Hall Overton
Encyclopedia
Hall Franklin Overton was an American composer, jazz pianist, and music teacher. He was born in Bangor, Michigan
. He was the first of three sons born to Stanford and Ruth (Barnes) Overton and grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan
.
lessons didn't satisfy his longing for that elusive "something" he was seeking in music
. He was fortunate in having a high school music teacher who recognized his gift, and urged him to study at The Chicago Musical College
.
It was there that he studied theory and compostition from 1940 to 1942. The latter year marked his entry into the armed services, and from 1942 until 1945 he served in overseas combat duty with the U.S. 3rd Armored Division
. It was during that time that he learned to play jazz
.
Upon his discharge from the army he pursued his musical studies at The Juilliard School of Music, studying composition with Vincent Persichetti
. He graduated in 1951 with an M.S. degree, and then became a member of the faculty there.
In later years he also taught at The Yale
School of Music and The New School of Social Research. He received awards from both The Koussevitzky Foundation
and The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
.
His New York City loft at 821 Sixth Avenue (aka the Jazz Loft
), alongside legendary photographer W. Eugene Smith, musicians Dick Cary and Jimmy Stevenson and others, and painter David X. Young in 1954, provided the perfect setting for the musicians to practice. The October 2000 release of Jazz Loft comprises many hours of these priceless sessions recorded by Smith. A large ongoing project involving Smith's photos and tapes can be seen at the Jazz Loft Project site.
While he was writing his classical compositions, he was also deeply immersed in jazz. He recorded with such notables as Stan Getz
, Duke Jordan
, Jimmy Raney
and Teddy Charles
. Thelonious Monk
selected him to score his piano works for full orchestra. A performance of these compositions in New York City
was recorded live on February 28, 1959 and released on the album The Thelonious Monk Orchestra At Town Hall. In 1963 Monk recorded a second live album with orchestra arrangements by Overton at the New York Philharmonic Hall
entitled Big Band and Quartet in Concert
.
November 24, 1972, aged 52, from cirrhosis of the liver.
(1926–2009) in 1949; they had two sons: Richard Adair (Rick) Overton
and Steven Swain Overton. Rick is a comedian
/actor
/writer
now living in California
, and Steven is based in New Mexico
.
Hall Overton was also survived by his brothers Harvey and Richard Overton.
Bangor, Michigan
Bangor is a city in Van Buren County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 1,933. The city is located in the northeast corner of Bangor Township, but is politically independent....
. He was the first of three sons born to Stanford and Ruth (Barnes) Overton and grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
.
Life
As a youngster in this small mid-western town, he found that his few pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
lessons didn't satisfy his longing for that elusive "something" he was seeking in music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
. He was fortunate in having a high school music teacher who recognized his gift, and urged him to study at The Chicago Musical College
Chicago Musical College
Chicago Musical College is a division of Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt UniversityIt was founded in 1867, less than four decades after the city of Chicago was incorporated...
.
It was there that he studied theory and compostition from 1940 to 1942. The latter year marked his entry into the armed services, and from 1942 until 1945 he served in overseas combat duty with the U.S. 3rd Armored Division
U.S. 3rd Armored Division
The 3rd Armored Division was an armored division of the United States Army. Nickamed the Third Herd, the division was first activated in 1941, and was active in the European Theater of World War II. The division was stationed in West Germany for much of the Cold War, and participated in the...
. It was during that time that he learned to play jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
.
Upon his discharge from the army he pursued his musical studies at The Juilliard School of Music, studying composition with Vincent Persichetti
Vincent Persichetti
Vincent Ludwig Persichetti was an American composer, teacher, and pianist. An important musical educator and writer, Persichetti was a native of Philadelphia...
. He graduated in 1951 with an M.S. degree, and then became a member of the faculty there.
In later years he also taught at The Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
School of Music and The New School of Social Research. He received awards from both The Koussevitzky Foundation
Serge Koussevitzky
Serge Koussevitzky , was a Russian-born Jewish conductor, composer and double-bassist, known for his long tenure as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1924 to 1949.-Early career:...
and The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
.
His New York City loft at 821 Sixth Avenue (aka the Jazz Loft
Jazz Loft Project
"This is gold as far as the history of the music goes. This is one of the missing pieces of the jazz puzzle.” -trombonist Roswell RuddThe Jazz Loft Project, directed by Sam Stephenson at the Center for Documentary Studies in cooperation with CCP and the Smith estate, is devoted to preserving and...
), alongside legendary photographer W. Eugene Smith, musicians Dick Cary and Jimmy Stevenson and others, and painter David X. Young in 1954, provided the perfect setting for the musicians to practice. The October 2000 release of Jazz Loft comprises many hours of these priceless sessions recorded by Smith. A large ongoing project involving Smith's photos and tapes can be seen at the Jazz Loft Project site.
While he was writing his classical compositions, he was also deeply immersed in jazz. He recorded with such notables as Stan Getz
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott...
, Duke Jordan
Duke Jordan
Irving Sidney "Duke" Jordan was an American jazz pianist.-Biography:An imaginative and gifted pianist, Jordan was a regular member of Charlie Parker's so-called "classic quintet" , featuring Miles Davis...
, Jimmy Raney
Jimmy Raney
Jimmy Raney was an American jazz guitarist born in Louisville, Kentucky most notable for his work from 1951–1952 and 1962–1963 with Stan Getz and for his work from 1953–1954 with the Red Norvo trio, replacing Tal Farlow. In 1954 and 1955 he won the Down Beat critics poll for guitar...
and Teddy Charles
Teddy Charles
Teddy Charles is an American jazz pianist, drummer and vibraphone musician. Born Theodore Charles Cohen in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, he began his musical career studying at Juilliard School of Music as a percussionist...
. Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...
selected him to score his piano works for full orchestra. A performance of these compositions in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
was recorded live on February 28, 1959 and released on the album The Thelonious Monk Orchestra At Town Hall. In 1963 Monk recorded a second live album with orchestra arrangements by Overton at the New York Philharmonic Hall
Avery Fisher Hall
Avery Fisher Hall is a concert hall, in New York City and is part of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex. It is the home of the New York Philharmonic, with a capacity of 2,738 seats.-History:...
entitled Big Band and Quartet in Concert
Big Band and Quartet in Concert
Big Band and Quartet in Concert is the fifth album Thelonious Monk released for Columbia Records, featuring several Monk compositions. It was recorded live at Lincoln Center, Philharmonic Hall, New York, New York on December 30, 1963....
.
Death
His opera, Huckleberry Finn, commissioned by the Barney Jaffin Foundation, was presented by The Juilliard Opera Company just months before his death onNovember 24, 1972, aged 52, from cirrhosis of the liver.
Family
He married Nancy SwainNancy Overton
Nancy Swain Overton was an American singer.Overton first formed a singing group with her sister Jean Swain and two college friends, Bix Brent and Pauli Skindlov in 1946...
(1926–2009) in 1949; they had two sons: Richard Adair (Rick) Overton
Rick Overton
Richard "Rick" Overton is an American screenwriter, actor and comedian. His writing credits include Dennis Miller Live, and his acting credits include Willow and The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne.-Life and career:...
and Steven Swain Overton. Rick is a comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
/actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
/writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
now living in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and Steven is based in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
.
Hall Overton was also survived by his brothers Harvey and Richard Overton.
Comments
About his music, Hall Overton said:- "Since I am both a composer and active jazz musician, my work reflects both of these sources of musical experience. As a composer, my main interest has been in the exploration of non-systematic, intuitive harmony, both tonal and dissonant from which other elements—melody, counterpoint and form—can be derived. I am not particularly concerned whether this places me in the middle of the road, left or right. Or even if there is such a thing as a road to be on or off. There are only individual expressions for which we must find the right language. Some are good, some are bad. My attitude towards jazz is one of deep respect. Having attempted to master this difficult and exacting art for several years, with some small degree of success, I feel that I have come to know it in a way that is possible only through actually performing and creating in this idiom. Jazz has had a strong influence on my compositional style, but purely on a subconscious level. For I am opposed to the practice of trying to make jazz respectable through the unnatural imposition of classical forms or materials." (Article information provided by his widow, Nancy.)