Trudy Pitts

Trudy Pitts
Birth name	Gertrude E. Pitts
Born	August 10, 1932 (1932-08-10) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
Origin	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died	July 12, 2010(2010-07-12) (aged 78) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Genres	Jazz
Instruments	Organ, vocals
Years active	1950s–2000s

Trudy Pitts (August 10, 1932 – December 19, 2010), born Gertrude E. Pitts, was an American soul jazz keyboardist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was known primarily for playing the Hammond B3 organ.

Biography

Trained as a musician and a music educator, Pitts studied at the Philadelphia Musical Academy, Temple University and Juilliard, as well as other institutions. Early work experience included a position as an assistant to the pianist in the Tony Award-winning musical Raisin.

At the end of the musical's tour, she was encouraged by her husband (who had worked with Shirley Scott as a drummer) to continue developing her repertoire.

In 1967, the Boston Globe printed a piece calling her a rising star and complimented her drawbar variations, vibrato shadings, and bass pedal work. Her husband, William Theodore Carney II (born 1925), aka "Mr. C.", often joined her on the drums.

Trudy Pitts eventually went on to play with Ben Webster, Gene Ammons, and Sonny Stitt. She recorded four albums for Prestige Records, appearing with Willis Jackson among others. In 1999, a compilation album of several records was released as Legends of Acid Jazz, Trudy Pitts & Pat Martino. Recent festival appearances include the 11th Annual Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in May 2006. On September 15, 2006, Pitts was the first jazz artist play a concert on Philadelphia's Kimmel Center's 7,000 pipe organ, "taking the medium to a whole new level".^{[citation needed]}

In 2008, she again performed on an exceptional organ, this time the Kennedy Center's Filene Organ.

Trudy Pitts died on December 19, 2010, aged 78, from pancreatic cancer.

Discography

As leader

Albums

• 1967: Introducing the Fabulous Trudy Pitts (Prestige PR 7523) with Pat Martino
• 1967: These Blues of Mine (Prestige PR 7538) with Pat Martino
• 1968: A Bucketful of Soul (Prestige PR 7560) with Mr. C.
• 1968: The Excitement of Trudy Pitts (Recorded Live! at Club Baron) (Prestige PR 7583) with Wilbert Longmire

Singles

• 1967: Steppin' In Minor c/w Take Five (Prestige PR 45-448) Same sessions as PR 7523
• 1968: A Whiter Shade Of Pale c/w Bucket Full Of Soul (Prestige PR 45-461)

As sidewoman

WIth Pat Martino

• 1967: El Hombre (Prestige PR 7513)

WIth Willis Jackson

• 1968: Star Bag (Prestige PR 7571)

With Roland Kirk

• 1976: The Return of the 5000 Lb. Man (Warner Bros. BS 2918)
• 1976: Other Folks' Music (Atlantic 1686)
• 1977: Kirkatron (Warner Bros. 2982)

External links

• Women's Jazz Organ Summit on YouTube
• Philly Jazz 4 - Interview
• 1958 recording