[Dixielandjazz] Dave Black's Obit - LA TIMES

[Steve Barbone]

Dave Black, 78; jazz drummer played with Ellington, other greats

>From LA Times Staff and Wire Reports

December 9, 2006

Dave Black, 78, a jazz drummer who toured and recorded with Duke Ellington's
big band in the mid-1950s and inspired composer Billy Strayhorn to write the
drum showcase "Gonna Tan Your Hide," died Monday of pancreatic cancer at his
home in Alameda, Calif.
An immensely versatile drummer, Black played swing, bebop and early rock
with equal skill. He joined Ellington in 1953 after beating out Ed
Shaughnessy and Philly Jo Jones in a contest to replace Ellington drummer
Louis Bellson.
 
Black stayed with the band two years until he was diagnosed with polio.
After recuperating, he became a staple of the Dixieland revival band led by
trumpeter Bob Scobey and later a freelance drummer in the San Francisco Bay
Area.

The son of Scottish immigrants, Black was born in Philadelphia.
After graduating from vocational high school, he became the house drummer at
the Blue Note club in Philadelphia, where he accompanied a variety of
visiting heavyweights, including Charlie Parker, Zoot Sims and Georgie Auld.
Black can be heard on several Ellington recordings, including "The 1954 Los
Angeles Concert" and "Ellington '55."