Home » Jazz Articles » New York Beat » Tribute To Sammy Nestico at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola

4

Tribute To Sammy Nestico at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola

By

Sign in to view read count
On Monday March 24th Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola was the again the scene of a memorable big band concert from the Manhattan School of Music Concert Jazz Band under the direction of Justin DiCioccio. On the occasion of Sammy Nestico's 90th birthday, the director (who was a cohort of Nestico's in White House dance bands of the 60's and 70's) focused on the legendary charts that the famed composer/arranger wrote for the Count Basie Band from 1966-84.

Beginning with such excursions into seminal swing scripts as "88 Basie Street" and "Have a Nice Day" the band launched an evening of big band jazz that set a new standard for such repertorial performances. Not only did maestro DiCioccio have the musicians in awesome consonance with the fabled Basie rhythmic groove, he had the sax and brass choirs phrasing in the warm blue- noted lines that took Basie years to coax out of his bands. In addition, the student soloists uncannily emulated the ancient Texas tenor sax growls of Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, the trademark rhythmic pulsations of guitarist Freddie Green and the unforgettable single-note piano lines of Mr. Basie himself.

Ever the extraordinary teacher of the techniques and subtleties in jazz history, DiCioccio has put to rest the myth that the "sounds" of great jazz ensembles cannot be truly emulated. Critics in the past have dismissed such repertorial efforts on the grounds that "the feel of the band" can never be taught. But because of his empathic pedagogy (and the prescience of his remarkable students), this critical shibboleth will have to be cast aside.

A Pittsburgh native who received a B.A. (in 1950) and honorary Ph.D from Duquesne University, Sammy Nestico is one of those compositional geniuses whose opus deserves constant revisitings. In addition to his writing for Basie, Nestico earlier played trombone in the bands of Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman, Gene Krupa and Charlie Barnet, penned and conducted projects for the likes of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, and Sarah Vaughan and wrote commercial themes for dozens of major advertisers. In the late 90's he was appointed a professor at the University of Georgia and has recorded and conducted his arrangements with several famed European Radio Jazz orchestras.

Those who want to access the wondrous myriad musicalizings of the MSM concert jazz band don't have to wait until the band next performs at a jazz club. There are frequent concerts at the school's campus on the upper west side of Manhattan on Claremont Ave. The PR director is Debra Kinzler.

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Jazz article: Eric Reed Quartet at Smoke
Jazz article: Voices of Mississippi at Jazz at Lincoln Center
Jazz article: The Mingus Big Band at The Django

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.