baby grandiloquent: FINE's, baby
LEAD: Phineas Newborn Jr., a leading jazz pianist, died at his home in Memphis, Tenn., Friday. He was 57 years old.
Phineas Newborn Jr., a leading jazz pianist, died at his home in Memphis, Tenn., Friday. He was 57 years old.
The cause of death has not been released.Irvin Salky, Mr. Newborn's agent and friend, said X-rays six weeks ago showed a growth on one of his lungs.
Although Mr. Newborn was not a celebrity, he was highly regarded by jazz aficionados, especially in the 1950's and 60's. ''In his prime, he was one of the three greatest jazz pianists of all time, right up there with Bud Powell and Art Tatum,'' said Leonard Feather, a jazz critic for Downbeat magazine and The Los Angeles Times.
His albums included ''A World of Piano,'' ''The Newborn Touch,'' ''The Great Piano of Phineas'' and ''Piano Artistry of Phineas Newborn.''His father, Phineas Newborn Sr., led a big band that played on Memphis's celbrated Beale Street in the 30's and 40's. Mr. Newborn grew up playing saxophone, trumpet and vibraphone in the band, which included his brother Calvin, who played guitar.
Besides his brother, he is survived by his mother, daughters, a son and two grandchildren.
A racial attack took him out of the playing circuit in 1974. He was admitted to the Veteran’s Hospital with a cracked jawbone, broken nose and several broken fingers. The day Phineas was discharged from the hospital he went to Ardent recording studios and recorded a Grammy nominated album, ‘Solo Piano’. The tracks included a version of ‘Out of The World’ which contained stunning left-hand virtuosity. Stanley Booth says that ‘hearing that performance while looking at the X-ray photos of Phineas’s broken hands is enough to make you think that Little Red (Phineas Newborn), like Jerry Lee Lewis is a little more than human.’Rhythm Oil: A Journey Through the Music
Phineas Newborn Jr - Web Essay
By ROBERT PALMER
Published: July 11, 1986
Phineas Newborn Jr., Sweet Basil, 88 Seventh Avenue South, below West Fourth Street (242-1785). Born into a musical Memphis family and a pianist with his father's big band and on early B. B. King recordings while still in his teens, Phineas Newborn Jr. was in every sense a prodigy. By the time he made his classic Atlantic, RCA and Contemporary jazz albums, in the 1950's and early 60's, that prodigious abundance of technique was getting him compared with the virtuosic Art Tatum, and dismissed by some as all fingers, no heart. That was never true, and certainly isn't now. In his maturity, Mr. Newborn is one of the masters of jazz piano, with an immediately identifiable tone and touch, great harmonic originality, and, as a kind of signature, octave runs that seem to fairly whip along the keyboard. Shows are around 10 and 11:30 P.M. and 1 A.M. through Sunday, with a $10 music charge and $6 minimum.
tav falco
PHINEAS NEWBORN, Jr.
August 17, 1975
Memphis, Tennessee
3-min. excerpt
1/2 » Open Reel Video original, B&W
Imagine yourself a prodigy, a jazz virtuoso of the 1950s. You have played with everybody from Duke Ellington to Charlie Mingus. Then POW… you are lost for twenty years. Your achievements and talents put into chemical and canvas straitjackets. Living with your mother. Treated like a miscreant. Then you begin to rise to the top again. This is one of the man’s first public performances before a public eager and waiting so long for his return.
Wayne's On-Line Lessons
Jazz is an important and exciting means of musical and creative expression. Almost every type of modern music is touched in some way by Jazz. Improvisation is one of the purist ways of creating unique art, not to mention one of the most rewarding! Learn some of the tools to get you started on this amazing journey.
James Williams, Phineas Newborn and Me
Wayne writes about his mentor and friend James Williams and his subsequent introduction to the works of Phineas Newborn Jr.Phineas Newborn Jnr
Biography, discography and complete recording history of this under-exposed Jazz luminary. Also you can read Wayne’s essay on the influential ’Jazz pianists Jazz pianist.’ As Wayne says "In one sitting [listening to Phineas play] you not only hear the whole history of jazz piano, but also the simultaneous re-writing of it!"Wayne's Biography
Wayne's Teaching Practice
Wayne's Contact information
On-site links | Off-site Jazz links | Other off-site links
BBC Jazz pages
Lots of information, lots of reviews, lots of live performances to listen to, lots of discussion, and lots lots more...Hank Jones
"The eldest surviving member of a prolific Jazz musician family which included the late drummer Elvin Jones and trumpeter/composer Thad Jones, Hank Jones continues the legacy by recording and playing at concerts and festivals around the world. As one of the few surviving Jazz greats photographed in 'A Great Day in Harlem ', he has also participated in other historical events such as accompanying Marilyn Monroe when she sang 'Happy Birthday Mr. President' to the late President John F. Kennedy....
officialhankjones.comGeoffrey Keezer
"I invite you to take a break from the hectic pace of cyberspace and stroll down these nature trails. Let yourself unwind for a moment...look around, listen, and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere..."
geoffreykeezer.comChick Corea
"Chick Corea's four-decade career is the stuff of jazz lore, an amalgamation of influential, limit-stretching musical experiences which have filled many a page in 20th century music history encyclopedias. Born Armando Anthony Corea in Chelsea, Massachusetts on June 12, 1941, Chick was studying piano by age four and enjoyed a childhood home filled with the sounds of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Lester Young and Horace Silver – not to mention the likes of Beethoven and Mozart, who inspired Chick's compositional instincts..."
www.chickcorea.comTim Garland
Bearded British tenor saxophone Chick Corea alumni genius jazz composer performer guy.
www.timgarland.comTim Robertson
"As one of New Zealand’s leading bassists, Tim Robertson has performed with a variety of world class musicians and forged a diverse career in music. Now based in the UK, Tim holds the emeritus bass chairs in Wayne's trio and quartet..."
Tim's home pageSecond Floor Music
Look out for Wayne's Phineas Newborn Transcription Book through Second Floor Music.- "We publish Jazz combos (quintets to octets), big bands, sax quartets, piano folios and method books. Our charts were written and recorded by jazz legends and contemporary jazz masters. Think of our site as a toolkit: we'll help you find the chart you need and give you the information you'll need to teach and play it effectively..."
www.secondfloormusic.comJames Williams
"Four CDs containing 43 Intimate Musical Conversations between James Williams, one of Jazz's great contemporary pianists, and...
Christian McBride • Joe Lovano • Freddy Cole • Ron Carter • Etta Jones Rufus Reid • Steve Wilson • Mary Stallings • Houston Person • Billy Pierce Dave Stryker • Steve Nelson • Jon Faddis • John Patitucci • Peter Washington Kim Nalley • Roger Holland • Russell Malone • Loren Schoenberg • Ray Drummond John Clayton • Steve Heck • Thomas Trotter • Miles Griffith"
www.finasmusic.comThe Daily Jazz
Occassional though Informative, and often very ammusing blog discussing great Jazz albums and artists past and present - I particularly like the entries on 'Bad' album covers. Well worth pasting this one into your RSS reader.
dailyjazz.blogspot.comJazz Services UK
"Jazz is rich in history and culture, yet it is also music that remains fresh and new, simply because it will always evolve and develop. Jazz Services exists to promote and support the development of jazz in the UK. We offer services in information, education, touring support, communications, marketing and publishing. In short, Jazz services provides a voice for jazz..."
www.jazzservices.org.uk
www.thejazz.com - The Uk's Online Jazz Radio Station.
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