[Dixielandjazz] Dave Black's Obit - LA TIMES

[Don Robertson]

Dave was, until recently, occasionally playing with Phil Smith's 
Gentlemen of Jazz, a swing trio (plus drums) appearing at an local  
restaurant  here in  Napa .  I heard him several times and was always 
amazed at the energy he put into his drumming.  I knew he had health 
problems, but not  aware of the extent until the news of his death.

Don Robertson
Napa, CA

Steve Barbone wrote:
> 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." 
>
>
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