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Dave McKenna (30 May 1930 – 18 October 2008, Woonsocket, Rhode Island) was an American jazz pianist. Known primarily as a solo pianist and for his distinctive "three-handed" swing style, he was a significant figure in the evolution of jazz piano. ==Biography== Starting out at the age of 15, McKenna played with Boots Mussulli (1947), Charlie Ventura (1949) and Woody Herman's Orchestra (1950–51). He then spent two years in the military, and re-joined Ventura (1953–54). He worked with a variety of top swing and Dixieland musicians including Gene Krupa, Joe Venuti, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Bob Wilbur, Eddie Condon, and Bobby Hackett but became primarily a soloist after 1967, especially in the Northeast United States. McKenna performed with Louis Armstrong at the 1970 Newport Jazz Festival. He was also known as a wonderful accompanist, recording with singers such as Rosemary Clooney, Teddi King and Donna Byrne, and recording a PBS special with Tony Bennett. McKenna started to be recognized in his own right during the 1970s, but chose to play in his local area rather than travel extensively. He preferred playing in clubs and hotels over getting center stage in major venues. He could be found playing in hotel piano bars in Massachusetts, including a decade-long run at Boston's grand Copley Plaza Hotel that ended in 1991 when the Plaza was sold. The new owners briefly turned the Plaza Bar into a cabaret, but the new format was never as popular as McKenna and ended within a year. Unfortunately, the damage was done and, because McKenna was much in demand, he returned to the Plaza for only a single night. Because of his fondness for staying close to the melody, McKenna often said, "I'm not really a bona fide jazz guy... I'm just a saloon piano player." Regulars at the Copley Plaza Bar (now the Oak Room) rebuffed this modest remark by telling McKenna he was "just a saloon player" like Billie Holiday was "just a saloon singer". McKenna was a loyal Boston Red Sox fan who, to the amusement of fans and fellow musicians alike, would often listen to games on his transistor radio while performing. Since McKenna did not drive, he often told friends the best thing about staying at the Plaza six nights a week was being able to walk to his beloved Fenway Park. McKenna retired around the turn of the millennium due to increasing mobility problems brought on by his long battle with diabetes. He died in 2008 from lung cancer. He was survived by his wife, Frances (Wiggins) McKenna (now deceased) of Oak Island, NC; his son Douglas of Cape Cod; and his son Stephen, daughter-in-law Hiya, and granddaughter Caitlin, all of PA. He also leaves a brother, Donald, and two sisters, Jean O’Donnell and Patricia Savard, all of RI. Red Sox radio announcer Joe Castiglione took time on-air during a game to say a few words about the passing of one of Boston's great, largely unsung talents. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Dave McKenna」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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