The ZaSu Pitts Memorial Orchestra was formed in
San Francisco by Stephen Ashman, a
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
-player. They released several LPs in the 1984-1987 time period and continue to be active. The Orchestra did not have any overt connection to
ZaSu Pitts
Zasu Pitts (; January 3, 1894 – June 7, 1963) was an American actress who starred in many silent dramas, including Erich von Stroheim's epic 1924 silent film ''Greed'', and comedies, transitioning successfully to mostly comedy films with the ...
beyond the name.
The first version of the band consisted of approximately 15 members (mostly male instrumentalists and female singer-dancers) who performed full band renditions of
Motown
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...
,
soul,
R&B and other classic
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
songs along with a few original compositions. A mid-1980s
New Year's Eve
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...
show broadcast by San Francisco
PBS station
KQED-TV is sometimes shown on public TV in the United States.
The Zasu Pitts Memorial Orchestra won a
Bammy Award for Best Independent Album of 1985
On June 23, 2008, the semi-original Zasu Pitts Memorial Orchestra lineup reformed for the first time in nearly 23 years for a one- off concert at the
Great American Music Hall in San Francisco to benefit original Zasu Pitts/Big Bang Beat saxophonist Morey Goldstein who had recently been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.
Booker T. Booker T or Booker T. may refer to
* Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), African American political leader at the turn of the 20th century
** List of things named after Booker T. Washington, some nicknamed "Booker T."
* Booker T. Jones (born 1944) ...
of
Booker T. & the M.G.'s made a guest appearance at this show. Goldstein died on July 5, 2008.
Morey Goldstein obituary
/ref>
The Second - and most popular version of the band - recorded another album and featured many exceptional musicians who have gone on to play in other notorious bands (Karl Perazzo and Dave Mathews later joined Santana with whom both currently play), Rob Sudduth, Marvin McFadden (both of whom joined Huey Lewis and the News) and many others. The band continues to re-unite and is notorious for their energetic (and long) shows, often with multiple musical guests.
External links
Samples available
Trouser Press entry
References
{{Authority control
Rock music groups from California
American rhythm and blues musical groups