Dorothy Donegan
Dorothy Donegan was born
on April 6, 1924, in Chicago, IL. She died on May 19, 1998, five weeks after
being honored as one of the first WOMEN IN JAZZ
LEGENDS of Gaiafest.
She began her piano studies at 8. Dorothy
loved the classics and she made her concert debut at Orchestra Hall in
Chicago at the age of 18. She was the first Black Artist to play that
prestigious venue. Dorothy soon became prominent in Jazz. The Legendary Art
Tatum sought her out and became her mentor.
During the mid-I940s, Dorothy went to Hollywood to appear in the motion picture "Sensations of 1945" with Gene Rogers and Cab Calloway.
Dorothy recorded over
20 albums and worked in clubs and at festivals worldwide garnering praise as
a superlative pianist and show person. Her appearances included the Playboy
Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, Kool JVC Jazz Festival in New York
City, the Chicago Classic Jazz Festival and the New Orleans Jazz Festival.
Dr Donegan has also appeared as a guest soloist wit/i the New Orleans
Symphony, and with the Southeast Symphony.
In
1992, Dorothy was elected to the American Jazz Masters Hall of Fame, an
honor bestowed by the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1993, she played
for President and Mrs. Clinton on the South Lawn of the White House. Dr.
Dorothy Donegan was a master of pianistic styles. A staggering range of
jazz, Ragtime, Boogie-woogie, Gospel, Blues, as well as classical
techniques fell easily under her musically magical fingers. New York Newsday
said, "If Dorothy Donegan is not the greatest shown on earth, she is
very, very close!"
Blessed with an
enormous, orchestral capacity at the keyboard, she was fluent in several
styles of jazz as well as with European classical music. Underrated by some
due to her proclivity towards showy flamboyance and her penchant for
entertaining an audience, at times through feats of virtuosa stunts, she was
nonetheless a superbly skilled artist.
Given her virtuosity its no
wonder her earliest influence and one of her champions was the peerless
master of the piano Art Tatum. She subsequently studied at the Chicago
Conservatory, Chicago Music College, and the University of Southern
California. Some of her earliest professional work came in cocktail lounges,
film (Sensations of 1945), and theater (Star Time). Her playing career was
largely centered around nightclub engagements, often extended and full of
her often seemingly madcap personality, which at times tended to obscure her
extraordinary piano facility, deep sense of swing, and wide-ranging
repertoire. She would often spice her performances with uncanny impressions
of other pianists and singers, skills that enhanced her abilities as an
entertainer.
Joan
Cartwright and Dorothy Donegan (Berne, Switzerland, 1997)
Donegan performed in trio with bass and drums, frequently journeying off on solo flights of virtuosity. Late in her career, she lectured at several colleges and universities, including Harvard, Northeastern, and the Manhattan School of Music. She earned a honorary doctorate and several other awards and citations.
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