[Dixielandjazz] Dave Black's Obit - LA TIMES

[David Richoux]

I heard from some band-mates that attended his memorial service - it  
was apparently an incredible event, many prominent Bay Area OKOM  
musicians were in attendance (and some performed,) and the stories  
that were told were indeed memorable.

I was not able to attend, but if anyone on list can relate some of  
those stories...

Dave Richoux

On Dec 9, 2006, at 6:39 PM, Don Robertson wrote:

> 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."
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Dixielandjazz mailing list
>> Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
>> http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
>>
>>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Dixielandjazz mailing list
> Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz