Al Levitt

Alan "Al" Levitt (November 11, 1932, New York City - November 28, 1994, Paris) was an American jazz drummer.

Education

Levitt studied piano with Moses Chusids in high school, and studied drums under Irv Kluger in 1949-50.

Accompanied

In the early 1950s Levitt played with

• Barbara Carroll (1950),
• Chuck Wayne (1950–51),
• Charles Mingus (1951),
• Lennie Tristano (1952),
• Stan Getz (1953),
• Paul Bley (1954–55),
• Lee Konitz (1954–56).

The Netherlands/Paris

He moved to The Netherlands in 1956, playing there with Pia Beck. Thereafter he played in Paris with

• Sidney Bechet,
• Rene Urtreger,
• Allen Eager,
• Martial Solal,
• Guy Lafitte,
• Stephane Grappelli,
• Barney Wilen.

United States

After returning to the United States in 1958, he played with

• Toshiko Akiyoshi (1958),
• Shirley Horn (1959),
• Scott LaFaro/Dick Haymes (1959–60),
• Ronnie Ball/Chris Connor (1960–61),
• Candido Camero (1962–63),
• Teddy Edwards (1964),
• Stella Levitt (1964 and subsequently; they were married),
• Georgie Auld (1965–66), Jackie Paris/Ann Marie Moss (1967),
• Lionel Hampton 1967-68),
• Chris Connor and David Allyn (1970),
• Mingus again in 1972.

In 1968 he recorded for ESP-Disk along with his wife, a vocalist, and his son, a guitarist.

Canary Islands

In 1973 Levitt moved to the Canary Islands. He played with Pedro Itturalde in Spain and led his own group. Moving to Paris again in 1975, he played in Europe with

• Peter Ind,
• Solal,
• Lafitte,
• Urtreger,
• Slide Hampton,
• Warne Marsh,
• Konitz,
• Jimmy Raney,
• Chet Baker,
• Alan Jean-Marie (1978),
• Kai Winding and Kenny Drew (1979),
• Sonny Stitt (1981),
• James Moody (1981),
• Horace Parlan (1984, 1986–87),
• Steve Grossman (1985),
• Benny Carter (1985),
• Kenny Drew and Teddy Edwards (1986–87),
• Duke Jordan (early 1990s).

Group Leader

He also co-led a group with Nathalie Loriers.

References

• Leonard Feather and Ira Gitler. The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford, 1999, p. 411.