Rod Levitt

Rodney Charles Levitt(September 16, 1929 inPortland, Oregon– May 8, 2007 inWardsboro, Vermont)was an Americanjazztrombonist, composer, and bandleader.

Levitt studied composition at theUniversity of Washington,where he took his BA in 1951. He was in the orchestra atRadio City Music Hallfrom 1957 to 1963, and played withDizzy Gillespie(1956–57),Ernie Wilkins(1957),Kai Winding(1958), andSy Oliver(1959-60), and also worked withGil Evansin 1959 when his orchestra accompaniedMiles Davis.In 1960, he played withGerry MulliganandMundell Lowe,withQuincy Jonesin 1961, and withOliver Nelsonin 1962. He recorded four albums as a leader of an octet in 1963-6,6 and continued to work with this combination into the 1970s, when he also played with bassistChuck Israels.Later in his career he worked withCedar WaltonandBlue Mitchell,and wrote music forcommercialswith a company he ran from 1966-1989. In the late 1970s he taught atFairleigh Dickinson,Hofstra University,CUNY,andHunter College.

He died of Alzheimer's in Wardsboro, aged 77.

Discography

As leader

• The Dynamic Sound Patterns- Riverside RLP 471 (1963)
• Insight- RCA Victor LPM 3372 (1964)
• Solid Ground- RCA Victor LPM 3448 (1965)
• 42nd Street- RCA Victor LPM 3615 (1966)

As sideman

WithDizzy Gillespie

• World Statesman(Norgran, 1956)
• Dizzy in Greece(Verve, 1957)
• Birks' Works(Verve, 1957)

WithMundell Lowe

• Themes from Mr. Lucky, the Untouchables and Other TV Action Jazz(RCA Camden, 1960)

WithCedar Walton

• Beyond Mobius(RCA, 1976) - arranger and conductor

WithKai Winding

• Dance to the City Beat(Columbia, 1959)

References

• "Rod Levitt",Grove Jazzonline.