organized By: Starfall Orchestra
Latest Activity: Feb 22, 2010
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Event Description
The new 18-piece Starfall Orchestra will perform
rediscovered dance music by 1950s era cool jazz legend Gil Evans along with
featured pianist Lou Schreiber in a free concert on February 23rd at 7:30 pm at the
Olin Fine Arts Center, near the corners of South Wade Avenue and East Wheeling
Street, on the campus of Washington & Jefferson College, Washington, PA, 15301.
Starfall trombonist Paul Martin is a huge fan of Evans' arrangements, originally
written for the Claude Thornhill Orchestra. Martin discovered that a small college
in Missouri held Thornhill’s entire music library of nearly 800 original works,
including many Evans originals that have never been recorded, and Martin made it
his mission to bring these works back to life.
To many jazz fans, Gil Evans & Miles Davis created “cool jazz” in 1949 with their
collaboration on “Birth of the Cool.” When Martin got to know these earlier
Evans’ charts, however, it became clear to him they represent a “link” between
swing era, bebop and cool jazz styles, incorporating elements of each. To
faithfully recreate the pieces, Martin has spent the better part of a year lining
up a talented group of young musicians now called “The Starfall Orchestra” to play
the Evans arrangements.
“The absolute key to Evans’ arrangements is the piano voice itself and we were very
fortunate to land Lou Schreiber for this part,” says Martin. Schreiber, an
institution to Pittsburgh jazz fans, shares Martin’s enthusiasm for this music.
“These are beautiful works,” says Schreiber, “and we are fortunate to have a solid
group of musicians who are doing a great job interpreting them, requiring a style
of ensemble playing that is something of a lost art.”
Kyle Simpson, Assistant Professor of Music at W&J plays jazz trumpet for Starfall.
Says Simpson, “This is a kind of ‘cool, swinging, bebop dance music’ that reaches
casual and informed listeners alike; if this music doesn’t appeal to you on some
level, check your pulse!”
Starfall Orchestra is available to perform for private parties, weddings, and
corporate events. For more information contact starfallorchestra@gmail.com.
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