Nat Pierce

Dick Sheridan and Nat Pierce (right), 1961

Nat Pierce (born July 16, 1925 in Somerville , Massachusetts , † June 10, 1992 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American jazz pianist and arranger, best known from his time with the Woody Herman Big Band.

life and work

Pierce grew up in the Somerville suburb of Boston and studied for a year at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. After he had played in various local bands from 1943 (where he also arranged), he was a member of the short-lived big band of Ray Borden, a former trumpeter of the Stan Kenton Band, and then in the orchestra of Larry Clinton in 1947 . There he met Charlie Mariano , with whom he had his own band from 1949 to the end of 1950, before he worked as a pianist and arranger (as well as tutor) for Woody Herman from 1951 to 1955. In 1954 he formed a short-lived nonet with Dick Collins ; in the 1950s he also played with musicians such as Pee Wee Russell , Lester Young , Emmett Berry and Ruby Braff and from 1957 to 1959 led, with interruptions, his own band in New York with, among others, Buck Clayton , Paul Quinichette . He was also involved as arranger and pianist on the legendary CBS television show The Sound of Jazz from December 1957. In 1960 he recorded his piece Ballad of Jazz Street with a studio big band, which included Paul Quinichette, Paul Gonsalves and Clark Terry . He then arranged for Woody Herman again before moving to Los Angeles in 1966. In 1965, the album Woody's Winners was created with the Herman Band , for which Pierce provided the arrangement of "Northwest Passage". From 1977 he headed the big band Juggernaut with drummer Frank Capp , which consisted of studio musicians in Hollywood and played mainly Count Basie and Woody Herman’s repertoire in the Los Angeles area .

Pierce was also the last band leader to play in the old Savoy Ballroom in New York.

Discographic notes

• The Boston Bust Out , 1947–50 ( Hep Records , 1995) with Sonny Truitt , Clark Terry, Charlie Mariano, Serge Chaloff , Ralph Burns , Teddi King
• The Nat Pierce-Dick Collins Nonet - The Charlie Mariano Sextet ( Fantasy Records , 1953/54) with Cy Touff , Dick Hafer , Jack Nimitz
• Ballad of Jazz Street ( Zim Records , 1961) Clark Terry, Eddie Bert , Jimmy Cleveland , Dick Meldonian , Paul Gonsalves, Paul Quinichette, Marty Flax , Turk Van Lake
• 5400 North , 1978 (Hep Records, 1996) with Dick Collins , Bill Perkins , Frank Capp, Mary Ann McCall
• My Pal Basie , 1989 (Jazz Connaisseur, 1993) with Irving Stokes , Jimmy Woode , Oliver Jackson

As an accompanying musician

• Bing Crosby / Tony Bennett / Rosemary Clooney / Woody Herman: A Tribute to Duke ( Concord Records , 1977) with Scott Hamilton , Bill Berry , Monty Budwig , Jake Hanna

Web links

• Nat Pierce, 66, Dies; Leader of Jazz Band obituary in the New York Times, June 13, 1992
• Biography for Hep Records (English)
• Nat Pierce at Allmusic (English)