Rod Levitt
Rod Levitt ( born September 16, 1929 in Portland, Oregon, † 8 May 2007 in Wardsboro, Vermont ) was an American jazz trombonist and composer.
Life and work
Levitt studied music theory, arranging and trombone at the University of Washington. During his studies he played in local bands in Seattle, but then joined the band by Quincy Jones. He spent his military service in the 722nd Regiment Air Force Band. He then went to New York City, where he was known when he a member of the big band of Dizzy Gillespie was 1956/57, with which he toured South America and the album Birk's Works grossed. During this time he also played as a sideman on Dinah Washington's Fats Waller Songbook. In 1958 he became a member of the Symphony Orchestra of Radio City Music Hall, but also worked as a studio musician. In 1959, he worked at Gil Evans ' Great jazz album with standards for Pacific Jazz. In 1960 he played at the side of Melba Liston in the trombone section of the big band of Quincy Jones ( The Quintessence ), also with Oliver Nelson. In the early 1960s formed Levitt also has a private octet, which consisted of studio musicians and, inter alia, the pianist Sy Johnson and trumpeter Rolf Ericson and Bill Berry belonged. The formation gave several concerts and recorded four albums that are now out of print. They contained mainly by Levitt composed or arranged material that with stylistic influences from Gil Evans, Charles Mingus and the jazz of the 1920s. He also composed for film, television and advertising. For his advertising jingles, he worked with Mahalia Jackson and Rahsaan Roland Kirk.
Levitt was married since 1962.
Disco Graphical Notes
- RCA Victor Jazz Workshop: The Arrangers ( RCA, 1956-65 ). The compilation contains mainly Gil Evans and George Russell's work for Hal McKusick and a session under the direction of Johnny Carisi; also five titles of the Rod Levitt octets, such as Morning in Montevideo, Mr. Barrelhouse and Holler No.3.
- Dynamic Sound Patterns ( Prestige / OJC, 1963) Rolf Ericson mi
Swell
- Richard Cook & Brian Morton: The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, 6th Edition, London, Penguin, 2002 ISBN 0-14-017949-6.
- Ian Carr, Digby Fairweather & Brian Priestley: Rough Guide Jazz, Stuttgart, Metzler 2004 ( 2nd edition), ISBN 978-3-476-01892-2