Ed Stoute

Description

Ed Stoute’s talks about his experience as a pianist and a bandleader in Brooklyn, New York. Stoute grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant and attended the East New York Vocational High School until his last year when he decided to quit to pursue music instead. He returned to finish his high school education when he was 30. He graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School. Stoute recounts his music education from early childhood, when his older sister took piano lessons and his older brother took violin lessons at home. Stoute was self-taught and although he could not read music, he was playing the piano by ear and started to play gigs at 18 years old. His recalls that his interest in jazz began when he heard Stan Keaton, Bird, and especially Bud Powell records played in his home. Stoute would go to jam sessions in the home of his friends. Kenny Dorham lived nearby Hancock St. and other professional musicians were living in the area. Stoute names and describes many of the clubs and jazz sites in Brooklyn at the time, such as Continental, Tip Top, Berry Brothers, Moulin Rouge, Baby Grand. He also talks about the various jazz musicians who played there, such as Miles Davis, Walter Bishop, Red Garland among many others. Stoute started going to these clubs as soon as his age permitted, at 18. He describes the typical evening program at Moulin Rouge and his experience playing there. Stoute had one of his earliest gigs at the Baby Grand...

From Collection

Lost Jazz Shrines

Record Contributed By

Weeksville Heritage Center