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Doug Carn

Destined from birth to become a part of the world of music, was born in New York City and raised in St. Augustine, Florida, where his mother, Gwendolyn Seniors Carn, taught music in the St. Johns County Public School System. Her unique and special teaching abilities provided a fertile ground for his future development.

Doug started piano lessons at the age of five but switched to the alto sax at eight. His uncle, Bill Seniors, a jazz aficionado and DJ, turned Doug on to all of the jazz of the late forties and early fifties. He was also a key figure in Doug's musical development.

In his early teens, Doug formed his first group, The NuTones. They played a variety of Jazz R&B and Rock 'n Roll hits for dances, proms and club dates all over Florida and southeast Georgia. In addition, he held down a post as organist for the A.M.E. church in its 11th Episcopal District.

During his sophomore year in high school, Doug started to play the oboe which eventually earned him a full scholarship to Jacksonville University where he returned to teach in the Jazz Studies Department in 1982. Doug graduated as valedictorian of his high school class. He also received a full scholarship to the U.S. Air Force Academy, which he turned down to pursue his music. Doug, who is now a licensed pilot, often expresses a regret about this action and sometimes wishes he had become an astronaut.

In his early teens, Doug formed his first group, The NuTones. They played a variety of Jazz R&B and Rock 'n Roll hits for dances, proms and club dates all over Florida and southeast Georgia. In addition, he held down a post as organist for the A.M.E. church in its 11th Episcopal District.

During his sophomore year in high school, Doug started to play the oboe which eventually earned him a full scholarship to Jacksonville University where he returned to teach in the Jazz Studies Department in 1982. Doug graduated as valedictorian of his high school class. He also received a full scholarship to the U.S. Air Force Academy, which he turned down to pursue his music. Doug, who is now a licensed pilot, often expresses a regret about this action and sometimes wishes he had become an astronaut. About the same time, Doug's creative writing abilities and spiritual ideology began to bear fruit. He was leading an organ trio in L.A. and studying with Larry Young, Jr. (Khalid Yasin Aziz) when the word started to "get around" about Doug's multi-faceted talents. He was soon discovered by Gene Russell who had heard about Doug's innovative lyric adaptation of contemporary jazz classic, i.e., Wayne Shorter's "Infant Eyes" Coltrane's "A Love Supreme," Bobby Hutcherson's "Little B's Poem" and Horace Silver's "Peace."

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Recording

TAEKO - Internationally Acclaimed Vocalist Explores From McCoy Tyner To Doug Carn With Contemplation! Birdland Jazz Club October 10th!

TAEKO - Internationally Acclaimed Vocalist Explores From McCoy Tyner To Doug Carn With Contemplation! Birdland Jazz Club October 10th!

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations

Takeko Contemplation Her 4th Release in the U.S. Taeko: Vocals Theo Hill: Piano François Moutin: Bass Victor Jones: Drums Guest: Sumie Kaneko: Koto Internationally-acclaimed jazz songstress from Japan, Takeko releases her 4th album in the U.S. as a leader on October 10, 2019 entitled Contemplation (Flat Nine Records). In Taeko's own words (pronounced Tie-Koe): “This album shows my true love and dedication to the African-American classical art form called jazz, as a singer who came ...

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Performance / Tour

Doug Carn: Bringing the Underground Up

Doug Carn: Bringing the Underground Up

Source: All About Jazz

By Barbara Salter Nelson When Doug Carn and the Black Jazz Legacy Band make their debut performance on April 17 and 18 at the historic Lenox Lounge in Harlem, Carn will have come full circle. “The music that made me famous in the 70's is just as relevant today," he says. “When the status quo goes down, the underground comes up."

The versatile keyboardist, composer, lyricist and arranger recorded several definitive albums in the 70's on the independent Black Jazz ...

199

Performance / Tour

Doug Carn’S Black Jazz Legacy Band to Debut in Harlem

Doug Carn’S Black Jazz Legacy Band to Debut in Harlem

Source: Phred, Inc.

Jazz keyboardist and composer Doug Carn and his Black Jazz Legacy Band are coming home to Harlem.

Carn and the Black Jazz Legacy Band will be performing the music that made him famous more than 30 years ago on April 17 and 18th at the historic Lenox Lounge in Harlem, NY.

In the 70’s, Carn recorded several albums on the independent Black Jazz record label. He was most well known for scripting lyrics to jazz classics including “Infant Eyes”, “Little ...

189

Event

Nefja Announces Season Opener Concert Supper

Nefja Announces Season Opener Concert Supper

Source: All About Jazz

The Northeast Florida Jazz Association (NEFJA) invites you to return to the Big Band era with the music of Count Basie, Sarah Vaughn, and Arthur Prysock performed by the fabulous Doug Carn Big Band featuring Carn as Count Basie and popular vocalists Mary Louise and Laurence Walden as Sarah Vaughn and Arthur Prysock.

All proceeds will go to the Jeep McCoy Scholarship Fund and will be used to provide scholarships to talented music students enrolled in a jazz studies program ...

Perhaps the hardest to find of the Doug Carn LPs on Black Jazz -- and a real killer all the way through! The album's a motherlode of righteous jazzy soul -- power-driven by Doug on organ, and peppered wonderfully with vocals by then-wife Jean Carn -- singing in a totally different mode than on her later Philly Soul recordings. The rest of the group includes some great work from Olu Dara on trumpet and Rene McLean on alto -- and the album includes Doug's great reading of "Naima", plus the cuts "Power & Glory", "Feel Free", "Jihad", "Fatherhood", and "God is One". © 1996-2008, Dusty Groove America, Inc.

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Shawn Pfaffman
organ, Hammond B3

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