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!

 

Badge

Loading…

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

1 Billy Porter and Renee Elise Goldsberry to appear in readings of new Strayhorn play Sharon Eberson Pittsburgh Post-Gazette seberson@post-gazette.com 4:59 PM Sep 8, 2017 An all-star …

Pittsburgh jazz great Billy Strayhorn
1
Billy Porter and Renee Elise Goldsberry to appear in readings of new Strayhorn play

An all-star Broadway team with Tony Award-winners Billy Porter and Renee Elise Goldsberry and Tony nominee Norm Lewis will gather Oct. 2 and 3 for readings in New Jersey and New York of “Something to Live For,” a biographical play about Pittsburgh jazz great Billy Strayhorn, written by Rob Zellers.

Pittsburgher Zellers is co-writer of “The Chief,” a solo play about Art Rooney Sr., and “Harry’s Family Service,” both of which debuted at Pittsburgh Public Theater. He had been its longtime director of education and left the Public to pursue writing projects. Zellers found a path to Strayhorn two years ago when he was reviewing a Duke Ellington biography for the Post-Gazette.

Mr. Lewis (“The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess”; “Phantom of the Opera”) will portray Ellington for the reading. Mr. Porter, the Pittsburgh native who recently performed in two concerts in his hometown, is directing and will portray Strayhorn. Ms. Goldsberry, a Tony winner for “Hamilton” and, like Mr. Porter, a Carnegie Mellon graduate, will portray a parade of singers, including Ellington band vocalist Ivie Anderson, Sarah Vaughan, Lena Horne, Billie Holiday and Mahalia Jackson.

“There was a big section in the book about Billy Strayhorn. Since then I’ve read volumes, whatever I could get my hands on,” Mr. Zellers said by phone Friday.

One helpful discovery was that Strayhorn’s lyrics were mostly autobiographical, which fits nicely into the play’s narrative. “Something to Live For” covers “pretty much his life,” said Mr. Zellers, through Strayhorn’s graduation from Westinghouse High School to his move to New York and his death “all too young” from esophageal cancer, at age 51.

“I believe Lena Horne was his great love,” Mr. Zellers said. “He was a gay black man in the middle of the 20th century, and in jazz, which was sort of a macho field, but Lena Horne was his soul mate. His beloved mentor was Duke Ellington, and his other great love was the pianist Aaron Bridgers.”

Nathan Darrow (“House of Cards”) will appear as drummer Mickey Scrima and Matthew J. Harris as pianist Bridgers.

The reading Oct. 2 is part of a free series at Theater at The Woodland in New Jersey. The next day’s presentation is for invited members of the industry at New York City’s Second Stage Theater.

Sharon Eberson: seberson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1960. Twitter: @SEberson_pg.

Views: 235

Comment

You need to be a member of Pittsburgh Jazz Network to add comments!

Join Pittsburgh Jazz Network

© 2024   Created by Dr. Nelson Harrison.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service