Modern jazz scene sizzles in Pittsburgh

‘ ‘ ‘ Pittsburgh jazz history has unknowingly affected millions of adults and children who may… ‘ ‘ ‘ Pittsburgh jazz history has unknowingly affected millions of adults and children who may be unaware that ‘Mister Roger’s Neighborhood’ harbors a local jazz legend. ‘ ‘ ‘ Joe Negri, or Handyman Negri on the show, is a jazz guitarist who has seen the evolution of jazz in Pittsburgh from the ushering in of bebop style to the present day, where jazz remains a popular form of entertainment in the city. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Pittsburgh has never had its own style [of jazz]. It’s like the city itself ‘mdash; gritty and hardworking, and it just keeps on going,’ said Negri. ‘ ‘ ‘ Negri refers to the idea that Pittsburgh has never been defined in the discourse of jazz music in the manner of major cities like New York and Chicago. Pittsburgh has always been a stopover town for big artists, and subsequently, the musical atmosphere is more relaxed, but it has felt the changes that rocked the jazz scene as a whole. ‘ ‘ ‘ At the end of the 1930s and well into the ’40s, jazz music saw an incredible shift in performance, technique and composition. In nightclubs everywhere, bebop slowly replaced the popular swing style, and some who pushed this trend forward came from here in the Steel City. ‘ ‘ ‘ Nathan Davis, a jazz professor at Pitt and a first-hand witness to Pittsburgh’s jazz history, named Art Blakey and Kenny Clarke as ‘two people who changed the history and direction of jazz.’ Both are drummers, and both are considered inventors of the bebop style of drumming, which emphasizes fast playing and a lot of improvisation. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Art Blakey was used to rubbing elbows with his local peer innovators like Mary Lou Williams and Billy Eckstine, but he also had the chance to drum with legends like Miles Davis. His band, The Jazz Messengers, was one of the first big jazz bands that adopted bebop style, which is tailored more toward individual artists. Somehow, Blakey made it work for him. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Kenny Clarke changed the way drums are played today,’ said Davis, and he would know ‘mdash; Clarke was Davis’ mentor as a musician. ‘ ‘ ‘ Clarke’s major contribution to jazz is his style of playing the main beat of a piece on the ride symbol to keep time, while accenting with another percussion piece, like the bass drum. This is a cornerstone of bebop style, and it came from a Pittsburgh native. ‘ ‘ ‘ Davis, before coming to Pittsburgh in 1969, worked with Clarke seven nights a week for seven years and said he has spent more time playing with him than probably any other musician. ‘ ‘ ‘ Both Davis and Negri agree that jazz has not seen a change in trends like the bebop revolution, but rather that jazz in Pittsburgh has merely maintained a steady artistic current through the decades. ‘ ‘ ‘ Davis talked about a maintenance worker at the William Pitt Union when he first arrived at Pitt who was alternately Bass or ‘Shelly’ McMahon. A talented cellist, the latter nickname was given to him by his fellow musicians because they were unfamiliar with a jazz musician playing the cello. ‘ ‘ ‘ This anecdote is typical of the jazz scene is Pittsburgh, Davis said, and is evidence of the overall atmosphere the city has adopted toward jazz music. ‘ ‘ ‘ While there have been Pittsburgh jazz artists within the past few decades who have received substantial acclaim, like saxophonists Eddie Harris and Tony Campbell, Pittsburgh seems to be a city that, while arguably on the same talent level as bigger cities, will never be on an equal level of production. ‘ ‘ ‘ And apparently, the Pittsburgh jazz artists don’t seem to mind. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It’s just been about the music,’ said Negri. ‘There has never been a strong producing or recording force.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Even Negri, while on ‘Mister Rogers,’ found himself still performing and also teaching at local universities like Carnegie Mellon. He likes to think that he ‘kind of had it all.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ And today, perhaps this is what best defines Pittsburgh’s jazz scene. There is a pool of talent that has churned out jazz movers since the start of the genre itself, and Negri believes there is no seeable end to potential for the next great jazz artist. ‘ ‘ ‘ With Pitt’s acclaimed jazz seminar, a year-long program of free jazz concerts called JazzLive through The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, and historical venues like the Crawford Grill maintaining steady business, jazz is still alive and thriving in Pittsburgh. ‘ ‘ ‘ Pittsburgh jazz history is full of great names and great talents, and though it isn’t in the spotlight, it remains a happily low-key environment for jazz innovation.