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Dorothy Donegan was born
on April 6, 1924, in Chicago, IL. She died on May 19, 1998, five weeks after
being honored as one of the first WOMEN IN JAZZ
LEGENDS of Gaiafest. During the mid-I940s, Dorothy went to Hollywood to appear in the motion picture "Sensations of 1945" with Gene Rogers and Cab Calloway. Dorothy recorded over
20 albums and worked in clubs and at festivals worldwide garnering praise as
a superlative pianist and show person. Her appearances included the Playboy
Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, Kool JVC Jazz Festival in New York
City, the Chicago Classic Jazz Festival and the New Orleans Jazz Festival.
Dr Donegan has also appeared as a guest soloist wit/i the New Orleans
Symphony, and with the Southeast Symphony.
In
1992, Dorothy was elected to the American Jazz Masters Hall of Fame, an
honor bestowed by the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1993, she played
for President and Mrs. Clinton on the South Lawn of the White House. Dr.
Dorothy Donegan was a master of pianistic styles. A staggering range of
jazz, Ragtime, Boogie-woogie, Gospel, Blues, as well as classical
techniques fell easily under her musically magical fingers. New York Newsday
said, "If Dorothy Donegan is not the greatest shown on earth, she is
very, very close!" Blessed with an
enormous, orchestral capacity at the keyboard, she was fluent in several
styles of jazz as well as with European classical music. Underrated by some
due to her proclivity towards showy flamboyance and her penchant for
entertaining an audience, at times through feats of virtuosa stunts, she was
nonetheless a superbly skilled artist. Joan Cartwright and Dorothy Donegan (Berne, Switzerland, 1997) Donegan performed in trio with bass and drums, frequently journeying off on solo flights of virtuosity. Late in her career, she lectured at several colleges and universities, including Harvard, Northeastern, and the Manhattan School of Music. She earned a honorary doctorate and several other awards and citations. LINKS
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