Nathaniel Pierce Blish Jr., known professionally as Nat Pierce (July 16, 1925 – June 10, 1992) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

pianist and prolific composer and arranger, perhaps best known for being pianist and arranger for the

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

band from 1951 to 1955. Pieces by Pierce were predominantly created for use in

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

Biography

Pierce was born in

Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total population of 81,045 people. With an area o ...

. United States. Following schooling at the New England Conservatory and working as an amateur musician in the

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

area, Pierce then led his own band which featured

Charlie Mariano Carmine Ugo Mariano (November 12, 1923 – June 16, 2009) was an American jazz saxophonist who focused on the alto and soprano saxophone. He occasionally performed and recorded on flute and nadaswaram as well. Biography Mariano was born in ...

from 1949 to 1951. After working with

from 1951 to 1966 as chief arranger and assistant road manager, Pierce took residence in New York City and freelanced with musicians such as

Pee Wee Russell Charles Ellsworth "Pee Wee" Russell (March 27, 1906 – February 15, 1969), was an American jazz musician. Early in his career he played clarinet and saxophones, but he eventually focused solely on clarinet. With a highly individualistic and sp ...

Lester Young Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most ...

Emmett Berry Emmett Berry (July 23, 1915 – June 22, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter. Berry was born in Macon, Georgia, United States. He began to study classical trumpet in Georgia, but by 18 had switched to jazz and moved to New York City. He bec ...

and

Ruby Braff Reuben "Ruby" Braff (March 16, 1927 – February 9, 2003) was an American jazz trumpeter and cornetist. Jack Teagarden was once asked about him on the Garry Moore television show and described Ruby as "the Ivy League Louis Armstrong". Braff ...

. From 1957 to 1959, Pierce led a band off and on which featured

Buck Clayton Wilbur Dorsey "Buck" Clayton (November 12, 1911 – December 8, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter who was a member of Count Basie's orchestra. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong, first hearing the record "Confessin' That I Love You" ...

, Gus Johnson and

Paul Quinichette Paul Quinichette (May 17, 1916 – May 25, 1983) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He was known as the "Vice President" or "Vice Prez" for his emulation of the breathy style of Lester Young, whose nickname was "The President", or simply "P ...

. He recorded with a number of other well-known musicians as well, including

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first p ...

and Pee Wee Russell. Pierce was noted for his ability to play piano in the Basie style and appeared on many releases by Basie sidemen. Pierce also arranged the music for '' The Sound of Jazz'', a 1954

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

television special hosted by John Crosby. Together with

Frank Capp Francis Cappuccio (August 20, 1931 – September 12, 2017), known professionally as Frank Capp, was an American jazz drummer. Capp also played on numerous rock and roll sessions and is considered to be a member of The Wrecking Crew. Biography ...

he founded the '' Capp/Pierce Juggernaut'' Band in 1975, which performed in to the 1990s. Pierce died of complications from an abdominal infection in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Discography

As leader

As Nat Pierce and His Orchestra *''Kansas City Memories'' (Coral, 1957) *''The Nat Pierce Orchestra – Big Band At The Savoy'' (RCA, 1958) With

*Frank Capp & Nat Pierce: ''Juggernaut'' ( Concord Jazz, 1976) *The Capp-Pierce Juggernaut: ''Live at the Century Plaza'' with Joe Williams (Concord Jazz, 1978) * The Frank Capp-Nat Pierce Orchestra: ''Juggernaut Strikes Again!'' with

Ernie Andrews Ernest Mitchell Andrews Jr. (December 25, 1927 – February 21, 2022) was an American jazz, blues, and pop singer. Life and career Andrews was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but grew up in Los Angeles, and is said to have been discovered by ...

(Concord Jazz, 1982) *The Capp-Pierce Juggernaut: ''Live at the Alley Cat'' with

Ernestine Anderson Ernestine Anderson (November 11, 1928 – March 10, 2016) was an American jazz and blues singer. In a career spanning more than six decades, she recorded over 30 albums. She was nominated four times for a Grammy Award. She sang at Carnegie Hall, ...

(Concord Jazz, 1987)

As sideman

With

Louis Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, ...

*'' Drummer's Holiday'' (Verve, 1958) * '' The Louis Bellson Explosion'' (Pablo, 1975) With

*'' The Ruby Braff Octet with Pee Wee Russell & Bobby Henderson at Newport'' (Verve, 1957) With

Benny Carter Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. With Johnny Hodges, he was a pioneer on the alto saxophone. From the beginning of his career ...

*'' 'Live and Well in Japan!'' (Pablo Live, 1978) With

Al Cohn Al Cohn (November 24, 1925 – February 15, 1988) was an American jazz saxophonist, arranger and composer. He came to prominence in the band of clarinetist Woody Herman and was known for his longtime musical partnership with fellow saxophonist ...

*'' The Natural Seven'' (RCA Victor, 1955) With

Freddie Green Frederick William Green (March 31, 1911 – March 1, 1987) was an American swing jazz guitarist who played rhythm guitar with the Count Basie Orchestra for almost fifty years. Early life and education Green was born in Charleston, South Car ...

*'' Mr. Rhythm'' (RCA Victor, 1955) With

*'' The Saxophone Section'' (World Wide, 1958) *'' Jazz Reunion'' (Candid, 1961) with

With

Johnny Hodges Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on soprano ...

*'' Triple Play'' (RCA Victor, 1967) With Joe Newman *'' All I Wanna Do Is Swing'' (RCA Victor, 1955) *'' Salute to Satch'' (RCA Victor, 1956) *''

Counting Five in Sweden ''Counting Five in Sweden'' is a live album by trumpeter Joe Newman with Count Basie's All Stars recorded in Sweden in 1958 for the Swedish Metronome label and also released in the US on World Pacific.Specs Powell *'' Movin' In'' (Roulette, 1957) With

*'' For Basie'' (Prestige, 1957) *'' Basie Reunion'' (Prestige, 1958) *'' Like Basie!'' (United Artists, 1959) With Buddy Tate *'' Unbroken'' (MPS, 1970) With Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson *'' Clean Head's Back in Town'' (Bethlehem, 1957)

As arranger

With

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

*''

The Count! ''The Count!'' is an album by pianist/bandleader Count Basie recorded in 1952 and released on the Clef label in 1955.955 Year 955 ( CMLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * August 10 – Battle of Lechfeld: King Otto I ("the Great") defeats the Hungarians (also ...

*'' Dance Session Album #2'' (Clef, 1954) With

Bob Brookmeyer Robert Edward "Bob" Brookmeyer (December 19, 1929 – December 15, 2011) was an American jazz valve trombonist, pianist, arranger, and composer. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Brookmeyer first gained widespread public attention as a member of G ...

*'' Kansas City Revisited'' (United Artists, 1958) With

*'' Woody Herman–1963'' (Philips, 1963) With

*'' The Birth of a Band!'' (Mercury, 1959)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pierce, Nat Progressive big band musicians Big band bandleaders Big band pianists Bebop pianists Swing pianists American jazz pianists American male pianists 1925 births 1992 deaths Musicians from Somerville, Massachusetts 20th-century American pianists Jazz musicians from Massachusetts 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians The Capp-Pierce Juggernaut members