Frederick Katz (February 25, 1919 – September 7, 2013) was an American

cellist The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

and composer. He was among the earliest jazz musicians to establish the cello as a viable improvising solo instrument. Katz has been described in '' CODA'' magazine as "the first real jazz cellist."

Biography

Born in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York City, Katz was classically trained and studied under

Pablo Casals Pau Casals i Defilló (Catalan: ; 29 December 187622 October 1973), known in English as Pablo Casals,National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930 by cellist Hans Kindler, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The NSO regularly ...

. He was a

child prodigy A child prodigy is, technically, a child under the age of 10 who produces meaningful work in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to describe young people who are extraordinarily talented in some f ...

on both the cello and piano and performed in public as a teenager, and was drawn to the music of Manhattan

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

s and to folk music. In his youth, Katz was a member of the American Communist Party. During World War II, he conducted concerts and wrote musical revues for the U.S. Seventh Army. Katz is best known as a member of drummer

Chico Hamilton Foreststorn "Chico" Hamilton (September 20, 1921 – November 25, 2013) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He came to prominence as sideman for Lester Young, Gerry Mulligan, Count Basie, and Lena Horne. Hamilton became a bandleader, f ...

's quintet, one of the most important

West Coast jazz West Coast jazz refers to styles of jazz that developed in Los Angeles and San Francisco during the 1950s. West Coast jazz is often seen as a subgenre of cool jazz, which consisted of a calmer style than bebop or hard bop. The music relied rel ...

groups of the 1950s. Katz's arco cello defined the "

chamber jazz Chamber jazz is a genre of jazz involving small, acoustic-based ensembles where group interplay is important. It is influenced aesthetically by the small ensembles of chamber music in musical neoclassicism and is often influenced by classical fo ...

" focus of Chico Hamilton's Quintet and the group quickly gained popularity. The Chico Hamilton Quintet, including Katz, appeared in the film ''

Sweet Smell of Success ''Sweet Smell of Success'' is a 1957 American film noir Satire (film and television), satirical drama (film and television), drama film directed by Alexander Mackendrick, starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, and Martin Milner, ...

'' (1957), starring

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor. Initially known for playing tough characters with tender hearts, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-year caree ...

and

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor with a career that spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 films, in roles co ...

. Katz and Hamilton wrote a score for the film which was ultimately rejected in favor of one by

Elmer Bernstein Elmer Bernstein ( '; April 4, 1922August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor. In a career that spanned over five decades, he composed "some of the most recognizable and memorable themes in Hollywood history", including over 150 orig ...

. Katz also recorded several albums as a leader. Another high point in Katz's career was writing and conducting the arrangements for singer

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpretati ...

's album ''Carmen For Cool Ones'', which was released in 1958. One of his most recognizable pieces of music was his score for the film '' A Bucket of Blood'' (1959), directed by

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...

, as the music appeared in a total of seven Corman films, including '' The Wasp Woman'' (1959) and '' Creature from the Haunted Sea'' (1961). According to Mark Thomas McGee, author of ''Roger Corman: The Best of the Cheap Acts'', each time Katz was called upon to write music for Corman, Katz sold the same score as if it were new music. Katz explained that his music for Corman's ''

The Little Shop of Horrors ''The Little Shop of Horrors'' is a 1960 American Comedy horror, horror comedy film directed by Roger Corman. Written by Charles B. Griffith, the film is a farce about a florist's assistant who cultivates a plant that feeds on human blood. The ...

'' was created by a music editor piecing together selections from other soundtracks that he had produced for Corman. Later in his career, Katz became a professor of ethnic music in the Anthropology Department at

California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public research university in Fullerton, California, United States. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the California State ...

and

California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge), is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. With a total enrollment of 36,848 students (as of Fall 2024), it has the ...

, where he taught world music, anthropology, religion, and Jewish mysticism for over 30 years. He was a longtime Fullerton resident. One of his students was

John Densmore John Paul Densmore (born December 1, 1944) is an American musician. He is best known as the drummer of the Rock music, rock band the Doors and as such is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He appeared on every recording made by the band, ...

, drummer of

The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...

. Katz died on September 7, 2013, in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

Discography

As leader

* '' Zen: The Music of Fred Katz'' (Pacific Jazz, 1956) * '' Soul° Cello'' (Decca, 1958) * '' 4-5-6 Trio'' (Decca, 1958) * '' Folk Songs for Far Out Folk'' (Warner Bros., 1958) * '' Fred Katz and his Jammers'' (Decca, 1959)

Film and television music

* ''Never Alone'' (1958) * ''T Is for Tumbleweed'' (1958) * '' A Bucket of Blood'' (1959) * '' The Wasp Woman'' (1959) * '' Ski Troop Attack'' (1960) * '' Battle of Blood Island'' (1960) * ''

'' (1960) * ''Rebel in Paradise'' (1960) * ''

Johnny Staccato ''Johnny Staccato'' is an American private detective television series starring John Cassavetes that ran on NBC from September 10, 1959, through March 24, 1960. The program was initially titled ''Staccato''. Synopsis Titular character Johnny ...

'' (1960) * '' Creature from the Haunted Sea'' (1961) * ''The Puppet's Dream'' (1961) * ''

Checkmate Checkmate (often shortened to mate) is any game position in chess and other chess-like games in which a player's king is in check (threatened with ) and there is no possible escape. Checkmating the opponent wins the game. In chess, the king is ...

'' (1961) * '' The Horizontal Lieutenant'' (1962) * ''Leaf'' (1962) * ''College'' (1962) * ''The Sorcerer'' (1963) * ''Quest for Freedom'' (1966) * ''The Birth of Aphrodite'' (1971) * ''The Life of Gauguin''

As sideman

With

Dorothy Ashby Dorothy Jeanne Thompson (August 6, 1932 – April 13, 1986), better known as Dorothy Ashby, was an American jazz harpist, singer and composer. Hailed as one of the most "unjustly under loved jazz greats of the 1950s" and the "most accomplished ...

* '' The Rubaiyat of Dorothy Ashby'' (Cadet, 1970) With

* '' Chico Hamilton Quintet featuring Buddy Collette'' (Pacific Jazz, 1955) * '' Chico Hamilton Quintet in Hi Fi'' (Pacific Jazz, 1956) * '' Chico Hamilton Quintet'' (Pacific Jazz, 1957) * ''

'' (Decca, 1957) * '' South Pacific in Hi-Fi'' (World Pacific, 1958) * '' Ellington Suite'' (World Pacific, 1959) * '' The Original Chico Hamilton Quintet'' (World Pacific, 1960) With Paul Horn * '' House of Horn'' (Dot, 1957) * '' Plenty of Horn'' (Dot, 1958) With

* '' Carmen for Cool Ones'' (Decca, 1958) With

Ken Nordine Ken Nordine (April 13, 1920 – February 16, 2019) was an American voice-over and recording artist, best known for his series of Word Jazz, word jazz albums. His deep, resonant voice has also been featured in many advertising, commercial advertis ...

* '' Word Jazz'' (Dot, 1957) * '' Son of Word Jazz'' (Dot, 1957) * '' Love Words'' (Dot, 1958) With Pete Rugolo * '' Behind Brigitte Bardot'' (Warner Bros., 1960)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Katz, Fred 1919 births 2013 deaths Musicians from New York City American jazz cellists American male jazz musicians American film score composers Jazz musicians from New York (state) American male film score composers Jazz cellists