Eddie & Bill |
In 1954 Costa made his first recordings, with guitarist
Sal Salvador, to whom he had been recommended by trombonist Winding. The
following year, Costa recorded a series of piano duets with John Mehegan;
differences in playing style meant that several rehearsals were required to
organize which pianist would be responsible for what aspects of the performances.
Costa's first recording as leader was in 1956, with his trio featuring bassist Vinnie Burke and drummer Nick Stabulas. Around this time, Costa was nicknamed "The Bear" by Burke for his powerful playing. Also in 1956, Costa and Burke joined guitarist Tal Farlow, forming a resident trio to play at the Composer, a club on West
Eddie with Tal Farlow |
In 1957 Costa was again leader, recording Eddie Costa Quintet with Woods, Art Farmer, Teddy Kotick, and Paul Motian. A trio appearance at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival also brought Costa greater attention. Costa's next recording as leader, this time exclusively on vibes, was 1958's Guys and Dolls Like Vibes.
From 1958 to 1959 Costa was with Woody Herman's band on
and off, including as part of a sextet. Over these two years, Costa continued
recording prolifically, including in orchestras led by Herman, Manny Albam,
Michel Legrand, and Ernie Wilkins. Costa's final recording as leader was The
House of Blue Lights, a piano trio album with Marshall and Motian, in 1959. After
this, although he continued to play in clubs such as the Half Note on Hudson Street,
Costa concentrated mainly on studio work, on both piano and vibes, for other
leaders. He was much in demand for recording sessions because of the excellence
of his sight-reading and playing on both of his instruments.
Eddie on vibes |
The quantity of studio work created a conflict between
Costa's need and desire to support his family, sometimes achieved through
working day and night in studios, and his belief in developing his jazz
talents, which would have required playing more in clubs and dealing with the
people – agents, club owners, artists and repertoire men, and so on – whose
goals seldom matched those of creative musicians. There are many notable
examples of Costa's studio work from this period. A long association with
pianist and arranger Ralph Sharon meant that Costa was the vibraphonist in the
Sharon orchestra on June 9, 1962, when it played with Bennett at Carnegie Hall.
Costa's final recording session was on July 12, 1962, as part of a group
assembled by saxophonist Al Cohn mainly from the Benny Goodman band that had
toured the Soviet Union earlier that year.
Late at night on July 28, 1962, Costa was killed in a car
crash, involving no other vehicles, on New York's Westside Highway at 72nd
Street. He was survived by his wife and four children.
This loss to music was summarized years later in the liner notes to one of his recordings: "No pianist with his combination of strength, humour, and drive has developed in the sixties or seventies, and as the years go by it becomes more apparent that we lost a unique creative musician". In his eight-year recording career, Costa appeared on more than 100 albums, five of these were under his own leadership He never recorded a solo album. (Info edited from Wikipedia)
This loss to music was summarized years later in the liner notes to one of his recordings: "No pianist with his combination of strength, humour, and drive has developed in the sixties or seventies, and as the years go by it becomes more apparent that we lost a unique creative musician". In his eight-year recording career, Costa appeared on more than 100 albums, five of these were under his own leadership He never recorded a solo album.
Eddie Costa with Phil Woods, Art Farmer, Teddy Kotick, and Paul Motian: 1957.
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For “Eddie Costa Trio's Complete Recordings” go here:
http://www55.zippyshare.com/v/b1wIODTM/file.html
Contains the complete albums:
- Eddie Costa-Vinnie Burke Trio (Jubilee, 1956)
- The house of Blue lights (Dot, 1959)
01. Fascinating Rhythm
02. Unison Blues
03. Sweet and Lovely
04. Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)
05. Pile Driver
06. Yesterdays
07. It Could Happen to You
08. Jeepers Creepers
09. Get Happy
10. The House of Blue Lights
11. My Funny Valentine
12. Diane
13. Annabelle
14. When I Fall in Love
15. What's to Ya
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