Died On This Date (November 10, 2009) Dick Katz / Jazz Pianist
themusicsover Dick Katz
March 13, 1924 – November 10, 2009
Dick Katz was a jazz pianist and arranger who, throughout his career, played with the likes of Benny Carter, Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins. He landed a record deal with the legendary Atlantic Records in 1958. And in 1966, he co-founded Milestone Records, a respected label that released albums by the likes of McCoy Tyner, Paul Bley and Rollins. The label was absorbed by Fantasy Records in 1972. Katz was also a respected music educator and writer, penning numerous jazz-related essays and liner notes throughout his 60-year career. Dick Katz was 85 when he died of lung cancer on November 10, 2009.
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Nelson Riddle was an orchestra bandleader who was hired by Capitol Records in 1950 to arrange for their stable of the era’s great vocalists. While at Capitol, Riddle worked with 