John Mehegan

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

Live and act

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

The 1950s were his most active period as a musician; 1952 Mehegan took part in a session of Charles Mingus ' Jazz Workshop with the 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 Pianos in a trio with Eddie Costa and Vinnie Burke . In 1954 he participated in a session with Chuck Wayne .

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

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

In 1959 he recorded an album with Kenny Dorham for the Request label and toured South Africa , where he worked with Hugh Masekela , Kippie Moeketsi and Jonas Gwangwa , which brought him trouble with the apartheid regime there because of "fraternization". Mehegan's last recordings with a trio were made in 1960; after that he worked mainly as a university lecturer and author.

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

Leonard Bernstein dedicated a piano composition to him, which is included in his collection Four Anniversaries from 1948. Richard Cook and Brian Morton wrote in their stylistic comments on Mehegan's record work that he tried to incorporate formal structures of the music of Bach and Handel into his playing, which resulted in a “clockwork-like rhythm” that was not convincing. He also interpreted the standard “ I'll Remember April ” (with Eddie Costa) in a way that Beethoven could have played.

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 .

Discographic notes

  • Chuck Wayne: The Guitar And Quintet Of Chuck Wayne (Savoy, 1954)
  • Reflections (Savoy, 1955) solos and duos 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

Web links

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Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Johnny Mehegan (p) Billy Moore (g) Al Hall (b) Jimmy Crawford (d) (NYC, March 27, 1945); Sweet Georgia Brown , Easy to Love, April in Paris , Lullaby in Rhythm . The recordings first appeared as a single (Johnny Mehegan - April In Paris c / w Lullaby In Rhythm (Savoy 568)), then on the album Johnny Mehegan (Savoy XP 8096) ;; see. jazzdisco.org/Savoy Records, 1945.
  2. ^ At the session on September 16, 1952, the titles "Make Believe" and "Montage" were created; the recordings are included in the compilation The Complete Debut Recordings or in the album Debut Rarities, Vol .
  3. ↑ John Mehegan (p) Chuck Wayne (g) Vinnie Burke (b) Joe Morello (d) (NYC, June 10, 1954), Taking A Chance On Love, Sirod, Uncus and Stella by Starlight , which are also featured on his album The John Mehegan Trio / Quartet (Savoy MG 15054) is included.
  4. ↑ They played the tracks Blues too Much, Thou Swell , The Boy Next Door, Cherokee . The tracks later appeared on the album: The John Mehegan Trio / Quartet (Savoy MG 15054) .
  5. ↑ John Mehegan - How I Play Jazz Piano (Savoy MG 12076)
  6. ↑ See Cook / Morton, p. 894.
  7. ↑ See Cook / Morton, p. 879, 2nd edition, 1994.
personal data
SURNAME Mehegan, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz pianist, lecturer, and critic
DATE OF BIRTH June 6, 1920
PLACE OF BIRTH Wethersfield (Connecticut) , USA
DATE OF DEATH April 3, 1984
Place of death New Canaan (Connecticut)