Mike Longo & a Legacy in Jazz
Mike Longo (1937-2020) dedicated his career to performing as a jazz pianist, composer, arranger, educator and producer. His legacy endures through his teaching books, masterclass series, compositions, many recordings, and label and publishing company, Consolidated Artists Productions, where he recorded 20 albums as a bandleader.
Longo’s professional career launched at age twelve and was influenced early by saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, who mentored and hired him for his Quartet. Longo received a Bachelor of Music degree from Western Kentucky University where he met musician, colleague, and friend Beegie Adair. He landed his first full-time position with the Salt City Six before studying under pianist Oscar Peterson, leading him to early professional gigs with singers such as Nancy Wilson and Joe Williams.
But perhaps Longo’s most significant professional and personal relationships were those with members of the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet, in which he served as pianist and music director. There he met his musical brother, saxophonist James Moody, and Gillespie, his mentor, with whom he maintained close personal and professional ties for decades.
This exhibit is a tribute to Longo, his rich life and career, his influence on contemporaries and successors, and his innumerable contributions to the jazz art form.
