User:Noahzarc1030/Richard Youngstein

Richard Youngstein (10-30-1944), acoustic bassist, poet, composer, psychotherapist, adjunct professor, graduate schools. Name changed legally to Noah Young, 1976. Born Polyclinic Hospital, New York City (52nd st.-the old "jazz" street), raised in the Bronx, near the original Yankee Stadium. Attended local public schools while being called a "child prodigy" of the classical piano; studied with milton musicus. at age 10, played on wqxr-fm with host abraham chasins, and later, at carnegie recital hall (haydn concerto in d major for two pianos). gave up practicing piano and turned to acoustic bass in senior year in high school; studied with Herman Wright. Won a scholarship to the Jazz Arts Society, headed by Mercer Ellington, in new york city, but decided to split town and wound up attending the Univ. of Missouri's Conservatory of Music(sept. 1962). His early idols on the acoustic bass were oscar pettiford, ray brown, charles mingus. Richard also listened a great deal in high school to some of the more avant musicians of the day, including cecil taylor, eric dolphy, mingus. While he steeped himself in all the classical jazz(e.g., bud powell, bird, prez, coleman hawkins,etc.)he noticed that he much preferred, especially as a player, the original compositions of persons out of the mainstream, saying if he wanted to hear "Stella by Starlight," or "Green Dolphin St.," for the thousandenth time, he'd play the recording by the master(s), not finding much "fun" rehashing "the changes over and over for the millioneth time!" During his first and second years at the Conservatory, Richard, was "discovered" by many of the prominent local kansas city musicians and hired for many gigs; he was also a member of a jazz quintet that was entered in the Oread Jazz Festival @KU, where he first met Randy Brecker, who was playing with another college group entered in the competition..(1965 maybe?). While a student, Richard was also hired to teach classical bass during summer semesters, when the symphony bassists went on leave...his teachers during his undergrad days included principal bassist of the kc phil, claude feldman(who died at very young age), and bob scagliotti, also with the kc phil. richard was hired on several occasions to fill in the bass section with the kc civic symphony, under hugo vianello. he was also a member of the umkc conservatory jazz band, led by irving "ozzie" miller, the umkc symphony, led by jay decker, and the umkc band, led by russ patterson. also while a student, he played around town with such notables as pianist george salisbury, pianist darrel devore, vocalist, kay dennis, pianist frank smith, pianist frank miller, pianist mike ning, pianist pete eye, trombonist arch martin, and others, including don winsell, jess cole, ray rabon, bill hargraves, charles gray, gary sivils, paul smith and several original jazz ensembles, including the Taijasa Ensemble with legendary pianist, inventor, composer, Manfred Eaton, and drummer/percussionist, UnRa Arnold Young. Youngstein also played with the Travis Jenkins/Darrell DeVore group several times at the annual Kansas City Jazz Festival(with late drummer Chuck McFarland). Youngstein was a featured member of the jazz band in Dan Jaffe and Herb Six's original jazz opera, "Under Memorial Banners," given its premiere in k.c. around 1966. Youngstein graduated from the Conservatory with a Bachelor of Music Education degree in August of 1967 and moved back to his home town of New York City.