Dean Benedetti, Jazz Ethnographer

I have turned/tuned my ears again to Phil Schaap’s “Bird Flight,” the radio program committed to the informed listening of music innovator Charlie Parker. Recently, the jazz historian dedicated his morning show on WKCR-FM to Dean Benedetti’s late 1940s field recordings of “Yard Bird.”

Normal
0




false
false
false

EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE













MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1" />


















UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title" />

UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid" />

UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1" />

UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference" />
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title" />

In 1949, Benedetti began to experience the first symptoms of myasthenia gravis, a rare muscle disease, which soon affected his playing. In 1953, his parents returned with Dean to Torre del Lago in attempts at various cures. In Italy, the ailing Benedetti continued with music, writing arrangements for such artists as the great Neapolitan musician Renato Carosone, a working relationship we know very little about. On January 20, 1957, Dean Benedetti died at age 34.

This June, Torre del Lago will sponsor the tenth annual “Dean Benedetti Jazz Festival” in honor of this Italian-American musician, musicologist, discographer, and jazz ethnographer, who the Jazz Institute of Chicago has proclaimed a “true jazz hero.”