Jazz

Harlem Renaissance poet Claude McKay in the 1930s described Pittsburgh's Hill District as the “Crossroads to the World” as it was a center for African-American music, art, and commerce.  From the 1920s to the mid 1960s the Hill District was the center of a thriving jazz scene of night clubs, big band ball rooms, and concert theaters.  It was a must stop on the tours of the big bands and small jazz combos.  Pittsburgh's jazz artists learned their craft on the Hill and went on to shape the course of jazz history.

Pittsburgh became one of the foremost cities in the world for the development of leading jazz artists.  Pittsburgh's jazz artists have greatly influenced the history of jazz as leading instrumentals and founders of the Be Bop, Hard Bob, and Vocalese styles of jazz.   

NEA Jazz Masters - Roy Eldridge, Art Blakey, Kenny Clarke, Ray Brown, George Benson, Ahmad Jamal

Big Band Hall of Fame Members - Billy Strayhorn, Earl Hines, Billy Eckstine, Roy Eldridge,Sammy Nestico,Maxine Sullivan,Joe Pass, Erroll Garner, Kenny Clarke, Mary Lou Williams, and Perry Como. 

Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame Members - Billy Strayhorn, Ray Brown, Roy Eldridge, Kenny Clarke, J.J. Johnson, Earl Hines, Art Blakey, and Mary Lou

• Roy Eldridge, one of the most important trumpeters in the history of jazz, influenced a generation of swing trumpeters in the 1930s and 1940s. 

• Drummer Kenny Clark was one of the founders of Be Bop and the Modern Jazz Quartet.  

• Drummer Art Blakey founded the Jazz Messengers.

• Ray Brown is the master bassist of Jazz. 

• Maxine Sullivan created an innovative style of Jazz singing.

• Eddie Jefferson originated the vocalize style of scat singing.N

Jazz was introduced to Pittsburgh around 1907 by pianist Fate Marable who brought it upriver from New Orleans to appear at Hill District clubs. He influenced singer Lois Deppe who established the first African American swing band in Pittsburgh around 1917. Earl Hines, who began as a pianist with Deppe in 1921, recorded 18 songs with Louis Armstrong and the Hot Five in 1928 and became a band leader with weekly national radio show heard throughout the 1930s. In the period from the 1920s to the early 1940s several musicians who greatly influenced jazz history emerged from Pittsburgh including Earl Hines, Roy Eldrige, Babe Ressin, Billy Staryhorn, Lena Horne, Art Blakey, Kenny Clarke, Dodo Mararoso, Mary Lou Williams and Maxine Sullivan.

Earl "Fatha" Hines who recorded with Louie Armstrong on the definitive Hot Five records influenced generations of jazz pianists with his innovative trumpet style.  

Song writer/ arranger and pianist Billy Strayhorn. who worked with Duke Ellington over 30 years, wrote some the definitive classic songs of jazz including "Take the A Train", "Satin Doll", "Chelsea Bridge", "Lotus Blossom" and the masterpiece "Lush Life".  

The stories of Pittsburgh area Jazz artists who came to fame after the days of the Big Bands in the 1950s.  They contributed to the development of BeBop and Hard Bob.

Pittsburghers continued to star in the world of jazz piano with virtuoso's Admad Jamal, Erroll Garner, Sonny Clark, and Horace Parlan. 

Billy Eckstine, who got his start in the Earl Hines band, led the first bop big-band that included Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, Sarah Vaughan, Pittsburgh's Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, and Charlie Parker.  Eckstine also became the first African American singing star.   

The Pittsburgh school of jazz pianists that began with Fate Marable's stays in Pittsburgh includes Earl Hines, Billy Strayhorn, Mary Lou Williams, Erroll Garner, Ahmad Jamal, Sonny Clark, Horace Parland, Dodo Mamarosa, Orlando DiGirolamo, Johnny Costa, and David Budway.

Pittsburgh Piano Jazz City Playlist

The Pittsburgh school of jazz bassists includes Ray Brown, Paul Chambers, Ray Crawford, John Heard, Bobby Boswell, Eddie Safranski, David Izenson, Jimmy Di Julio, Ron Fudoli, Dwayne Dolphin, and Richie Good.

Art Blakey, Kenny Clarke, Beaver Harros. Roger Humphries. Allem Blairman

George Benson, Joe Pass, Jimmy Ponder. Eric Johnson, Ron Affif, and Ray Crawford