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{{Short description|American jazz composer and pianist (1917–1965)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
{{Infobox musical artist
|name = Tadd Dameron
|name = Tadd Dameron
|image = Portrait of Tadd Dameron, New York, N.Y., between 1946 and 1948 (Gottlieb).jpg
|image = Tadd Dameron, ca. 1946-1948.jpg
|caption = Tadd Dameron, New York, between 1946 and 1948
|caption = Dameron, New York, between 1946 and 1948<br/> Photograph by [[William P. Gottlieb]].
|background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
|background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
|birth_name = Tadley Ewing Peake Dameron
|birth_name = Tadley Ewing Peake Dameron
|birth_date = {{birth date|1917|2|21}}
|birth_date = {{birth date|1917|2|21}}
|birth_place = [[Cleveland, Ohio|Cleveland]], Ohio, U.S.
|birth_place = [[Cleveland, Ohio]], U.S.
|death_date = {{death date and age|1965|3|8|1917|2|21}}
|death_date = {{death date and age|1965|3|8|1917|2|21}}
|death_place =
|death_place = New York City, U.S.
|genre = [[Jazz]]
|genre = [[Jazz]]
|occupation = Musician, composer, arranger
|occupation = Musician, composer, arranger
|instrument = Piano
|instrument = Piano
|years_active =
|years_active = 1940s–1960s
|label =
|label =
|associated_acts =
}}
}}


'''Tadley Ewing Peake Dameron''' (February 21, 1917 – March 8, 1965) was an American [[jazz]] composer, arranger, and pianist.
'''Tadley Ewing Peake Dameron''' (February 21, 1917 &ndash; March 8, 1965) was an American [[jazz]] composer, arranger, and pianist. Saxophonist [[Dexter Gordon]] called him the "romanticist" of the bop movement,<ref>{{cite book |title='Round About Midnight: A Portrait of Miles Davis |last=Nisenson |first=Eric |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1996 |publisher=Da Capo Press |location= |isbn=0-306-80684-3 |page=65 |pages= |url= |accessdate=}}</ref> while reviewer [[Scott Yanow]] wrote that Dameron was the "definitive arranger/composer of the [[bop era]]".<ref>Yanow, Scott (2008), [{{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p6366/biography|pure_url=yes}} "Tadd Dameron biography"], ''AllMusic''.</ref>


==Biography==
==Biography==
[[File:Tadd Dameron, Mary Lou Williams and Dizzy Gillespie. (Gottlieb).jpg|thumb|left| Dameron, [[Mary Lou Williams]], and [[Dizzy Gillespie]] in Williams's apartment, c. June 1946<br/> Photograph by [[William P. Gottlieb]].]]
Born in [[Cleveland, Ohio|Cleveland]], [[Ohio]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tadd-Dameron|title=Tadd Dameron {{!}} American musician and composer|work=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=2017-05-15|language=en}}</ref> Dameron was the most influential arranger of the [[bebop]] era, but also wrote charts for [[swing (genre)|swing]] and [[hard bop]] players.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3JjWAAAAMAAJ&q=tadd+dameron+%22most+influential+arranger%22&dq=tadd+dameron+%22most+influential+arranger%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjhs9GbjfHTAhUGQiYKHTgSARUQ6AEIKTAB|title=Jazz: The Essential Album Guide|last=Hound|first=Music|date=1998-01-01|publisher=Music Sales Corporation|isbn=9780825672538|language=en}}</ref> The bands he arranged for included those of [[Count Basie]], [[Artie Shaw]], [[Jimmie Lunceford]], [[Dizzy Gillespie]], [[Billy Eckstine]], and [[Sarah Vaughan]]. He and lyricist [[Carl Sigman]] wrote "[[If You Could See Me Now (1946 song)|If You Could See Me Now]]" for Sarah Vaughan and it became one of her first signature songs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jazzstandards.com/compositions-1/ifyoucouldseemenow.htm|title=Jazz Standards Songs and Instrumentals (If You Could See Me Now)|website=www.jazzstandards.com|access-date=2017-05-15}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J9G50L3c14QC&pg=PT214#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=The History of Jazz|last=Gioia|first=Ted|date=2011-05-09|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780199831876|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/sarah-vaughan-about-sarah-vaughan/723/|title=Sarah Vaughan {{!}} About Sarah Vaughan {{!}} American Masters {{!}} PBS|date=2005-10-08|work=American Masters|access-date=2017-05-15|language=en-US}}</ref> According to the composer, his greatest influences were [[George Gershwin]] and [[Duke Ellington]].<ref name= "Rosenthal">{{cite book|last= Rosenthal| first= David, H.|title= Hard Bop: Jazz and Black Music 1955-1965| publisher= Oxford University Press| location= New York| isbn= 0-19-505869-0}}</ref>
Born in [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tadd-Dameron|title=Tadd Dameron {{!}} American musician and composer|work=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=2017-05-15|language=en}}</ref> Dameron was the most influential arranger of the [[bebop]] era, but also wrote charts for [[swing (genre)|swing]] and [[hard bop]] players.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3JjWAAAAMAAJ&q=tadd+dameron+%22most+influential+arranger%22|title=Jazz: The Essential Album Guide|last=Hound|first=Music|date=1998-01-01|publisher=Music Sales Corporation|isbn=9780825672538|language=en}}</ref> The bands he arranged for included those of [[Count Basie]], [[Artie Shaw]], [[Jimmie Lunceford]], [[Dizzy Gillespie]], [[Billy Eckstine]], and [[Sarah Vaughan]]. In 1940–41, Dameron was the piano player and arranger for the Kansas City band [[Harlan Leonard|Harlan Leonard and his Rockets]]. He and lyricist [[Carl Sigman]] wrote "[[If You Could See Me Now (1946 song)|If You Could See Me Now]]" for Sarah Vaughan and it became one of her first signature songs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jazzstandards.com/compositions-1/ifyoucouldseemenow.htm|title=Jazz Standards Songs and Instrumentals (If You Could See Me Now)|website=www.jazzstandards.com|access-date=2017-05-15}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J9G50L3c14QC&pg=PT214|title=The History of Jazz|last=Gioia|first=Ted|date=2011-05-09|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780199831876|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/sarah-vaughan-about-sarah-vaughan/723/|title=Sarah Vaughan {{!}} About Sarah Vaughan {{!}} American Masters {{!}} PBS|date=2005-10-08|work=American Masters|access-date=2017-05-15|language=en-US}}</ref> According to the composer, his greatest influences were [[George Gershwin]] and [[Duke Ellington]].<ref name="Rosenthal">{{cite book|last= Rosenthal| first= David, H.|title= Hard Bop: Jazz and Black Music 1955-1965| year= 1992| publisher= Oxford University Press| location= New York| isbn= 0-19-505869-0}}</ref>


In the late 1940s, Dameron wrote arrangements for Gillespie's big band, who gave the première of his large-scale orchestral piece ''Soulphony in Three Hearts'' at [[Carnegie Hall]] in 1948. Also in 1948, Dameron led his own group in New York, which included [[Fats Navarro]]; the following year Dameron was at the Paris Jazz Festival with [[Miles Davis]]. From 1961 he scored for recordings by [[Milt Jackson]], [[Sonny Stitt]], and [[Blue Mitchell]].<ref>Harrison, Max. "Dameron, Tadd." [http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/07122 Grove Music Online]. Oxford Music Online. April 2, 2011.</ref>
In the late 1940s, Dameron wrote arrangements for the big band of Dizzy Gillespie, who gave the première of his large-scale orchestral piece ''Soulphony in Three Hearts'' at [[Carnegie Hall]] in 1948. Also in 1948, Dameron led his own group in New York, which included [[Fats Navarro]]; the following year, Dameron was at the [[Paris Jazz Festival]] with [[Miles Davis]]. From 1961, he scored for recordings by [[Milt Jackson]], [[Sonny Stitt]], and [[Blue Mitchell]].<ref>Harrison, Max. "Dameron, Tadd." [http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/07122 Grove Music Online]. Oxford Music Online. April 2, 2011.</ref>


Dameron also arranged and played for [[rhythm and blues]] musician [[Bull Moose Jackson]]. Playing for Jackson at that same time was [[Benny Golson]], who was to become a jazz composer in his own right. Golson has said that Dameron was the most important influence on his writing.
Dameron additionally arranged and played for [[rhythm and blues]] musician [[Bull Moose Jackson]]. Playing for Jackson at that same time was [[Benny Golson]], who was to become a jazz composer in his own right. Golson has said that Dameron was the most important influence on his writing.


Dameron composed several bop [[jazz standard|standards]], including "[[Hot House (composition)|Hot House]]", "If You Could See Me Now", "Our Delight", "Good Bait" (composed for [[Count Basie]])<ref name="Rosenthal"/> and "[[Lady Bird (composition)|Lady Bird]]". Dameron's bands featured leading players such as Fats Navarro, Miles Davis, [[Dexter Gordon]], [[Sonny Rollins]], and [[Wardell Gray]].
Dameron composed several bop and swing [[jazz standard|standards]], including "[[Hot House (composition)|Hot House]]", "If You Could See Me Now", "[[Our Delight]]", "[[Good Bait]]" (composed for [[Count Basie]])<ref name="Rosenthal"/> and "[[Lady Bird (composition)|Lady Bird]]". Dameron's bands from the late 1940s and early 1950s featured leading players such as Fats Navarro, Miles Davis, [[Dexter Gordon]], [[Sonny Rollins]], [[Wardell Gray]], and [[Clifford Brown]]. In 1956, he led two sessions based on his compositions, released as the 1956 album "[[Fontainebleau (album)|Fontainebleau]]" and the 1957 album "[[Mating Call]]". The latter featured [[John Coltrane]]. Dameron developed an addiction to narcotics toward the end of his career. He was arrested on drug charges in 1957 and 1958, and served time (1959–60) in a federal prison hospital in [[Lexington, Kentucky]]. After his release, Dameron recorded a single notable project as a leader, [[The Magic Touch (Tadd Dameron album)|The Magic Touch]], but was sidelined by health problems; he had several [[heart attack]]s before dying of cancer in 1965, at the age of 48. He was buried at [[Ferncliff Cemetery]] in [[Hartsdale, New York]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/117063856/|title=Funeral Rites for Jazz Arranger Feature His Own Compositions|date=March 12, 1965|website=[[Ancestry.com|newspapers.com]]|publisher=[[The Arizona Republic]]|access-date=March 2, 2018}}</ref>


==Tributes==
After forming another group of his own with [[Clifford Brown]] in 1953, Dameron developed an addiction to narcotics toward the end of his career. He was arrested on drug charges in 1957 and 1958, and served time (1959–60) in a federal prison hospital in [[Lexington, Kentucky]]. After his release, Dameron recorded a single notable project as a leader, The Magic Touch, but was sidelined by health problems; he had several [[heart attack]]s before dying of cancer in 1965, at the age of 48.
* In the 1980s, drummer [[Philly Joe Jones]] and trumpeter [[Don Sickler]] founded [[Dameronia]], a band that performed the music of Tadd Dameron.<ref name="CarrFairweather2004">{{cite book |last1=Carr |first1=Ian |author-link=Ian Carr|author2=Digby Fairweather |author2-link=Digby Fairweather|author3=Brian Priestley |author3-link=Brian Priestley|title=The Rough Guide to Jazz |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I5wrGL-a-Q8C&pg=RA5-PT23E |access-date=22 March 2020 |year=2004 |publisher=Rough Guides |isbn=978-1-84353-256-9 |pages=5–}}</ref>
* Saxophonist [[Dexter Gordon]] called him the "romanticist" of the bop movement.<ref name="Nisenson">{{cite book |last1=Nisenson |first1=Eric |title='Round About Midnight: A Portrait of Miles Davis |url=https://archive.org/details/roundaboutmidnig0000nise/page/65 |via=archive.org |year=1996 |publisher=Hachette Books |isbn=9780306806841 |access-date=22 March 2020}}</ref>
* Music critic [[Scott Yanow]] called Dameron the "definitive arranger/composer of the [[bop era]]".<ref name="Yanow1">{{cite web |last1=Yanow |first1=Scott |title=Tadd Dameron |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tadd-dameron-mn0000016759/biography |website=AllMusic |access-date=22 March 2020}}</ref>
* Saxophonist [[Joe Lovano]] included five Dameron tunes on his 2000 album ''[[52nd Street Themes]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/52nd-street-themes-mw0000605248 |title=Joe Lovano: 52nd Street Themes |last=Wolff |first=Carlo |website=AllMusic |access-date=January 3, 2022}}</ref>
* In 2006, trumpeter Peter Welker released ''Duke, Billy And Tadd'' as a tribute to [[Duke Ellington]], [[Billy Strayhorn]], and Dameron.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/duke-billy-and-tadd-peter-welker-peachy-productions-review-by-jack-bowers |title=Peter Welker: Duke, Billy And Tadd |last=Bowers |first=Jack |date=May 14, 2006 |website=All About Jazz |access-date=January 3, 2022}}</ref>
* Turkish drummer [[Ferit Odman]] released ''Dameronia with Strings'', an album featuring eight Dameron tunes, in 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/dameronia-with-strings-mw0002913606 |title=Ferit Odman: Dameronia with Strings |website=AllMusic |access-date=January 3, 2022}}</ref>
* Trumpeter [[Joe Magnarelli]]'s 2019 album ''If You Could See Me Now'' is a tribute to Dameron.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://downbeat.com/?/reviews/detail/if-you-could-see-me-now |title=Joe Magnarelli Quintet: If You Could See Me Now |last=Sinnenberg |first=Jackson |date=March 2019 |website=DownBeat |access-date=January 3, 2022}}</ref>
* In 2019, singer [[Vanessa Rubin]] released an album titled ''The Dream Is You: Vanessa Rubin Sings Tadd Dameron''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://downbeat.com/reviews/detail/the-dream-is-you-vanessa-rubin-sings-tadd-dameron |title=The Dream Is You: Vanessa Rubin Sings Tadd Dameron |last=McDowall |first=Kerilie |date=April 2019 |website=DownBeat |access-date=January 3, 2022}}</ref>


==Legacy==
== Discography ==
===As leader/co-leader===
Dameron has been the subject of many tributes since his death:
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Recorded
!Released
!Title
!Label
!Notes
|-
|1948?
|
|''The Dameron Band (Featuring Fats Navarro)''
|[[Blue Note Records|Blue Note]]
|
|-
|1949?
|1972
|''Anthropology''
|[[Spotlite Records|Spotlite]]
|
|-
|1949?
|
|''Cool Boppin' ''
|
|
|-
|1949
|1977
|''The Miles Davis/Tadd Dameron Quintet In Paris Festival International De Jazz May, 1949''
|[[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
|With [[Miles Davis]] (trumpet), [[James Moody (saxophonist)|James Moody]] (tenor saxophone), [[Barney Spieler]] (bass), [[Kenny Clarke]] (drums)
|-
|1953
|1953
|''A Study in Dameronia''
|[[Prestige Records|Prestige]]
|With [[Clifford Brown]] (trumpet), [[Benny Golson]] (tenor sax), [[Idrees Sulieman]] (trumpet), [[Gigi Gryce]] (alto sax), Herb Mullins (trombone), Oscar Estell (baritone sax), [[Percy Heath]] (bass), [[Philly Joe Jones]] (drums); most tracks also issued on ''[[Memorial (Clifford Brown album)|Memorial]]''
|-
|1956
|1956
|''[[Fontainebleau (album)|Fontainebleau]]''
|[[Prestige Records|Prestige]]
|With [[Kenny Dorham]] (trumpet), [[Henry Coker]] (trombone), [[Cecil Payne]] (baritone sax), [[Sahib Shihab]] (alto sax), Joe Alexander tenor sax), [[John Simmons (musician)|John Simmons]] (bass), [[Shadow Wilson]] (drums)
|-
|1956
|1957
|''[[Mating Call]]''
|[[Prestige Records|Prestige]]
|Quartet, with [[John Coltrane]] (tenor sax), [[John Simmons (musician)|John Simmons]] (bass), [[Philly Joe Jones]] (drums)
|-
|1962
|1962
|''[[The Magic Touch (Tadd Dameron album)|The Magic Touch]]''
|[[Riverside Records|Riverside]]
|With [[Clark Terry]], [[Ernie Royal]] [[Charlie Shavers]] and [[Joe Wilder]] (trumpet), [[Jimmy Cleveland]] and [[Britt Woodman]] (trombone), [[Julius Watkins]] (French horn), [[Jerry Dodgion]] and [[Leo Wright]] (alto sax, flute), [[Jerome Richardson]] (tenor sax, flute), [[Johnny Griffin]] (tenor sax), [[Tate Houston]] (baritone sax), [[Bill Evans]] (piano), [[Ron Carter]] and [[George Duvivier]] (bass), [[Philly Joe Jones]] (drums); Barbara Winfield (vocals) added on two tracks
|-
|
|1962
|''The Tadd Dameron Band''
|[[Jazzland Records (American record label)|Jazzland]]
|
|}


===As sideman===
*In the 1980s, [[Philly Joe Jones]], drummer for the [[Miles Davis Quintet]], and trumpeter [[Don Sickler]] founded [[Dameronia]], a [[tribute band]] to Dameron.<ref name=carr>Carr, Ian; Fairweather, Digby and Priestley, Brian, [https://books.google.com/books?id=I5wrGL-a-Q8C&pg=RA5-PT23&lpg=RA5-PT23&dq=%22ira+coleman%22+AND+bass&source=bl&ots=qwsmOIMpeI&sig=QkscPLAP8IGK4BoLm2rVBMLmEDA&hl=es&ei=HTuQSt3fG8aMjAellrDnDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#v=snippet&q=don%20sickler&f=false ''Rough Guide to Jazz''], Rough Guides, 2004. {{ISBN|1-84353-256-5}}, {{ISBN|978-1-84353-256-9}}.</ref>
'''With [[John Coltrane]]'''
*''Continuum: Mad About Tadd: The Music of Tadd Dameron'' is an album released in 1982 by a group consisting of [[Slide Hampton]], [[Jimmy Heath]], [[Ron Carter]], [[Art Taylor]], [[Kenny Barron]]. The LP has since been reissued on CD.
* ''John Coltrane Plays for Lovers'' (Prestige, 1966)
*In 1975, jazz pianist [[Barry Harris]] recorded ''Barry Harris Plays Tadd Dameron'' for [[Xanadu Records]].
* ''Trane's Blues'' (Giants of Jazz, 1990)
*In 2007, pianist Richard "Tardo" Hammer recorded ''Look Stop and Listen: The Music of Tadd Dameron'' for Sharp Nine Records.
*In 2015, drummer [[Ferit Odman]] recorded ''Dameronia With Strings'' as a tribute to Tadd Dameron for Equinox Music & Entertainment


'''With [[Miles Davis]]'''
== Discography ==
* ''At Birdland'' (Durium, 1976)
[[File:Tadd Dameron, Mary Lou Williams and Dizzy Gillespie. (Gottlieb).jpg|thumb|Tadd Dameron, [[Mary Lou Williams]], and [[Dizzy Gillespie]] in Williams's apartment, c. June 1946]]
* ''The Early Days Vol. 1'' (Giants of Jazz, 1985)
* ''Birdland Days'' (Fresh Sound, 1990)


'''With [[Dexter Gordon]]'''
===As leader or co-leader===
* ''New Trends of Jazz Volume 3'' (Savoy, 1952)
* 1948: ''The Dameron Band (Featuring Fats Navarro)'' ([[Blue Note Records|Blue Note]])
* ''Long Tall Dexter'' (Savoy, 1976)
* 1949: ''Anthropology'' ([[Spotlite Records|Spotlite]])
* ''[[Dexter Rides Again]]'' (Savoy, 1985)
* 1949: ''Cool Boppin' ''
* 1949: ''The Miles Davis and Dameron Quartet in Paris – Festival International du Jazz, May 1949'' ([[Columbia Records|Columbia]])
* 1953: ''A Study in Dameronia'' ([[Prestige Records|Prestige]])
* 1956: ''[[Fontainebleau (album)|Fontainebleau]]'' (Prestige)
* 1956: ''[[Mating Call]]'' with [[John Coltrane]] (Prestige)
* 1962: ''[[The Magic Touch (Tadd Dameron album)|The Magic Touch]]'' ([[Riverside Records|Riverside]])


'''With [[Fats Navarro]]'''
===As arranger or conductor===
* ''Memorial Album'' (Blue Note, 1951)
{{expand section|date=January 2012}}
* ''New Trends of Jazz Vol. 5'' (Savoy, 1952)
'''For [[Blue Mitchell]]'''
* ''[[Smooth as the Wind]]'' (Riverside, 1961)
* ''[[Fats Bud-Klook-Sonny-Kinney]]'' (Savoy, 1955)
* ''Fats Navarro Memorial Theodore "Fats" Navarro 1923–1950 Volume I'' (London, 1956)
'''For [[Milt Jackson]]'''
* ''[[Big Bags]]'' (Riverside, 1962)
* ''[[The Fabulous Fats Navarro, Vol. 1]]'' (Blue Note, 1957)
* ''[[The Fabulous Fats Navarro, Vol. 2]]'' (Blue Note, 1957)
'''For [[Sonny Stitt]]'''
* ''[[Sonny Stitt & the Top Brass]]'' (Atlantic, 1962)
* ''Fats Navarro Featured with the Tadd Dameron Quintet'' (Jazzland, 1961)
* ''Fats Navarro Memorial Volume 1'' (CBS, 1964)
* ''Prime Source'' (Blue Note, 1975)
* ''Fat Girl'' (Savoy, 1977)
* ''Featured with the Tadd Dameron Band'' (Milestone, 1977)
* ''At Royal Roost Volume 1'' (Jazz View, 1991)
* ''Fats Blows 1946–1949'' (Giants of Jazz, 1991)
* ''Royal Roost Sessions 1948'' (Fresh Sound, 1991)

'''With [[Charlie Parker]]'''
* ''Bird Lives'' (Continental, 1962)
* ''Pensive Bird'' (Ember, 1969)
* ''Broadcast Performances Vol. 2'' (ESP Disk, 1973)


==References==
==References==
Line 70: Line 149:
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060519171015/http://ddfa.org/taddamrn.html Tadd Dameron biographical information at the Dameron/Damron Family Association web page.]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060519171015/http://ddfa.org/taddamrn.html Tadd Dameron biographical information at the Dameron/Damron Family Association web page.]
* [http://www.jazzbiographies.com/Biography.aspx?ID=301 Jazzbiographies.com.]
* [http://www.jazzbiographies.com/Biography.aspx?ID=301 Jazzbiographies.com.]
Interview with Paul Combs, Author of DAMERONIA: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF TADD DAMERON
* http://www.jazzhistorydatabase.com/content/musicians/combs_paul/interview.php


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
Line 76: Line 157:
[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:1965 deaths]]
[[Category:1965 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century American pianists]]
[[Category:20th-century American jazz composers]]
[[Category:African-American jazz pianists]]
[[Category:African-American jazz pianists]]
[[Category:American jazz composers]]
[[Category:American male jazz composers]]
[[Category:American music arrangers]]
[[Category:American music arrangers]]
[[Category:Blue Note Records artists]]
[[Category:Blue Note Records artists]]
[[Category:Burials at Ferncliff Cemetery]]
[[Category:Columbia Records artists]]
[[Category:Dameronia members]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Jazz arrangers]]
[[Category:Jazz musicians from Ohio]]
[[Category:Musicians from Cleveland]]
[[Category:Musicians from Cleveland]]
[[Category:Jazz arrangers]]
[[Category:Prestige Records artists]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer]]
[[Category:American male jazz pianists]]
[[Category:20th-century composers]]
[[Category:DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame members]]
[[Category:20th-century American pianists]]

Latest revision as of 03:35, 11 November 2024

Tadd Dameron
Dameron, New York, between 1946 and 1948 Photograph by William P. Gottlieb.
Dameron, New York, between 1946 and 1948
Photograph by William P. Gottlieb.
Background information
Birth nameTadley Ewing Peake Dameron
Born(1917-02-21)February 21, 1917
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
DiedMarch 8, 1965(1965-03-08) (aged 48)
New York City, U.S.
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician, composer, arranger
InstrumentPiano
Years active1940s–1960s

Tadley Ewing Peake Dameron (February 21, 1917 – March 8, 1965) was an American jazz composer, arranger, and pianist.

Biography

[edit]
Dameron, Mary Lou Williams, and Dizzy Gillespie in Williams's apartment, c. June 1946
Photograph by William P. Gottlieb.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio,[1] Dameron was the most influential arranger of the bebop era, but also wrote charts for swing and hard bop players.[2] The bands he arranged for included those of Count Basie, Artie Shaw, Jimmie Lunceford, Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Eckstine, and Sarah Vaughan. In 1940–41, Dameron was the piano player and arranger for the Kansas City band Harlan Leonard and his Rockets. He and lyricist Carl Sigman wrote "If You Could See Me Now" for Sarah Vaughan and it became one of her first signature songs.[3][4][5] According to the composer, his greatest influences were George Gershwin and Duke Ellington.[6]

In the late 1940s, Dameron wrote arrangements for the big band of Dizzy Gillespie, who gave the première of his large-scale orchestral piece Soulphony in Three Hearts at Carnegie Hall in 1948. Also in 1948, Dameron led his own group in New York, which included Fats Navarro; the following year, Dameron was at the Paris Jazz Festival with Miles Davis. From 1961, he scored for recordings by Milt Jackson, Sonny Stitt, and Blue Mitchell.[7]

Dameron additionally arranged and played for rhythm and blues musician Bull Moose Jackson. Playing for Jackson at that same time was Benny Golson, who was to become a jazz composer in his own right. Golson has said that Dameron was the most important influence on his writing.

Dameron composed several bop and swing standards, including "Hot House", "If You Could See Me Now", "Our Delight", "Good Bait" (composed for Count Basie)[6] and "Lady Bird". Dameron's bands from the late 1940s and early 1950s featured leading players such as Fats Navarro, Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins, Wardell Gray, and Clifford Brown. In 1956, he led two sessions based on his compositions, released as the 1956 album "Fontainebleau" and the 1957 album "Mating Call". The latter featured John Coltrane. Dameron developed an addiction to narcotics toward the end of his career. He was arrested on drug charges in 1957 and 1958, and served time (1959–60) in a federal prison hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. After his release, Dameron recorded a single notable project as a leader, The Magic Touch, but was sidelined by health problems; he had several heart attacks before dying of cancer in 1965, at the age of 48. He was buried at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.[8]

Tributes

[edit]

Discography

[edit]

As leader/co-leader

[edit]
Recorded Released Title Label Notes
1948? The Dameron Band (Featuring Fats Navarro) Blue Note
1949? 1972 Anthropology Spotlite
1949? Cool Boppin'
1949 1977 The Miles Davis/Tadd Dameron Quintet In Paris Festival International De Jazz May, 1949 Columbia With Miles Davis (trumpet), James Moody (tenor saxophone), Barney Spieler (bass), Kenny Clarke (drums)
1953 1953 A Study in Dameronia Prestige With Clifford Brown (trumpet), Benny Golson (tenor sax), Idrees Sulieman (trumpet), Gigi Gryce (alto sax), Herb Mullins (trombone), Oscar Estell (baritone sax), Percy Heath (bass), Philly Joe Jones (drums); most tracks also issued on Memorial
1956 1956 Fontainebleau Prestige With Kenny Dorham (trumpet), Henry Coker (trombone), Cecil Payne (baritone sax), Sahib Shihab (alto sax), Joe Alexander tenor sax), John Simmons (bass), Shadow Wilson (drums)
1956 1957 Mating Call Prestige Quartet, with John Coltrane (tenor sax), John Simmons (bass), Philly Joe Jones (drums)
1962 1962 The Magic Touch Riverside With Clark Terry, Ernie Royal Charlie Shavers and Joe Wilder (trumpet), Jimmy Cleveland and Britt Woodman (trombone), Julius Watkins (French horn), Jerry Dodgion and Leo Wright (alto sax, flute), Jerome Richardson (tenor sax, flute), Johnny Griffin (tenor sax), Tate Houston (baritone sax), Bill Evans (piano), Ron Carter and George Duvivier (bass), Philly Joe Jones (drums); Barbara Winfield (vocals) added on two tracks
1962 The Tadd Dameron Band Jazzland

As sideman

[edit]

With John Coltrane

  • John Coltrane Plays for Lovers (Prestige, 1966)
  • Trane's Blues (Giants of Jazz, 1990)

With Miles Davis

  • At Birdland (Durium, 1976)
  • The Early Days Vol. 1 (Giants of Jazz, 1985)
  • Birdland Days (Fresh Sound, 1990)

With Dexter Gordon

  • New Trends of Jazz Volume 3 (Savoy, 1952)
  • Long Tall Dexter (Savoy, 1976)
  • Dexter Rides Again (Savoy, 1985)

With Fats Navarro

  • Memorial Album (Blue Note, 1951)
  • New Trends of Jazz Vol. 5 (Savoy, 1952)
  • Fats Bud-Klook-Sonny-Kinney (Savoy, 1955)
  • Fats Navarro Memorial Theodore "Fats" Navarro 1923–1950 Volume I (London, 1956)
  • The Fabulous Fats Navarro, Vol. 1 (Blue Note, 1957)
  • The Fabulous Fats Navarro, Vol. 2 (Blue Note, 1957)
  • Fats Navarro Featured with the Tadd Dameron Quintet (Jazzland, 1961)
  • Fats Navarro Memorial Volume 1 (CBS, 1964)
  • Prime Source (Blue Note, 1975)
  • Fat Girl (Savoy, 1977)
  • Featured with the Tadd Dameron Band (Milestone, 1977)
  • At Royal Roost Volume 1 (Jazz View, 1991)
  • Fats Blows 1946–1949 (Giants of Jazz, 1991)
  • Royal Roost Sessions 1948 (Fresh Sound, 1991)

With Charlie Parker

  • Bird Lives (Continental, 1962)
  • Pensive Bird (Ember, 1969)
  • Broadcast Performances Vol. 2 (ESP Disk, 1973)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Tadd Dameron | American musician and composer". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  2. ^ Hound, Music (1998-01-01). Jazz: The Essential Album Guide. Music Sales Corporation. ISBN 9780825672538.
  3. ^ "Jazz Standards Songs and Instrumentals (If You Could See Me Now)". www.jazzstandards.com. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  4. ^ Gioia, Ted (2011-05-09). The History of Jazz. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199831876.
  5. ^ "Sarah Vaughan | About Sarah Vaughan | American Masters | PBS". American Masters. 2005-10-08. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  6. ^ a b Rosenthal, David, H. (1992). Hard Bop: Jazz and Black Music 1955-1965. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-505869-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Harrison, Max. "Dameron, Tadd." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. April 2, 2011.
  8. ^ "Funeral Rites for Jazz Arranger Feature His Own Compositions". newspapers.com. The Arizona Republic. March 12, 1965. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  9. ^ Carr, Ian; Digby Fairweather; Brian Priestley (2004). The Rough Guide to Jazz. Rough Guides. pp. 5–. ISBN 978-1-84353-256-9. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  10. ^ Nisenson, Eric (1996). 'Round About Midnight: A Portrait of Miles Davis. Hachette Books. ISBN 9780306806841. Retrieved 22 March 2020 – via archive.org.
  11. ^ Yanow, Scott. "Tadd Dameron". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  12. ^ Wolff, Carlo. "Joe Lovano: 52nd Street Themes". AllMusic. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  13. ^ Bowers, Jack (May 14, 2006). "Peter Welker: Duke, Billy And Tadd". All About Jazz. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  14. ^ "Ferit Odman: Dameronia with Strings". AllMusic. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  15. ^ Sinnenberg, Jackson (March 2019). "Joe Magnarelli Quintet: If You Could See Me Now". DownBeat. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  16. ^ McDowall, Kerilie (April 2019). "The Dream Is You: Vanessa Rubin Sings Tadd Dameron". DownBeat. Retrieved January 3, 2022.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Combs, Paul. (2012). Dameronia: The Life and Music of Tadd Dameron (Jazz Perspectives). University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0472114139.
[edit]

Interview with Paul Combs, Author of DAMERONIA: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF TADD DAMERON

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