Home » Jazz Musicians » Garry Dial

Garry Dial

Garry was born in Montclair New Jersey where at the age of 10 he began piano lessons. His 7th grade teacher gave him his first jazz record “The Oscar Peterson Trio” which instilled in him the love of jazz. For a few years he played the standards and some light classical pieces. He entered high school at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, New Jersey where his musical life would change forever. In church at St Benedict’s Garry met The “Queen Of Jazz “Mary Lou Williams”. She offered him lessons for free and took him under her wing.

For the next few years Garry went into NY City, up to 145th St. in Harlem, to study with Mary Lou. It was there that he learned of Miles, Monk, Bud Powell and Cecil Taylor whom Mary was doing a duo concert with at Carnegie Hall. Through a connection of Garry’s mother’s, Mary Lou was asked to perform her mass “Mary Lou’s Mass” at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in NY City. This was the first time that a Catholic jazz mass would be performed in a major cathedral.

As a junior in high school Garry took the Summer Jazz Workshop at Berklee College Of Music. This is where he realized that music and jazz would be his calling. After high school graduation he returned to Berklee where he met his current teacher of 34 years, Charlie Banacos. After one year at Berklee fellow musician Kenny Werner recommended Garry for a gig in Bermuda as the pianist at The Princess Hotel. He lived on the island with his lady for three years while playing 6 nights a week for various shows and singers.

In 1976 Garry returned to NY and started gigging around the city. He played with Charli Persip’s big band. There he was discovered by bebop trumpet legend Red Rodney who asked him to form a band. During this time Garry played with various small groups and singers. Through the club Jilly’s, Frank Sinatra heard of Garry and asked him to play at his apartment at the Waldorf Astoria. Although he never performed with Mr Sinatra in concert, Garry was asked on numerous occasions to play for Frank at his private parties. During these years Garry joined The Gerry Mulligan Big Band, The Mel Lewis Quartet and the Joe Morello Quintet performing at the Blue Note In NY City.

Initially, Dial's talent as a pianist earned him a coveted and unique place in jazz history. Ruth Ellington, sister of the great Duke Ellington, enlisted him to perform and record for the Ellington family's personal library the entire Duke Ellington catalog. Many of these compositions would have been lost as they were unperformed and unrecorded.


Read more

Tags

7
Album Review

Garry Dial: Rediscovered Ellington

Read "Rediscovered Ellington" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Fans of Duke Ellington who think they've heard it all should prepare themselves for a most pleasant surprise: a treasure-trove of “rediscovered" songs composed or co-written by Ellington, several of which had never before been recorded, wonderfully performed by Germany's world-class WDR Big Band conducted by Rich DeRosa and featuring the prodigious talents of guests Garry Dial on piano and Dick Oatts on alto and soprano saxophones and flute. The story behind that rediscovery dates to 1979 ...

6
Album Review

Garry Dial: Rediscovered Ellington

Read "Rediscovered Ellington" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


When a Duke Ellington disc spins, it's always a joyful noise. In addition to his own seemingly countless recordings, stellar tributes to Ellington often shine by reinterpreting the classic sound--the Count Basie Orchestra's Count Plays Duke (MAMA Records, 1998); Joyful Noise: a Tribute To Duke Ellington by Don Sebesky; and The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra's In The Spirit Of Duke (Spartacus Records, 2012). The set lists on these uniformly excellent recordings are reinvestigations of Ellington's more familiar tunes, with new ...

4
Album Review

Dial & Oatts, Rich DeRosa, and the WDR Big Band: Rediscovered Ellington

Read "Rediscovered Ellington" reviewed by Troy Dostert


Pianist Garry Dial and saxophonist Dick Oatts have teamed up frequently in recent years as “Dial and Oatts," on some occasions to record their own material (Dial and Oatts, 1990) and on others to breathe new life into classic jazz repertoire (Dial and Oatts Play Cole Porter, 1993). Their latest, Rediscovered Ellington, is of course an example of the latter, as the two combine forces with arranger/conductor Rich DeRosa and the WDR Big Band to tackle nine pieces in the ...

10
Album Review

Dial & Oatts/Rich DeRosa/The WDR Big Band: Rediscovered Ellington

Read "Rediscovered Ellington" reviewed by James Nadal


After sitting on his archival collection of rare Duke Ellington music for close to forty years, pianist Garry Dial decided it was time the music was heard. Connecting with his musical partner, and prominent reedman Dick Oatts, they contacted WDR Big Band conductor and arranger Rich DeRosa, and the Rediscovered Ellington project, was launched. Traveling to the WDR home base of Cologne, Germany, where DeRosa was awaiting, the three of them remodeled the music into a cohesive presentation ...

316
Album Review

Garry Dial / Terry Roche: Us An' Them

Read "Us An' Them" reviewed by Woodrow Wilkins


The concept is very simple. We're “us" and they're “them." But exactly who “we" and “they" are is the idea and concept of thought behind a 17-year process by pianist Garry Dial and vocalist Terre Roche. The United States of America is a collection of peoples from various nationalities, including immigrants and descendants of immigrants. Us an' Them sends the not-so-subtle message that we're all “us." This collection of 16 national anthems features Dial and Roche with ...

774
Profile

Garry Dial and Terre Roche: Searching for Identity in Revitalized Anthems from Around the World

Read "Garry Dial and Terre Roche: Searching for Identity in Revitalized Anthems from Around the World" reviewed by Warren Allen


Pianist Garry Dial and vocalist Terre Roche want to know where you're from. In the city of New York, surrounded by so many people whose ancestors once crossed through Ellis Island, or who have themselves only recently come to call this country home, Dial and Roche are curious to find the connection between musical and a global identity.“We've had some really interesting experiences with it," Roche says with a laugh. “At first people kind of look at you, ...

Read more articles
145

Recording

Garry Dial and Terre Roche: A Collection of National Anthems

Garry Dial and Terre Roche: A Collection of National Anthems

Source: All About Jazz

Musicians have long set out to bring the world closer together with their music, but few endeavors have been as ambitious and successful as Garry Dial and Terre Roche's Us An' Them: A Collection of National Anthems (Made In New York). Jazz pianist/arranger/educator Dial and folk guitarist/singer-songwriter Roche have both sought to bring about positive change during their long and distinguished careers - Dial primarily through his work as a teacher at the Manhattan School of Music; Roche through her ...

116

Recording

Garry Dial and Terre Roche - "Us An' Them" - A Collection of National Anthems

Garry Dial and Terre Roche -  "Us An' Them" - A Collection of National Anthems

Source: Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services

Musicians have long set out to bring the world closer together with their music, but few endeavors have been as ambitious and successful as Garry Dial and Terre Roche’s Us An’ Them: A Collection of National Anthems [Made In New York]. Jazz pianist/arranger/educator Dial and folk guitarist/singer-songwriter Roche have both sought to bring about positive change during their long and distinguished careers - Dial primarily through his work as a teacher at the Manhattan School of Music; Roche through her ...

Chris Torkewitz
saxophone, tenor

Photos

Music

Videos

Similar

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.