David N. Baker

about

David Nathaniel Baker Jr. (December 21, 1931 – March 26, 2016) was an American jazz composer, conductor, and musician from Indianapolis, Indiana, as well as a professor of jazz studies at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Baker is best known as an educator and founder of the jazz studies program. From 1991 to 2012, he was conductor and musical and artistic director for the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra. He has more than 65 recordings, 70 books, and 400 articles to his credit. He received the James Smithson Medal from the Smithsonian Institution, an American Jazz Masters Award, a National Association of Jazz Educators Hall of Fame Award, a Sagamore of the Wabash award, and a Governor's Arts Award from the State of Indiana. Baker also held leadership positions in several arts and music associations. The Indiana Historical Society named Baker an Indiana Living Legend in 2001. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts named him a Living Jazz Legend in 2007. David Nathaniel Baker Jr. was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on December 21, 1931, to Patress Lasley Baker and David N. Baker Sr., a postal carrier. His siblings included two sisters, Shirley and Clela, and a brother, Archie. Baker attended Indianapolis Public Schools and graduated from Crispus Attucks High School, a segregated public school for African American students. He continued his education at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, where he earned a bachelor's degree in music educ

top songs

albums

Lyrics by Ira Gershwin

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Eastern Man Alone

Flute and Piano Music By Composers of African Descent. Vol. 2

African Heritage Symphonic Series, Vol. 3

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Sheldon Harnick: Hidden Treasures (1949-2013)

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Strings

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Videmus: Works by Anderson, Baker, Fox and Wilson

Blues Dialogues: Music by Black Composers

Double Dance: Classical and Jazz Connections, Vol. 2

Legacy

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Dance Like the Wind

Paul Freeman Introduces... David N. Baker

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