Pitt director of jazz studies Nathan Davis to receive legacy award in D.C.

Nathan Davis will receive the BNY Mellon Jazz Living Legacy Award at a Oct. 5 ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

The director of jazz studies at the University of Pittsburgh, who is retiring effective June 28, is getting the award for his “steadfast and uncompromising commitment to jazz education,” says Jim McDonald, BNY Mellon's managing director of global philanthropy.

Davis, 76, took the position in 1969 and, besides shaping jazz and ethnomusicology programs at Pitt, founded the annual jazz seminar and concert, a staple of every musical year.

Besides a great assortment of jazz arrangements, he has written several books on jazz, an opera, and is currently working on a ballet.

The awards ceremony in October will include a reception, a performance by pianist Cecil Taylor with an opening set by pianist Jason Moran.

Ticket prices for the event have not been determined and seating is limited. Details: karen@midatlanticarts.org.