Musical Pioneer. A cellist, pianist, conductor, composer, and arranger, he is remembered for introducing the cello to jazz. Raised in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, he was a child prodigy on the piano and cello, received classical training under the legendary cellist Pablo Casals, dropped out of high school, had a Town Hall solo recital at 15, played with the National Symphony Orchestra, and during World War II served in Europe as an entertainment director with the Seventh Army. Relocating to Southern California after the war, he began performing folk music and became well known on the jazz scene via his performaces with the Chico Hamilton Quintet, frequently playing a Bach solo piece for cello during breaks. As a pianist, he often backed Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Vic Damone, and others on their records and in live gigs, while as a conductor and arranger he contributed to numerous projects, among his credits Carmen McRae's 1958 "Carmen for Cool Ones". During the late 1950s, Katz recorded with Hamilton while releasing several albums of his own including "Soul-o Cello" (1957), the 1958 "Fred Katz and His Jammers", and 1959's "Folk Songs for the Far Out". He wrote songs for Frankie Laine and others including Laine's "Satan Wears a Satin Gown", appeared on the silver screen with Hamilton's ensemble in 1957's "The Sweet Smell of Success" and the 1960 documentary "Jazz on a Summer Day", and composed and conducted the music for seven of Roger Corman's schlock movies including "Wasp Woman" and "A Bucket of Blood" (both 1959) and 1960's classic "The Little Shop of Horrors". Katz continued to perform while holding a professorship at Cal State Northridge for around 30 years, officially retired in 1990, largely withdrew from the public following his wife's 1992 death, but continued to make occasional appearances. In later years some of his earlier recordings were collected and re-released, among his offerings the sound track of "The Little Shop of Horrors", "Classical Katz" (2007), and 2012's "Fred Katz and His Music". Katz died of liver cancer with much of his legacy remaining available.
Musical Pioneer. A cellist, pianist, conductor, composer, and arranger, he is remembered for introducing the cello to jazz. Raised in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, he was a child prodigy on the piano and cello, received classical training under the legendary cellist Pablo Casals, dropped out of high school, had a Town Hall solo recital at 15, played with the National Symphony Orchestra, and during World War II served in Europe as an entertainment director with the Seventh Army. Relocating to Southern California after the war, he began performing folk music and became well known on the jazz scene via his performaces with the Chico Hamilton Quintet, frequently playing a Bach solo piece for cello during breaks. As a pianist, he often backed Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Vic Damone, and others on their records and in live gigs, while as a conductor and arranger he contributed to numerous projects, among his credits Carmen McRae's 1958 "Carmen for Cool Ones". During the late 1950s, Katz recorded with Hamilton while releasing several albums of his own including "Soul-o Cello" (1957), the 1958 "Fred Katz and His Jammers", and 1959's "Folk Songs for the Far Out". He wrote songs for Frankie Laine and others including Laine's "Satan Wears a Satin Gown", appeared on the silver screen with Hamilton's ensemble in 1957's "The Sweet Smell of Success" and the 1960 documentary "Jazz on a Summer Day", and composed and conducted the music for seven of Roger Corman's schlock movies including "Wasp Woman" and "A Bucket of Blood" (both 1959) and 1960's classic "The Little Shop of Horrors". Katz continued to perform while holding a professorship at Cal State Northridge for around 30 years, officially retired in 1990, largely withdrew from the public following his wife's 1992 death, but continued to make occasional appearances. In later years some of his earlier recordings were collected and re-released, among his offerings the sound track of "The Little Shop of Horrors", "Classical Katz" (2007), and 2012's "Fred Katz and His Music". Katz died of liver cancer with much of his legacy remaining available.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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