Booker Pittman

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Booker Pittman (born October 3, 1909 in Fairmont Heights , Maryland , † October 13, 1969 in São Paulo ) was an American jazz musician ( alto saxophone , clarinet , arrangement , also vocals ).

Live and act

Pittman's mother was Portia Pittman, the daughter of Booker T. Washington and a music teacher whose students included 1920s jazz musicians such as Sam Price and Budd Johnson . In the second half of that decade, Booker Pittman played in Territory bands like the Blue Moon Chasers and Gene Coy's Happy Black Aces . For the next decade he was a member of the Kansas City jazz scene , playing in Count Basie's combos and Ralph Cooper's Kongo Knights . The first recordings were made in 1931 with Blanche Calloway . In the following years he also worked in Bennie Moten's band . In 1933 he toured Europe with Lucky Millinder ; in Paris he played with Freddy Johnson and His Harlemites.

In 1935 Pittman was employed by Romeu Silva and came to Brazil with Claude Autin and Louie Cole. First he performed in the Urca casino in Rio de Janeiro, then in various nightclubs and clubs. In the late 1930s he went to Argentina, where he stayed for a decade. In 1939/40 he recorded several titles in Buenos Aires. After being active in other professions, he recorded two albums under his own name for RCA Victor and Masterpiece in 1959 . In 1962 he was invited to the Washington International Jazz Festival and the Newport Jazz Festival in the United States. Further recordings were made in Brazil with his step-daughter, the singer Eliana Pittman . In 1964 he appeared on US television on Jack Paar's Tonight Show . According to Tom Lord , he was involved in 15 recording sessions between 1931 and 1961 in the field of jazz .

A street in São Paulo is named after him. In 1999, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of his death, the short film Booker Pittman by Rodrigo Grota, which tells of his artistic career, was made.

Discographic notes

  • Booker Pittman + Sax-soprano = Sucesso (1959)
  • Dick Farney & Booker Pittman: Jam Session Das Folhas (1961)
  • Eliana & Booker Pittman: News from Brazil - Bossa Nova (Polydor, 1963)
  • Eliana Pittman & Booker Pittman: Ao Vivo Na Boate Porão 73

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b entry (Dicionario MBP)
  2. ↑ Tom Lord The Jazz Discography (online, accessed February 1, 2020)
  3. ^ Rua Booker Pittman
personal data
SURNAME Pittman, Booker
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz musician (woodwind instruments, arrangement)
DATE OF BIRTH October 3, 1909
PLACE OF BIRTH Fairmont Heights , Maryland
DATE OF DEATH October 13, 1969
Place of death São Paulo