Sonny Dallas Passes On

[ep1str0phy]

Reports (another forum) has it that Sonny Dallas died on the 22nd of July--I didn't see any other threads, so I thought I'd open one up. I'm not as familiar with Dallas as some others on this board may be, but I've enjoyed his playing where I've found it (thinking Motion here, which merits some serious historical footnoting as one of the great trio albums(?!)). My understanding is that he's been teaching and walking in and out with Konitz over the past few years--playing to the end--RIP.

[sidewinder]

More sad news. I'll be sure to give the 'Motion' set another spin over the next few days. RIP.

[Stereojack]

This was sent to me on Saturday, July 25:

Jazz bassist and singer Sonny Dallas, 76, has passed away on July 22 on Long Island after a series of heart related illnesses. Born Frances Dominic Joseph Dallas in 1931 in Pittsburgh, Sonny started singing professionally at the age of eight and went on to study the bass with Herman Clements, principal bassist of the Pittsburgh Symphony, who also taught jazz bassists Ray Brown and Paul Chambers.

Sonny began his jazz career with big bands led by Charlie Spivak, Claude Thornhill, and Ray Eberle, and relocated to New York in March 1955. He went on to perform and record with a long list of jazz greats: guitarist Sal Salvador, pianist Bobby Scott, trumpeters Chet Baker and Buck Clayton, saxophonists Lee Konitz, Warne Marsh, Phil Woods, Gene Quill, Zoot Sims, and Al Cohn, and pianists Mary Lou Williams, Bill Evans, George Wallington, and Lennie Tristano. Sonny began working with Tristano in 1959 after being recruited for the job by Warne Marsh, and went on to perform and record with Tristano for a period of nine years before moving permanently to Shirley, NY in 1968. He appeared with the Lennie Tristano Quintet on the 1959 Newport Jazz Festival All-Stars tour, as well as appeared with the Quintet on the 1964 CBS Broadcast "Look Up and Live."

Sonny also appears on a number of critically acclaimed jazz recordings - "Motion" with the Lee Konitz Trio, "Phil Talks with Quill" with the Phil Woods Quintet, and "Descent into the Maelstrom" and "Note to Note" with Lennie Tristano, among others.

After moving to Long Island he went on to earn a Master of Arts degree in music education at CW Post University and began a long teaching career at both Suffolk County Community College and Dowling College. He taught music classes, led jazz ensembles, and taught countless

private students over the last thirty-five years. In his later years he was featured in an interview with Rick Petrone broadcast on WYRS-FM on December 1, 1981, continued to perform sporadically with Lee Konitz, and was honored with a lifetime achievement in jazz award in 2005.

A big man with an even bigger heart, Sonny will be lovingly remembered and sorely missed by all those fortunate to have been

associated with him.

[written by John Klopotowski, guitarist]

[ghost of miles]

Bad week for the Tristano circle, what with Sal Mosca's passing away last Saturday.

[Shannon Dickey]

R.I.P Sonny!! I, as well, will put on "Motion" and twirl it on the wheels of steel, while thinking of you!!!

----HB

Edited August 2, 2007 by Horny Blowsitt

[brownie]

More sad news. He very much held his rank alongside Elvin Jones on the Lee Konitz 'Motion' set.

[mikeweil]

Another bad month for jazz bass - R.I.P.

[king ubu]

I think I know Dallas only from "Motion" but he's indeed pretty good there. r.i.p.