Pat Moran McCoy

Pat Moran (born 1934 in Enid, Oklahoma) is an American jazz pianist.

Pat Moran McCoy
Birth name	Helen Mudgett
Born	1934 (age 89–90) Enid, Oklahoma, U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Piano
Years active	1957–2007
Labels	Bethlehem, Audio Fidelity

Life and work

Born Helen Mudgett, Pat Moran^{[A 1]} studied piano at Phillips University and later at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.

Career

She began her career as a concert pianist but eventually moved on to jazz. She founded the Pat Moran Quartet, which later became the Pat Moran Trio, and played New York's Hickory House,^[4][5] the Birdland and the Blue Note concerts in Chicago. In subsequent iterations of her band, Moran performed with singer Beverly Kelly,^[6] bassist John Doling, and drummer John Whited. In the mid-1950s, she released two albums for Bethlehem Records.^[7]

In April 1957, Moran's quartet performed at Birdland, accompanied by a brass section, with arrangements by Nat Pierce.^[7] Moran later released two more albums for the Audio Fidelity label: Beverly Kelly Sings with the Pat Moran Trio and the Trio album This Is Pat Moran^[1] with Scott LaFaro on bass and Gene Gammage on drums.^[7][8] She also performed with Mel Tormé,^[9] Oscar Pettiford, and the Terry Gibbs Dream Band from late 1960 through 1962. McCoy was featured in a book by Ray Avery (photographer) called Stars of Jazz (1998).

In the early 1980s, Moran released an album of children's songs, Shakin' Loose with Mother Goose, in collaboration with Steve Allen and Jayne Meadows.^[10] The album's companion book was awarded the American Book Award. In later years, she performed occasionally, and was featured by National Public Radio's jazz programming,^[11][12] including "Piano Jazz" with Marian McPartland.^[13] Moran is also featured in the Romancing the West Legacy Tour touring documentary and performance series.^[14] McCoy was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in 2018.

Discography

• The Pat Moran Quartet (Bethlehem, 1956)
• The Pat Moran Quartet While at Birdland (Bethlehem, 1957)
• Beverly Kelly Sings with the Pat Moran Trio (Audio Fidelity, 1957 / SSJ (Japan), ed. 2009)
• This Is Pat Moran ((Audio Fidelity, 1958)

With Mel Tormé, Frances Faye

• Porgy & Bess, A Jazz Version of Highlights From The Opera (Bethlehem, 1956)

With Terry Gibbs

• That Swing Thing! (Verve, 1961)
• Straight Ahead (Verve, 1962)
• Main Stem Volume 4 (Contemporary, 1962)

Reissues

• Pat Moran: Complete Trio Sessions (Fresh Sound Records, 2007) is a reissue of the two (Audio Fidelity sessions from 1958.
• The Legendary Scott LaFaro (Japan, Teichiku, 1978) is a partial reissue of This Is Pat Moran

As Pat Moran McKoy

• The Gospel Truth (Brio Records, 1997)
• Jesus in Paris (Brio Records, 2001)
• A Christmas Suite (Brio Records, 2010)
• David Zaslow, Pat Moran McKoy A Be Bop Poetry (Brio Records, 2011)

References

Notes

1. Moran McCoy is referred to in various sources by different names, among them most commonly: Pat Moran,^[1] Patti Moran McCoy^[2] and sometimes Patti McCoy.^[3]

Footnotes

1. "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. November 24, 1958. pp. 47–. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
2. Cullum, Linda E. (2004). Contemporary American Ethnic Poets: Lives, Works, Sources. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 149–. ISBN 978-0-313-32484-0. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
3. Rusch, Bob (1982). Cadence. B. Rusch. p. 39. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
4. McPartland, Marian (2003). Marian McPartland's Jazz World: All in Good Time. University of Illinois Press. pp. 7–. ISBN 978-0-252-02801-4. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
5. Lyons, Len (March 22, 1989). The Great Jazz Pianists: Speaking Of Their Lives And Music. Da Capo Press. pp. 170–. ISBN 978-0-306-80343-7. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
6. "the earlier years". www.bevkellyphd.com. 28 July 2013. Archived from the original on 29 May 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
7. "Bethlehem Records Discography: 1956". JazzDisco.org. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
8. Boys' Life. Boy Scouts of America, Inc. April 1959. pp. 62–. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
9. Hulme, George (September 1, 2000). Mel Torme: A Chronicle of His Recordings, Books and Films. McFarland. pp. 39–. ISBN 978-0-7864-3743-6. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
10. Tom Sowa (6 May 1987). "Loose Goose: Rappin' Jayne and Steve recite rhymes". The Spokane Chronicle. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
11. Abe Beeson (17 September 2012). "KPLU Program Guide: Evening Jazz". National Public Radio. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
12. Dick Stein (5 August 2011). "KPLU Program Guide". National Public Radio. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
13. Moran-Mccoy, Patty; McPartland, Marian (14 July 1989). "Patty Moran-McCoy interviewed by Marian McPartland". Piano Jazz. Marian McPartland's piano jazz. National Public Radio. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
14. "Romancing the West: Legacy Tour". 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.