Dick Katz, 1924-2009

[B. Goren.]

My dear friend Nitzan Kremer infored me that pianist Dick Katz passed away. Nitzan was informed by Helen Merill. Rest in peace Mr. katz. You have done enough and now you deserve the rest.

[Ted O'Reilly]

A fine talent... RIP, Dick.

[AllenLowe]

a truly great man - this is awful.

[JSngry]

There was always something interesting associated with his name. Hard to beat that.

RIP, & thanks.

[AllenLowe]

I am absolutely devastated by this - Dick and I were pretty close in the '80s, though only sporadically in touch the last 10 years or so - brilliant man, fine writer and critic, musically astute; he played my wedding in '82. A true gentleman of jazz, as Symphony Sid would have said, a witness to a lot of important music and musicians.

[Hot Ptah]

I have always enjoyed his playing on Benny Carter's "Further Definitions", among other albums.

[king ubu]

Sad news.

I absolutely love his albums with Helen Merrill - some of the best vocal jazz ever recorded, and I guess Katz had quite a hand in there.

And indeed he was a fine writer, I always enjoyed his liner notes (mostly on reissues where he wrote new notes).

[mikeweil]

A very sad loss of a consummate artist. R.I.P.

I will play his trio LP on Reservoir tomorrow.

[mikeweil]

I absolutely love his albums with Helen Merrill - some of the best vocal jazz ever recorded, and I guess Katz had quite a hand in there.

Me love 'em too - some of the first vocal jazz I ever bought!

Katz was co-founder and co-producer for Keepnews in the early days of Milestone.

Edited November 11, 2009 by mikeweil

[AllenLowe]

there's a great live LP with Roy Eldridge and Richie Kamuca -

[Peter Friedman]

Very sad news indeed. I have long enjoyed the piano playing of Dick Katz.

Three recording with Katz as leader are all very good.

Three Way Play - Reservoir (with Steve LaSpina and Ben Riley)

The Line Forms Here - Reservoir (with Benny Golson,Ryan Kisor,LaSpina,Riley)

Piano & Pen - Atlantic with Chuck Wayne or Jimmy Raney, Joe Benjamin, Connie Kay

Jazz Piano International - Atlantic (Katz plays 4 trio tracks with Ralph Pena & Connie Kay)

These last 2 have been reissued on CD on Collectables.

Piano & Pen with The John Lewis PIano

Jazz Piano International with Dave pell Octet-Love Story

[Teasing the Korean]

"Piano and Pen" is a nice album.

RIP.

[Don Brown]

I first heard Dick Katz when he was a member of Tony Scott's quartet along with Milt Hinton and Philly Joe Jones. He absolutely knocked me out on that Brunswick album and continued to do so on every other record he made, either as a leader or sideman. And damn, Katz was also a brilliant writer. I'll never forget the notes he wrote for a Thelonious Monk album.

[Stereojack]

A superb musician, and tragically underappreciated. I'll be spinning a few of his sides in the next few days.

[Van Basten II]

Sad news.

I absolutely love his albums with Helen Merrill - some of the best vocal jazz ever recorded, and I guess Katz had quite a hand in there.

And indeed he was a fine writer, I always enjoyed his liner notes (mostly on reissues where he wrote new notes).

+1

[B. Goren.]

http://blogs.wnyc.org/culture/2009/11/10/j...katz-1924-2009/

[brownie]

This is very sad news! A favorite underrated pianist for a very long time (going back to his days with Tony Scott!). Ironically one of his best album (on Beehive) was titled 'In High Profile'.

JazzWax had a highly readable interview with him last July!

[king ubu]

That's an interesting read, thanks for posting the link brownie!

He was on quite a few great albums and played with almost everyone it seems! Very wide range!

[sidewinder]

Always liked his recordings with JJJ and Kai Winding. Sad news - RIP.

[paul secor]

Some of my favorite Dick Katz playing is on Percy France's I Should Care (Endgame) recording.

Thanks for the music you gave us, Mr. Katz.

[AllenLowe]

I also have, from about the same time, a wonderful recording of Dick backing Dickey Wells -

[Guy Berger]

Maybe I need to re-evaluate - my assessment was that he was a solid, competent, versatile guy you'd use in the studio if you didn't have access to a 1st-tier pianist - wouldn't knock your socks off, wouldn't mess things up.

Guy

[fasstrack]

Jimmy Raney told me years ago that Katz had a rehearsal band that he and Marshall Brown played in when I mentioned Marshall. I went to the West End in the 80s to hear a Monk tribute band that Katz led with Lee Konitz, my buddy (before I knew him) John Eckert, and Leroy Williams. I remember Katz saying at the end of the gig---and not looking very pleased---'let's play a couple of chorouses of "Nutty" and go home'. Maybe he was tired. It was a good band.

I'm sure Phil Schaap eulogized him. He was a frequent Bird Flight guest.

I didn't know Dick Katz myself, but I am sorry to see him go. Every time a good musician from his generation goes all the history of his playing life goes with him. And they are few left from those days.

Edited November 11, 2009 by fasstrack

[Van Basten II]

Maybe I need to re-evaluate - my assessment was that he was a solid, competent, versatile guy you'd use in the studio if you didn't have access to a 1st-tier pianist - wouldn't knock your socks off, wouldn't mess things up.

Guy

He was one those subtle guys that you'd only notice when he was missing

[BruceH]

Sad news... RIP