Jazzfest facts, hot off the press. - New Jersey Jazz Society

JerseyArticlesJazzBIG BAND IN THE SKY continued from page 15pieces in the magazine from 1957 to 2001.In 1957, Balliett and his fellow scribe, NatHentoff, fathered The Sound of Jazz series onCBS TV, credited with turning many viewerson to the music. Columbia produced analbum of the show’s artists and later a video.He also reviewed books and covered Off-Broadway theater. Fifteen Balliett bookswere published, including his masterwork,Journal of Jazz (2000). The AmericanAcademy of Arts and Letters awarded himtheir literature prize in 1996.■ Floyd Levin, 84, jazz historian, writer,jazz advocate, Minneapolis, MN, Sept. 24,1922 – Studio City, CA, Jan. 29, 2007.“The music called jazz is blessed to have somany devoted friends and fans, none morefaithful than Lucille and Floyd Levin,” wroteBenny Carter in the foreword to Levin’sbook, Classic Jazz — A Personal View of theMusic and the Musicians (2000). The bookwas much praised, and his interactions withits figureheads helped fuel his passion forthe music. Floyd Levin, a familiar figure fordecades on the Los Angeles jazz scene andfriend of many musicians, died suddenly,following a heart attack January 29 at hishome in Studio City, CA. He was 84. Asuccessful businessman, he was a primemover in the fundraising and delivery of abronze memorial statue of Louis Armstrongin Armstrong Park, New Orleans. He was aprolific writer who contributed profusely tojazz society newsletters and to Down Beat,The American Rag and Jazz JournalInternational. “Some club publications at thetime I edited Jersey Jazz were little morethan Floyd’s articles with a cover sheet stuckon,” said Don Robertson, the former editor.“I limited myself to little more than twoFloyd pieces per issue.” He credited Levinfor helping bring the journal into thecomputer age. Robertson spoke of Levin’s“great zest for life” and said he was the “onlyjazz person I knew that drove a Porsche 928— except maybe Miles Davis!” Levin wasalso responsible for placing a marker on thegrave of the iconic pianist and composerJelly Roll Morton, in Los Angeles. “Floydwas ‘Emperor of Jazz’ for one of theSacramento Jazz Jubilees a few years back,and we’ll miss him on the reviewing standfor the 2007 Jubilee in May (he hasn’tmissed one in years),” Bill Gunter, of thejazzboard@hotmail.com chat list said in anemail to friends. Levin also initiated theannual Milt Hinton Jazz PhotographyAward, presented by the West Coast Branchof the Jazz Photographers Association. Heleaves Lucille, his wife of 65 years (they weremarried at 19), children, grandchildren, andone great-grandchild. Readers were encouragedto write Lucille Levin at 1136 DonaLisa, Studio City, CA 91604.■ Esmond Edwards, 79, photographer,pianist, recording executive, Nassau,Bahamas, Oct. 29, 1927 – Santa Barbara,CA, Jan. 20, 2007. Esmond HerbertEdwards, whose photographs were shown atManhattan’s Lincoln Center Jazz Archivesand in American and foreign galleries, was apianist and record producer who combinedcreative talent with executive skills. He diedat 79 after a long struggle with cancer.Edwards was one of the first AfricanAmericans to rise to a high position in therecording industry. In the mid-1950s, theyoung man tagged along to a Prestigerecording session and took some photos ofthe musicians. He showed these to BobWeinstock, the label owner, who launchedhim on a new career. Esmond was sooncovering most of the Prestige sessions, andthe designers often used his pictures in theircover layouts. Eventually the young man, amusician himself, was put in charge of thesessions, working with the renowned studioengineer, Rudy Van Gelder. Edwards wascredited with influencing the sound andstyle of flagship players who went on to wingold and platinum records: ColemanHawkins, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, KeithJarrett, Art Blakey, Kenny Burrell, EttaJames, Ramsey Lewis, among others. In fiveyears he rose from clerk at Prestige in 1957to producer and vice president. He headedoperations for the Chess label in 1962 inChicago and the Verve label for MGM inNew York in 1967, returning to Chess as vicepresident of artists and repertory in 1970.Edwards, who was raised in Harlem, workedin the Jersey City Medical Center radiologydepartment while shooting pictures on theNew York jazz and dance scene in his earlycareer. His photographs were published inbooks and periodicals, including Photographyand The New York Times Magazine. CynthiaSesso, whose CTSIMAGES agency representedhis work in America, called Edwards“a quiet gentleman of talent and integrity.”■ Dave Black, 78, drummer, Philadelphia,PA, Jan. 23, 1928 – Alameda, CA, Dec. 4,2006. David John Black started as housedrummer at Philadelphia’s Blue Note,backing such galleon figures as CharlieParker, Zoot Sims and Georgie Auld. Hetoured and recorded with Duke Ellington inthe mid-1950s. Duke’s co-composer, BillyStrayhorn, was inspired to write the percussionshowcase “Gonna Tan Your Hide” forBlack. He was 78 and died at home ofpancreatic cancer. Although he worked withtraditional jazz groups in his later career,Dave Black handled the swing, bebop androck forms with equal mastery. He beat outEd Shaughnessy and Philly Joe Jones in theEllington competition to replace LouisBellson, who filled the band’s driver’s seatfrom March 1951 to January 1953. Blackalso stayed with Ellington for two years,until polio stopped him. He recovered tojoin trumpeter Bob Scobey’s Dixielandrevival band and later freelance with groupsin the San Francisco Bay region. Black canbe heard on The 1954 Los Angeles Concert,Ellington ’55, and other Ellington albums.PRESSTIME PASSINGS:■ Bobby Rosengarden, 82, a wittydrummer who once worked with BennyGoodman and Duke Ellington but was bestknown for his bandleader banter with thehost on “The Dick Cavett Show,” diedFebruary 27 in Sarasota, FL. He was also animble manipulator of spoons, saw, washboardand finger cymbals. Fuller coveragewill hopefully pep up this space in May.■ Percy Leach, 80, the co-owner ofWaterloo Village, a restored northern NewJersey period village and site of many NJJSsummer Jazzfests, where the late drummerBobby Rosengarden (above) played manytimes, died February 26 in Hackettstown.Percival Leach lived in Stanhope, close toWaterloo.JJ18 April 2007 JerseyJazz