Norman Simmons
Norman Sarney Simmons (born October 6, 1929 in Chicago , Illinois , † May 13, 2021 in Lakewood Township , New Jersey ) was an American jazz pianist who was valued by singers as a companion and was a kind of alter ego of Joe Williams . He was also a sought-after arranger and, according to Martin Kunzler , "wrote jazz history" with his orchestration of Wade in the Water for the tentet by Johnny Griffins .
Live and act
Simmons studied at the Chicago School of Music from 1945 to 1949 and initially performed with a trio modeled on the Nat King Cole trio, which also included the young guitarist Roland Faulkner . He then played with Clifford Jordan before joining Paul Bascomb's band in 1953 . The first recordings were made in 1953 when he played in the backing combo of the singer Dinah Washington ("My Man's an Undertaker"). He then worked as a resident pianist in the Chicago jazz club Bee Hive (1953 to 1956) and in the C&C Lounge (1957 to 1959) and accompanied soloists such as Wardell Gray , Dakota Staton and Ernestine Anderson . In 1956 he played a debut album with his trio, Norman Simmons Trio , which was released by Argo . He then moved to New York City , where he worked as an arranger for the Riverside label from 1959 and played in the quintet of Eddie Lockjaw Davis and Johnny Griffin. From 1969 he accompanied Carmen McRae , then Betty Carter (until 1971), then with Anita O'Day and Helen Humes , and then from 1979 worked for several years as Joe Williams' pianist, with whom he also played his album Ballad and Blues Master recorded.
In the mid-1980s, the pianist, who last appeared again with a trio, withdrew from touring and concentrated again on arranging. From 1982 he taught as a professor at William Paterson State College, later at the New School . In 1992 he toured with the Philip Morris Superband and Nnenna Freelon . He has also recorded with Red Rodney , Roy Eldridge , Houston Person , Frank Wess , Warren Vaché , Etta Jones , Red Holloway , Scott Hamilton , Al Gray , Dakota Staton , Carol Sloane, and Harold Ashby . In the field of jazz, according to Tom Lord , he was involved in 132 recording sessions between 1953 and 2011, most recently with the Duke Ellington Legacy around Virginia Mayhew .
Discographic notes
- Ramira the Dancer (1976), with Lisle Atkinson , Al Harewood , Ralph Dorsey
- Midnight Creeper (1979), with Lisle Atkinson, Al Harewood
- I'm ... The Blues (1980), with Jimmy Owens, Clifford Jordan , Lisle Atkinson, Al Harewood
- 13th Moon (1986), with Jimmy Owens , Frank Wess, Dave Samuels , Lisle Atkinson, Al Harewood, Bobby Sanabria , Ralph Dorsey, Robert Davis and Howard Alden , Gerryck King
- The Art of Norman Simmons (2000), with Eric Alexander, Henry Johnson, Paul West, Paul Wells
- Synthesis (Savant, 2003), with Eric Alexander , Henry Johnson, Lisle Atkinson, Paul Wells, Kevin Jones
- In Private (Savant, 2004), with Lisle Atkinson, Paul Humphrey
Lexigraphic entries
- Martin Kunzler : Jazz Lexicon. Volume 2: M – Z (= rororo-Sachbuch. Vol. 16513). 2nd Edition. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2004, ISBN 3-499-16513-9 .
Web links
- Web presence ( memento of October 24, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- Profile (NPR) ( Memento from June 12, 2002 in the Internet Archive )
- Norman Simmons at AllMusic (English)
- Norman Simmons at Discogs
- Interview (1995)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Nate Cinen: Norman Simmons, Pianist Who Made an Elegant Art Out of Accompaniment, Dies at 91. WBGO , May 13, 2021, accessed on May 14, 2021 (English).
- ↑ Bob Rush: Cadence , Volume 15, 1989
- ↑ Tom Lord : The Jazz Discography (online, accessed May 15, 2021)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Simmons, Norman |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Simmons, Norman Sarney (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz pianist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 6, 1929 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Chicago , Illinois |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 13, 2021 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Lakewood Township, New Jersey |