Medley – 1995
Dorothy Donegan
A short but memorable set by a remarkable pianist
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Dorothy Donegan (1922-98) was one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time although she never received all that much fame.
A virtuoso who Art Tatum admired, Donegan often switched between high-powered versions of classical music, boogie-woogie, uptempo blues and jazz standards in unique medleys, and she had plenty of showmanship and wit.
From the 1995 Newport Jazz Festival, Dorothy Donegan begins by playing dignified versions of the melodies of “Rhapsody In Blue” and “The Man I Love” before tearing into the latter and then switching to a dazzling “Flight Of The Bumble Bee.”
She concludes with a high-powered “Bye Bye Boogie.”
This clip gives viewers a little sampling of what Dorothy Donegan could do.
-Scott Yanow
Ella Fitzgerald