When interviewed, many famous “popular” musicians like Justin Timberlake and Chris Brown  say they were influenced by the jazz records their parents used to play in their homes. That’s true for many people, both famous and otherwise, who love music. The exact origin of jazz music is difficult to pinpoint. What is sure is that it came about as a result of a mixing of musical cultures. When Africans were brought to America as slaves, they influenced American culture with their own. In New Orleans in the mid-1800’s, African-Americans started to experiment with European musical instruments. Some of the first songs they experimented with were hymns from church. By the end of the 19th century, the piano was introduced as an instrument for producing jazz music. Unlike the saxophone or the trumpet that only play single notes, the piano plays chords. This added a new dimension to the jazz combo. Slave emancipation coincided with the emergence of ragtime, a type of music that threw the conventional system of metrical beats into disarray. Instead, its rhythms were syncopated, which means they didn’t conform to a conservative beat succession system. Ragtime encouraged the listener to get up and move to the music. Piano music came to the forefront in ragtime, giving way to stride piano where the right hand plays the melody along with supporting chords and runs and fills while  the left plays bass notes and chords and rhythm. Stride featured more improvisation and swing notes than ragtime. Scott Joplin, known at the time as the King of Ragtime, talked learning to pick up the “swing” of the music as you play. Swing was the next form of jazz than evolved from ragtime. The early twentieth century saw the growth of jazz music in New Orleans, as more and more jazz combos played in the city’s clubs and bars. The first few jazz bands began recording their music at this time. By then, the piano had become an integral part of the jazz combo. The Prohibition Era of the 1920’s didn’t slow the jazz bands down. In fact, it was during this era that the greats like Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington and Earl Hines emerged. Hines was probably the most influential pianist of the time, playing in the “Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five” band while cultivating a solo career. Swing hit big in the 1930’s. It was bigger than ragtime, and songs often carried on for several minutes as each band member got a chance to play a solo. A party wasn’t a party without a big swing band belting out song after vibrant song, and soon swing was all over the radio in the United States. Swing faded during the conflict of World War Two. Many band members were off fighting in the conflict. Bebop developed from swing during this time. Pianists Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk rose as two of the great jazz pianists of the era. In the 1940’s and 50’s, cool jazz became popular, with pianist Bill Evans claiming a place in music history as one of the most inventive and creative jazz pianists of century. The 1960s were all about free love, stringy hair and the beginning of Latin jazz and jazz fusion. Many Cuban and Brazilian musicians put their cultural stamp on American jazz and gave birth to a new genre. Jazz fusion came about with the electrification of jazz through the use of synthesizers, keyboards and electric guitars. They blended with brass instruments and the piano for a totally new sound. Today, jazz is still one of the most influential music forms in the world. Jazz music has asserted itself as a contemporary force in the music world, and the success of current jazz artists is a testament to that.

George Shearing was born blind on August 13, 1919, but his life has been fast-paced and full of accomplishments. Born in London, Shearing was the youngest of nine children and even though blind from birth, went on to create one of the most recognized sounds in jazz. By the age of three, Shearing learned to play the piano. Then, Linden Lodge School for the Blind was his home away from home for four years. While in school, Shearing also learned to play the accordion. He even performed at a local pub for the equivalent of almost 5 dollars per week. Shortly after, Shearing joined a band of blind musicians. In 1937, at the age of 18, George Shearing began recording music with Leonard Feather. After three years of recording with Feather, Harry Parry’s band took in Shearing. During this time, Shearing was also honored as the winner of seven Melody Maker polls. Although he moved to the United States in 1947, he became a United States citizen in 1956. During those nine years, George Shearing began playing a new style of music that incorporated swing, bop, and modern classic. 1949 marked the year that Shearing founded the first George Shearing Quintet. The quintet included Marjorie Hyams, Chuck Wayne, John Levy, and Denzil Best. The first single from the quintet was September in the Rain, and it sold over 900,000 copies. In 1969, the quintet stopped recording with Capitol; however, Sheaving solved the problem by starting Sheba, his own recording label. From 1970 to 1978, the quintet disassembled. During these eight years, The Reunion and With George Shearing were released. Shearing recorded and released these albums in collaboration with well-known bassist Andy Simpkins, drummer Rusty Jones, and musician Stephane Grappelli. Over the years, other collaborations included music with Montgomery Brothers, Marian McPartland, Brian Q. Torff, Jim Hall, Hank Jones, Kenny Davern, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Ernestine Anderson, Dakota Staton, Carmen McRae, and Nancy Wilson. Concord Records signed George Shearing in 1979. Under Concord Records, he won Grammy awards in 1982 and 1983. From the 1980’s through the 1990’s, George Shearing performed at numerous festivals, was on numerous radio shows, and made many recordings. Collaboration with Neil Swainson occurred in the 1990’s through the early 21st century. The Rare Delight of You, an album with Shearing and The John Pizzarelli Trio, was released in 2002. It received great reviews. Along the way, a now-popular piano technique was named after Shearing. It is called Shearing Voicing. This technique uses a block chord with the melody on top in the right hand while the left hand repeats the melody in a lower octave and makes it stand out over the right hand. It is a difficult style to perfect, particularly when playing solo. In his quintet Shearing has the vibes player playing the melody also, creating what some have described as a “shimmering overtone” effect. Jack Kerouac’s novel On the Road describes a lovely Shearing performance. In all of his years of musical service, Shearing recorded and released close to 100 albums and has received many notable awards. Westminster College in Utah gave him an honorary Doctor of Music degree in 1975. Shearing also earned the Horatio Alger Award for Distinguished Americans in 1978. In 1993, the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement was given to him. Shearing received another honorary degree from Hamilton College in New York. It was also a Doctor of Music honorary degree. He received the first American Music Award by the National Arts Club of New York in 1998. Recently, the BBC Jazz Awards’ Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Shearing in 2003. George Shearing became Sir George Shearing in 2007 when he was knighted for his services in music. Now, Sir George and his wife travel from their New York apartment to Berkshires frequently. Shearing is semi-retired.

Andre Previn is a German-born pianist, conductor, and composer. From arranging and composing Hollywood film scores to his multiple marriages which sparked many musical inspirations, Andre Previn’s life was never dull. I can still remember the excitment of hearing him for the first time on the radio, then rushing into Fowler’s Music Store in Auburn (my home town) to buy his new album “My Fair Lady” in which he took those great tunes and played them in his unique classical-jazz style (with help from drummer Shelly Mann and basist LeRoy Vinegar), then playing it over and over again and trying to imitate his style on songs such as “On The Street Where You Live”, “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly”, “Get Me To The Church On Time” and others. I was terrible (or worse) but as I look back it certainly helped in my development. Andre Previn is a German-born pianist, conductor, and composer. Born April 6, 1929, in Berlin, Previn was born to a Jewish family. In 1939, the Previn family immigrated to the United States; however, Previn did not become a citizen of the United States until 1943. At his high school graduation from Beverly Hills High School in 1946, he played a duo with Richard M. Sherman, who played the flute. From 1950’s until recently, Previn has recorded and toured as a jazz pianist. He has worked with Shelly Manne, Benny Carter, Dinah Shore, and Julie Andrews over the course of his career. Previn frequently appeared on The Dinah Shore Chevy Show in the 1960’s. In 1966, Julie Andrews and Andre Previn collaborated on a Christmas carol album. About 21 years after his high school graduation, the Houston Symphony Orchestra was in the market for a new music director. Previn soon filled that need. However, the London Symphony Orchestra wanted him, too. In 1968, Andre Previn became the tenured principal conductor with the London Symphony Orchestra, and he served there for 11 years. During his time with the London Symphony orchestra, he appeared on a television program called “Andre Previn’s Music Night.” Although he was tenured with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra needed a music director. Previn decided to take on that role as well from 1976 though 1984. Working with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, another television program was born, “Previn and the Pittsburgh.” During this time, he worked with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as their principal conductor. The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra named Andre Previn as their music director, but he resigned from that strenuous role in April 1989. Previn’s first opera performance was A Streetcar Named Desire, which premiered in 1998 at the San Francisco Opera. Following the opera, Previn focused on vocal, chamber, and orchestral music with the occasional recordings of jazz. Previn adapted and conducted many arrangements in the Hollywood spectrum. He did stage-to-screen adaptations for My Fair Lady, Kismet, Porgy and Bess, and Paint Your Wagon. From 1949 through 1970, Previn assisted with music in the following films: The Music Lovers, Inside Daisy Clover, Two for the Seesaw, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Bells are Ringing, Elmer Gantry, Silk Stockings, It’s Always Fair Weather, Bad Day at the Black Rock, Kiss Me Kate, Three Little Words, and The Secret Garden. Gigi, the 1958 Academy Award winning film, also featured many special works from Previn. Previn, like many other amazing, multitalented artists, has received many acknowledgements and awards. Among his personal awards, he has received 13 Academy nominations and four Oscar victories. He also holds seven Grammy Awards. Andre Previn became an honorary Knight of the Order of British Empire in 1996; however, due to lack of citizenship in the Commonwealth, the title of “sir” cannot appear before his name. He instead puts the letters KBE with his name to indicate the honor. In 1998, Previn received the Kennedy Center Honors for his classical music and opera contributions. 2005 marked the year that Previn received the International Glenn Gloud Prize for his achievements. On May 13, 2008, Previn received the London Symphony Orchestra’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Andre Previn is still touring. In April 2008, he performed in Rome at Italy’s Accademia Nazionale Santa Cecilia. On June 22, Previn performed with the London Symphony Orchestra and Anne Sophie Mutter in London at the Barbican Hall. August appearances include performances at the Koussevitsky Music Shed in Lenox, MA. Massachusetts’s Symphony Hall will host Andre Previn on October 2 through October 4 and October 7. November will be the month that Previn is in Seattle at the Benaroya Hall. On December 21, Previn will return to London’s Barbican Hall for his last performance of the year. Even at the age of 79, Andre Previn KBE is still as active in the music genre as ever.

When I was a teenager I owned a record album titled “This is Pat Moran” which I absolutely loved and couldn’t get enough of. Pat Moran was known as “the little girl of jazz” not only because she is short of stature, but also because she was so young — playing with seasoned jazz artists twice her age. She came from a musical family and studied classical piano at Phillips University and then at Cinncinnati Conservatory of Music with the goal of becoming a classical concert pianist. She was so gifted with improvisation abilities that she soon switched to jazz, formed a group and played in jazz clubs in New York (including Birdland, home of Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Monk, Dizzy, and others) Chicago and Los Angeles. She played for a stint with the Terry Gibbs big band, but most of the time fronted the Pat Moran trio and vocal quartet. She has played with jazz greats such as Ray Brown, Shelly Manne, Scott LaFaro, Herb Ellis, Barney Kessel, and many others. After I was married we moved to Oregon to pursue my Masters Degree at Southern Oregon University and to my delight, discovered that Pat Moran was really Patti McCoy, who lived in Ashland close to the University, and played occasionally in concerts and regularly at church. With my heart in my throat I knocked on her door one day and introduced myself as a fan. She invited me in, played a couple tunes for me, and gradually we became good friends. When it was time to do my Master’s thesis, she agreed to work with me in producing a book and a cassette on the history of piano jazz. It was a great experience, and my professors of course were delighted. We later transfered the cassette interview with Patti to CD and it is still available at Piano Improvisation From Ragtime To Contemporary. In it we take a walk through the history of jazz piano, with me asking her questions and she responding and playing many examples of different types of jazz, including boogie, ragtime, swing, be-bop, Garner style, and contemporary styles such as Chick Corea. Here is a video of her playing an old gospel song “When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder” at a church in Los Angeles pastored by another great gospel musician, Andre Couch: To repeat, you can get the full interview which includes lots of Patti playing various kinds of jazz at Piano Improvisation From Ragtime To Contemporary