Fred Katz (cellist)
- This article is about the American musician; see Fred Katz for the Australian politician.
Fred Katz (born Feb 25, 1919 in New York City) is an American cellist and composer. He is notable as one of the first jazz musicians to establish the cello as a viable improvising solo instrument. Katz has been described in CODA magazine as "the first real jazz cellist." Cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm (b. 1962), who recorded a 2002 tribute album to the elder musician (A Valentine For Fred Katz, Atavistic Records), praises Katz for introducing his instrument to jazz: "[Katz] managed to find a way to make it swing."
Biography
Katz was classically trained; he took lessons from Pablo Casals and performed with various symphony orchestras. However, Katz is best known as a member of drummer Chico Hamilton's quintet, one of the most important West Coast jazz groups of the 1950s. Hamilton's group, including Katz, appeared in the 1957 drama film The Sweet Smell of Success, starring Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis, where Katz was described in passing as the Quintet's primary composer. Katz and Hamilton wrote a score for the film which was ultimately rejected in favor of one by Elmer Bernstein.
Katz also recorded several albums as a leader, and wrote over a dozen film scores (notably for several of Roger Corman's movies such as A Bucket of Blood and The Little Shop of Horrors). He also was the bandleader on monologist Ken Nordine's "word jazz" recordings of the 1950s. Another high point in Katz's career was writing and conducting the arrangements for singer Carmen McRae's 1958 album Carmen For Cool Ones.
Later in his career, Katz became a professor of ethnic music at California State University at Northridge, where he taught for over 30 years. One of his students was John Densmore, drummer of The Doors.
References
- Shepherd, John (2003)Continuum encyclopedia of popular music of the world, Volume II, Continuum International Publishing Group, ISBN 082646322, page 413.
- [1]
- Kalish, Jon. (2007) The 'Far Out' Music of Fred Katz, from NPR Music.
- Allmusic profile
- Yanow, Scott. "Chico Hamilton: Biography". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p6647/biography. Retrieved 2010-03-17.
- Butler, David. (2002) Jazz Noir: listening to music from Phantom Lady to The Last Seduction. Greenwood Publishing Group, ISBN 0275973018, p. 136
- IMDB page for Fred Katz
- [2]
- Word Jazz, reviewed by Sean Carruthers.
- Gilbert, Andrew (2007) Fred Katz: Freak Folk
- Allmusic review of 'Carmen for Cool Ones'
- Fred Katz at All About Jazz
- Densmore, John. Riders on the Storm: My Life with Jim Morrison and the Doors [3]
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