Gerald Danovitch

Gerald Danovitch (February 24, 1932 – December 1, 1997) was a renowned classical saxophone player and educator, McGill University professor, founder of Gerald Danovitch Saxophone Quartet and jazz studies department at McGill.

Early life and education

Gerald Danovitch studied clarinet with Arthur Romano. Later in his studies he picked up saxophone as a second instrument, which very soon became his main solo instrument. He learned to read music in any key, transposing it using the clefs system. His sight reading was outstanding making him a very demanded musician on the Montreal scene, and counting his ability to double fluently on several woodwind instruments, including clarinet, flute, and piccolo he soon became a part of many musical productions in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, and other cities.

Career

McGill University professor since 1964 Gerald Danovitch was chair of the Woodwind Area, and in 1968 initiated jazz studies program at the university. In 1968 he founded Gerald Danovitch Saxophone Quartet.^[1] In 1989 Paquito D'Rivera composed New York Suite for the Gerald Danovich Saxophone Quartet. Gerald Danovich was the orchestra contractor and the bandleader for the Canadian premiere of the The Phantom of the Opera musical in Ottawa.

Gerald Danovitch taught many prominent classical saxophone players including Peter Freeman, Abe Kestenberg, and others.

In late 1995 Gerald Danovich was invited by Andrew Homzy and George Doxas to start a 1930s-styled big band The Valentino Orchestra. As a lead alto and clarinet player, Gerald recorded two out of three CDs of the group. Gerald's part on the last track of the second CD was recorded after Danovich died by his student, second alto player of the band, Boris Khodorkovsky.

With The Valentino Orchestra Gerald performed at the du Maurier stage of the Montreal International Jazz Festival in June 1997, several months before his death.

Discography

1985 — Esquisses. Dubois Quatuor — M. Perrault Esquisses québécoises — McGill University Records 85022

1986 — Jones Three Preludes and a Fugue. 5-ACM 24

1987 — Gerald Danovitch Saxophone Quartet — CBC Records [1018]

1988 — Patriquin Earthpeace One. L. and I. Zuk piano. A Tempo 29588 (cass)

1989 — Free Trade. D. Matthews — Arnold — D'Rivera — et al. New York Saxophone Quartet. CBC JazzImage 2-0118 (CD)

1991 — Celebration: One Hundred and Fifty Years of the Saxophone. — featuring Eugene Rousseau — McGill University Records 750042-2 (CD)

1996 — My Foolish Heart — The Valentino Orchestra — Just A Memory Records (CD)

1998 — Feelin' No Pain — The Valentino Orchestra — Just A Memory Records 9137-2 (CD)

2001 — Classics & Pop Pieces

Filmography

2008 — Air on a G String from Celebration: One Hundred and Fifty Years of the Saxophone. CD was used as a part of soundtrack to Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in) — IMDb.^[2] Gerald Danovich is performing a solo part on soprano saxophone.