John Mehegan

John Mehegan (* June 6, 1920 in Wethersfield (Connecticut), † April 3, 1984 in New Canaan, Connecticut) was an American jazz pianist, lecturer and critic.

Life and work

John Mehegan began at the age of five years, self-taught to play the piano; later gave him his mother violin lessons, but he preferred the piano. Around 1940, he appeared in Connecticut; In 1941 he moved to New York City. In 1945 he had a quartet with guitarist Billy Moore, Al Hall, Jimmy Crawford and recorded four tracks for Savoy and played briefly in the band of Lionel Hampton ( " Blowtop Blues "). 1946 was appointed head of the jazz department at the Metropolitan Music School in New York; In 1947 he also worked at the Juilliard School of Music and Yale University and wrote next to jazz reviews for the New York Herald Tribune and liner notes, such as the Savoy album The Charlie Parker Story.

The 1950s were his most active period as a musician; 1952 had Mehegan in a session of Charles Mingus ' Jazz Workshop with singer Jackie Paris ( " Paris in Blue"). For Savoy he also recorded two albums under his own name, Reflections in a duo with Kenny Clarke and A Pair of piano trio with Eddie Costa and Vinnie Burke. In 1954 he took part in a session with Chuck Wayne.

Another session with Clarke and Mingus on 30 January 1955, published on the Savoy anthology I Just Love Jazz Piano. In April 1956, he participated as a soloist on his last album for Savoy, a standards program with titles like " Makin ' Whoopee ", " Deep Purple" and " It Could Happen To You". In 1958, he remained with the singer Tony Perkins ( ' On a Rainy Afternoon).

Mehegan came next in New York for several years as a soloist in the "Composer 's Lounge " and the " Ambassador Grill and Lounge " on; also in the " River Cafe " in Brooklyn and numerous clubs in southwestern Connecticut, where he lived with his family.

In 1959 he played with Kenny Dorham an album for the label request and toured South Africa, where he among other things also worked with the young Hugh Masekela, which brought him into trouble with the local apartheid regime because of " fraternization ". 1960 emerged Mehegans last recordings with a trio; after which he worked mainly as a university teacher and writer.

During his long years of teaching had John Mehegan students, which include many later known jazz musicians such as Mike LeDonne, Tad Shull, Larry Willis and Jack Wilkins. He wrote for the magazine Down Beat, as well as several books on jazz, such as the four-volume series of jazz improvisation, which grappled with the basic principles of jazz. In 1968 he taught at the University of Bridgeport, 1974/75 in Yale. He was also active as a composer for film and television, including for the film version of Arthur Miller's A Memory of Two Mondays act play.

Leonard Bernstein dedicated to him a piano composition that is included in his collection Four Anniversaries of 1948. Richard Cook and Brian Morton wrote in their stylistic notes to record work Mehegans that he tried in his game to include formal structures of the music of Bach and Handel, what a " clockwork -like rhythm " returned, but could not convince. Even the standard "I'll Remember April " (with Eddie Costa) he interpreted in a way as it could have played Beethoven.

References

Publications

  • Styles for the Jazz pianist. New York: Sam Fox, 1957.
  • Jazz Improvisation, Vol 1: Tonal and Rhythmic Principles. New York: Watson- Guptill, 1959, ISBN 0823025713. .
  • The jazz pianist. Studies in the Art and Practice of Jazz Improvisation, Vol 1-3. New York: Sam Fox, 1960.
  • Jazz Preludes. New York: Sam Fox, 1962.
  • Jazz Improvisation, Vol 2: Jazz Rhythm and the Improvised Line. New York: Watson- Guptill, 1962, ISBN 0-8230-2572-1. .
  • Jazz Improvisation, Vol 3: Swing and Early Progressive Piano Styles. New York: Watson- Guptill, 1964, ISBN 0 - 8230-2573 -X..
  • Jazz Improvisation, Vol 4: Contemporary Piano Styles. New York: Watson- Guptill, 1965, ISBN 0-8230-2574-8. .
  • Improvising Jazz Piano. New York / London: Amsco Publ, 1985 ISBN 0-7119-0191-0. .

Disco Graphical Notes

  • Chuck Wayne: The Guitar And Quintet Of Chuck Wayne ( Savoy, 1954)
  • Reflections ( Savoy, 1955) solos and duets with Kenny Clarke
  • John Mehegan / Eddie Costa Trio: A Pair of Pianos ( Savoy, 1955)
  • The John Mehegan Trio / Quartet ( Savoy, 1955)
  • How I Play Jazz Piano ( Savoy, 1956)
  • Casual Affair (Request / Fresh Sound Records, 1959) with Kenny Dorham, Chuck Wayne

Swell

  • Obituary in the New York Times on April 5, 1984
  • Bielefeld catalog 1988 & 2002
  • Richard Cook & Brian Morton: The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings, 2nd & 8th Edition, London, Penguin, 1994/2006 ISBN 0-141-02327-9
New Canaan (Connecticut) Al Hall (musician) Savoy Records Ludwig van Beethoven Richard Cook (journalist) Brian Morton (Scottish writer) Sweet Georgia Brown Integrated Authority File
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