# Tadd Dameron > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Tadd_Dameron > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Tadd_Dameron.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadd_Dameron > Source revision: 1352438104 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American jazz composer and pianist (1917–1965)}} {{use mdy dates|date=December 2025}} {{Infobox musical artist |name = Tadd Dameron |image = Tadd Dameron, ca. 1946-1948.jpg |caption = Dameron, New York, between 1946 and 1948
Photograph by [William P. Gottlieb](/source/William_P._Gottlieb). |background = non_vocal_instrumentalist |birth_name = Tadley Ewing Peake Dameron |birth_date = {{Birth date|1917|2|21}} |birth_place = [Cleveland, Ohio](/source/Cleveland%2C_Ohio), U.S. |death_date = {{Death date and age|1965|3|8|1917|2|21}} |death_place = [New York City](/source/New_York_City), U.S. |genre = [Jazz](/source/Jazz) |occupation = Musician, composer, arranger |instrument = Piano |years_active = 1940s–1960s |label = }} '''Tadley Ewing Peake Dameron''' (February 21, 1917 – March 8, 1965) was an American [jazz](/source/jazz) composer, arranger, and pianist. ==Biography== [[File:Tadd Dameron, Mary Lou Williams and Dizzy Gillespie. (Gottlieb).jpg|thumb|left| Dameron, [Mary Lou Williams](/source/Mary_Lou_Williams), and [Dizzy Gillespie](/source/Dizzy_Gillespie) in Williams's apartment, c. June 1946
Photograph by [William P. Gottlieb](/source/William_P._Gottlieb).]] Born in [Cleveland](/source/Cleveland), [Ohio](/source/Ohio), United States,{{Cite news|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tadd-Dameron|title=Tadd Dameron {{!}} American musician and composer|work=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=2017-05-15|language=en}} Dameron was the most influential arranger of the [bebop](/source/bebop) era, but also wrote charts for [swing](/source/swing_(genre)) and [hard bop](/source/hard_bop) players.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3JjWAAAAMAAJ&q=tadd+dameron+%22most+influential+arranger%22|title=Jazz: The Essential Album Guide|last=Hound|first=Music|date=1998-01-01|publisher=Music Sales Corporation|isbn=9780825672538|language=en}} The bands he arranged for included those of [Count Basie](/source/Count_Basie), [Artie Shaw](/source/Artie_Shaw), [Jimmie Lunceford](/source/Jimmie_Lunceford), [Dizzy Gillespie](/source/Dizzy_Gillespie), [Billy Eckstine](/source/Billy_Eckstine), and [Sarah Vaughan](/source/Sarah_Vaughan). In 1940–41, Dameron was the piano player and arranger for the Kansas City band [Harlan Leonard and his Rockets](/source/Harlan_Leonard). He and lyricist [Carl Sigman](/source/Carl_Sigman) wrote "[If You Could See Me Now](/source/If_You_Could_See_Me_Now_(1946_song))" for Sarah Vaughan and it became one of her first signature songs.{{cite web|url=http://www.jazzstandards.com/compositions-1/ifyoucouldseemenow.htm|title=Jazz Standards Songs and Instrumentals (If You Could See Me Now)|website=www.jazzstandards.com|access-date=2017-05-15}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J9G50L3c14QC&pg=PT214|title=The History of Jazz|last=Gioia|first=Ted|date=2011-05-09|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780199831876|language=en}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/sarah-vaughan-about-sarah-vaughan/723/|title=Sarah Vaughan {{!}} About Sarah Vaughan {{!}} American Masters|date=2005-10-08|work=American Masters|access-date=2017-05-15|language=en-US}} According to the composer, his greatest influences were [George Gershwin](/source/George_Gershwin) and [Duke Ellington](/source/Duke_Ellington).{{cite book|last= Rosenthal| first= David H.|title= Hard Bop: Jazz and Black Music 1955-1965| year= 1992| publisher= Oxford University Press| location= New York| isbn= 0-19-505869-0}} In the late 1940s, Dameron wrote arrangements for the big band of Dizzy Gillespie, who gave the première of his large-scale orchestral piece ''Soulphony in Three Hearts'' at [Carnegie Hall](/source/Carnegie_Hall) in 1948. Also in 1948, Dameron led his own group in New York, which included [Fats Navarro](/source/Fats_Navarro); the following year, Dameron was at the [Paris Jazz Festival](/source/Paris_Jazz_Festival) with [Miles Davis](/source/Miles_Davis). From 1961, Dameron scored for recordings by [Milt Jackson](/source/Milt_Jackson), [Sonny Stitt](/source/Sonny_Stitt), and [Blue Mitchell](/source/Blue_Mitchell).Harrison, Max. "Dameron, Tadd". [http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/07122 Grove Music Online]. Oxford Music Online. April 2, 2011. Dameron additionally arranged and played for [rhythm and blues](/source/rhythm_and_blues) musician [Bull Moose Jackson](/source/Bull_Moose_Jackson). Playing for Jackson at that same time was [Benny Golson](/source/Benny_Golson), who went on to become a jazz composer in his own right. Golson said that Dameron was the most important influence on his writing. Dameron composed several bop and swing [standards](/source/jazz_standard), including "[Hot House](/source/Hot_House_(composition))", "If You Could See Me Now", "[Our Delight](/source/Our_Delight)", "[Good Bait](/source/Good_Bait)" (composed for [Count Basie](/source/Count_Basie)) and "[Lady Bird](/source/Lady_Bird_(composition))". Dameron's bands from the late 1940s and early 1950s featured leading players such as Fats Navarro, Miles Davis, [Dexter Gordon](/source/Dexter_Gordon), [Sonny Rollins](/source/Sonny_Rollins), [Wardell Gray](/source/Wardell_Gray), and [Clifford Brown](/source/Clifford_Brown). In 1956, Dameron led two sessions based on his compositions, released as the 1956 album ''[Fontainebleau](/source/Fontainebleau_(album))'' and the 1957 album ''[Mating Call](/source/Mating_Call)'', the latter featuring [John Coltrane](/source/John_Coltrane). Dameron developed an addiction to narcotics toward the end of his career. He was arrested on drug charges in 1957 and 1958, and served time (1959–60) in a federal prison hospital in [Lexington, Kentucky](/source/Lexington%2C_Kentucky). After his release, Dameron recorded a single notable project as a leader, ''[The Magic Touch](/source/The_Magic_Touch_(album))'' (1962), but was sidelined by health problems; he had several [heart attack](/source/heart_attack)s before dying of cancer in 1965, at the age of 48. He was buried at [Ferncliff Cemetery](/source/Ferncliff_Cemetery) in [Hartsdale, New York](/source/Hartsdale%2C_New_York).{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/117063856/|title=Funeral Rites for Jazz Arranger Feature His Own Compositions|date=March 12, 1965|website=[newspapers.com](/source/Ancestry.com)|publisher=[The Arizona Republic](/source/The_Arizona_Republic)|access-date=March 2, 2018}} ==Tributes== * In the 1980s, drummer [Philly Joe Jones](/source/Philly_Joe_Jones) and trumpeter [Don Sickler](/source/Don_Sickler) founded [Dameronia](/source/Dameronia), a band that performed the music of Tadd Dameron.{{cite book |last1=Carr |first1=Ian |author-link=Ian Carr|author2=Digby Fairweather |author2-link=Digby Fairweather|author3=Brian Priestley |author3-link=Brian Priestley|title=The Rough Guide to Jazz |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I5wrGL-a-Q8C&pg=RA5-PT23E |access-date=22 March 2020 |year=2004 |publisher=Rough Guides |isbn=978-1-84353-256-9 |pages=5–}} * Saxophonist [Dexter Gordon](/source/Dexter_Gordon) called Dameron the "romanticist" of the bop movement.{{cite book |last1=Nisenson |first1=Eric |title='Round About Midnight: A Portrait of Miles Davis |url=https://archive.org/details/roundaboutmidnig0000nise/page/65 |via=archive.org |year=1996 |publisher=Hachette Books |isbn=9780306806841 |access-date=22 March 2020}} * Music critic [Scott Yanow](/source/Scott_Yanow) called Dameron the "definitive arranger/composer of the [bop era](/source/bop_era)".{{cite web |last1=Yanow |first1=Scott |title=Tadd Dameron |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tadd-dameron-mn0000016759/biography |website=AllMusic |access-date=22 March 2020}} * Saxophonist [Joe Lovano](/source/Joe_Lovano) included five Dameron tunes on his 2000 album ''[52nd Street Themes](/source/52nd_Street_Themes)''.{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/52nd-street-themes-mw0000605248 |title=Joe Lovano: 52nd Street Themes |last=Wolff |first=Carlo |website=AllMusic |access-date=January 3, 2022}} * In 2006, trumpeter Peter Welker released ''Duke, Billy and Tadd'' as a tribute to [Duke Ellington](/source/Duke_Ellington), [Billy Strayhorn](/source/Billy_Strayhorn), and Dameron.{{cite web |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/duke-billy-and-tadd-peter-welker-peachy-productions-review-by-jack-bowers |title=Peter Welker: Duke, Billy And Tadd |last=Bowers |first=Jack |date=May 14, 2006 |website=All About Jazz |access-date=January 3, 2022}} * Turkish drummer [Ferit Odman](/source/Ferit_Odman) released ''Dameronia with Strings'', an album featuring eight Dameron tunes, in 2015.{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/dameronia-with-strings-mw0002913606 |title=Ferit Odman: Dameronia with Strings |website=AllMusic |access-date=January 3, 2022}} * Trumpeter [Joe Magnarelli](/source/Joe_Magnarelli)'s 2019 album ''If You Could See Me Now'' is a tribute to Dameron.{{cite web |url=https://downbeat.com/?/reviews/detail/if-you-could-see-me-now |title=Joe Magnarelli Quintet: If You Could See Me Now |last=Sinnenberg |first=Jackson |date=March 2019 |website=DownBeat |access-date=January 3, 2022}} * In 2019, singer [Vanessa Rubin](/source/Vanessa_Rubin) released an album titled ''The Dream Is You: Vanessa Rubin Sings Tadd Dameron''.{{cite web |url=https://downbeat.com/reviews/detail/the-dream-is-you-vanessa-rubin-sings-tadd-dameron |title=The Dream Is You: Vanessa Rubin Sings Tadd Dameron |last=McDowall |first=Kerilie |date=April 2019 |website=DownBeat |access-date=January 3, 2022}} == Discography == ===As leader/co-leader=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- !Recorded !Released !Title !Label !Notes |- |1948? | |''The Dameron Band (Featuring Fats Navarro)'' |[Blue Note](/source/Blue_Note_Records) | |- |1949? |1972 |''Anthropology'' |[Spotlite](/source/Spotlite_Records) | |- |1949? | |''Cool Boppin' '' | | |- |1949 |1977 |''The Miles Davis/Tadd Dameron Quintet In Paris Festival International De Jazz May, 1949'' |[Columbia](/source/Columbia_Records) |With [Miles Davis](/source/Miles_Davis) (trumpet), [James Moody](/source/James_Moody_(saxophonist)) (tenor saxophone), [Barney Spieler](/source/Barney_Spieler) (bass), [Kenny Clarke](/source/Kenny_Clarke) (drums) |- |1953 |1953 |''A Study in Dameronia'' |[Prestige](/source/Prestige_Records) |With [Clifford Brown](/source/Clifford_Brown) (trumpet), [Benny Golson](/source/Benny_Golson) (tenor sax), [Idrees Sulieman](/source/Idrees_Sulieman) (trumpet), [Gigi Gryce](/source/Gigi_Gryce) (alto sax), Herb Mullins (trombone), Oscar Estell (baritone sax), [Percy Heath](/source/Percy_Heath) (bass), [Philly Joe Jones](/source/Philly_Joe_Jones) (drums); most tracks also issued on ''[Memorial](/source/Memorial_(Clifford_Brown_album))'' |- |1956 |1956 |''[Fontainebleau](/source/Fontainebleau_(album))'' |[Prestige](/source/Prestige_Records) |With [Kenny Dorham](/source/Kenny_Dorham) (trumpet), [Henry Coker](/source/Henry_Coker) (trombone), [Cecil Payne](/source/Cecil_Payne) (baritone sax), [Sahib Shihab](/source/Sahib_Shihab) (alto sax), Joe Alexander tenor sax), [John Simmons](/source/John_Simmons_(musician)) (bass), [Shadow Wilson](/source/Shadow_Wilson) (drums) |- |1956 |1957 |''[Mating Call](/source/Mating_Call)'' |[Prestige](/source/Prestige_Records) |Quartet, with [John Coltrane](/source/John_Coltrane) (tenor sax), [John Simmons](/source/John_Simmons_(musician)) (bass), [Philly Joe Jones](/source/Philly_Joe_Jones) (drums) |- |1962 |1962 |''[The Magic Touch](/source/The_Magic_Touch_(Tadd_Dameron_album))'' |[Riverside](/source/Riverside_Records) |With [Clark Terry](/source/Clark_Terry), [Ernie Royal](/source/Ernie_Royal) [Charlie Shavers](/source/Charlie_Shavers) and [Joe Wilder](/source/Joe_Wilder) (trumpet), [Jimmy Cleveland](/source/Jimmy_Cleveland) and [Britt Woodman](/source/Britt_Woodman) (trombone), [Julius Watkins](/source/Julius_Watkins) (French horn), [Jerry Dodgion](/source/Jerry_Dodgion) and [Leo Wright](/source/Leo_Wright) (alto sax, flute), [Jerome Richardson](/source/Jerome_Richardson) (tenor sax, flute), [Johnny Griffin](/source/Johnny_Griffin) (tenor sax), [Tate Houston](/source/Tate_Houston) (baritone sax), [Bill Evans](/source/Bill_Evans) (piano), [Ron Carter](/source/Ron_Carter) and [George Duvivier](/source/George_Duvivier) (bass), [Philly Joe Jones](/source/Philly_Joe_Jones) (drums); Barbara Winfield (vocals) added on two tracks |- | |1962 |''The Tadd Dameron Band'' |[Jazzland](/source/Jazzland_Records_(American_record_label)) | |} ===As sideman=== '''With [John Coltrane](/source/John_Coltrane)''' * ''John Coltrane Plays for Lovers'' (Prestige, 1966) * ''Trane's Blues'' (Giants of Jazz, 1990) '''With [Miles Davis](/source/Miles_Davis)''' * ''At Birdland'' (Durium, 1976) * ''The Early Days Vol. 1'' (Giants of Jazz, 1985) * ''Birdland Days'' (Fresh Sound, 1990) '''With [Dexter Gordon](/source/Dexter_Gordon)''' * ''New Trends of Jazz Volume 3'' (Savoy, 1952) * ''Long Tall Dexter'' (Savoy, 1976) * ''[Dexter Rides Again](/source/Dexter_Rides_Again)'' (Savoy, 1985) '''With [Fats Navarro](/source/Fats_Navarro)''' * ''Memorial Album'' (Blue Note, 1951) * ''New Trends of Jazz Vol. 5'' (Savoy, 1952) * ''[Fats Bud-Klook-Sonny-Kinney](/source/Fats_Bud-Klook-Sonny-Kinney)'' (Savoy, 1955) * ''Fats Navarro Memorial Theodore "Fats" Navarro 1923–1950 Volume I'' (London, 1956) * ''[The Fabulous Fats Navarro, Vol. 1](/source/The_Fabulous_Fats_Navarro%2C_Vol._1)'' (Blue Note, 1957) * ''[The Fabulous Fats Navarro, Vol. 2](/source/The_Fabulous_Fats_Navarro%2C_Vol._2)'' (Blue Note, 1957) * ''Fats Navarro Featured with the Tadd Dameron Quintet'' (Jazzland, 1961) * ''Fats Navarro Memorial Volume 1'' (CBS, 1964) * ''Prime Source'' (Blue Note, 1975) * ''Fat Girl'' (Savoy, 1977) * ''Featured with the Tadd Dameron Band'' (Milestone, 1977) * ''At Royal Roost Volume 1'' (Jazz View, 1991) * ''Fats Blows 1946–1949'' (Giants of Jazz, 1991) * ''Royal Roost Sessions 1948'' (Fresh Sound, 1991) '''With [Charlie Parker](/source/Charlie_Parker)''' * ''Bird Lives'' (Continental, 1962) * ''Pensive Bird'' (Ember, 1969) * ''Broadcast Performances Vol. 2'' (ESP Disk, 1973) ==References== {{Reflist}} ==Further reading== * [Combs, Paul](/source/Paul_Combs) (2012). ''Dameronia: The Life and Music of Tadd Dameron'' (Jazz Perspectives). University of Michigan Press. {{ISBN|978-0472114139}}. ==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060519171015/http://ddfa.org/taddamrn.html Tadd Dameron biographical information at the Dameron/Damron Family Association web page.] * [http://www.jazzbiographies.com/Biography.aspx?ID=301 Jazzbiographies.com.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101123092352/http://www.jazzbiographies.com/Biography.aspx?ID=301 |date=2010-11-23 }} * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1W6FQ-hO-w "Jazz Forum: Paul Combs"]. Interview with Paul Combs, author of ''Dameronia: The Life and Music of Tadd Dameron'', via YouTube. * http://www.jazzhistorydatabase.com/content/musicians/combs_paul/interview.php {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Dameron, Tadd}} Category:1917 births Category:1965 deaths Category:20th-century African-American musicians Category:20th-century American jazz composers Category:20th-century American male composers Category:20th-century American male pianists Category:20th-century American pianists Category:African-American jazz pianists Category:American male jazz composers Category:American male jazz pianists Category:American jazz pianists Category:American music arrangers Category:Blue Note Records artists Category:Burials at Ferncliff Cemetery Category:Columbia Records artists Category:Dameronia members Category:Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Category:DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame members Category:Jazz arrangers Category:Jazz musicians from Ohio Category:Musicians from Cleveland Category:Prestige Records artists --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Tadd Dameron](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadd_Dameron) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadd_Dameron?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.