Biography
Performance Activities
Education


BIOGRAPHY


Born and raised in Rome, Georgia, Mr. Duvall grew up listening to the music his mother loved - Louis Armstrong, the Dukes of Dixieland, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Hank Williams, Sr., Johnny Cash, Merl Haggard, Dean Martin and many others. Encouraged by his mother to pursue music if he so desired, Mr. Duvall began his musical training in the fifth grade playing trumpet in the middle school band. He continued on trumpet through high school earning numerous band awards for performance and leadership skills. During his junior and senior years of high school, he also began performing outside of school on electric bass as part of a local gospel group.

After high school, Mr. Duvall auditioned and was accepted as a trumpeter in the US Army where, after basic training, he attended the Armed Forces School of Music in Norfolk, Virginia.. At his permanent duty station, Fort Jackson, near Columbia, SC, he began performing on electric bass with the stage band, rock band and jazz combos.

Upon leaving the Army, he applied and was accepted at the University of South Carolina as a jazz and commercial music major on bass studying primarily with the late Dr. John Emche, an accomplished jazz pianist, arranger and composer. During Mr. Duvall's sophomore year, he took a semester off to be part of an eleven week US tour with a group out of Opryland, USA. This tour, which featured all types of American music, was a bus tour consisting of mostly one night engagements which began in Nashville, headed north to New Jersey, south to Florida, west to Texas, north to Nebraska, east to Chicago and finally back to Tennessee.

After graduating magna cum laude, Mr. Duvall began his Master's degree at USC in Music Composition with an emphasis in jazz studying with Dr. Dick Goodwin, an extraordinary multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, teacher and band leader. It was after one year of his Master's studies that Mr. Duvall left school to tour the US with pianist/singer/entertainer Buddy Greco who began his career in Benny Goodman's band.

After returning to USC to finish his graduate studies, Mr. Duvall relocated to New York City where he performed in jazz clubs, off-Broadway shows and worked in music studios primarily with guitarist/producer Joe Taylor, a long-time friend from Columbia. Highlights while in New York include performing at Birdland with jazz saxophonist Chris Potter for his leader debut in New York, having an arrangement of a Marian McPartland composition for orchestra and jazz trio performed at Alice Tulley Hall and playing for John Gotti's birthday party...

Mr. Duvall returned to South Carolina after nearly two years in New York and soon thereafter relocated to Charleston, SC where he eventually began performing as a jazz pianist. It was during this time that he met good friend and musical collaborator Robert Lewis, a highly regarded jazz saxophonist and composer, who heads the jazz department at the College of Charleston.

Currently, Mr. Duvall leads the Frank Duvall Jazz Trio and performs throughout the area with other various ensembles. He also teaches at the College of Charleston where he is the acoustic and electric bass jazz performance instructor. He also directs and arranges for an instrumental ensemble and teaches a class covering the history of popular music in America.

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On a personal note, Mr. Duvall discovered fairly recently that his extended family was quite talented musically. On his mother's side of the family, many of his aunts and great-aunts played piano in the home and on his father's side, a great-aunt performed on piano in movie theatres providing music for silent films in Chicago. Her and her contemporaries lost their jobs when 'talkies' with sound tracks came along!


PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES


Numerous performances with jazz pianist Marian McPartland of National Public Radio fame

Gigs with many New York based musicians:
Chris Potter (Concord recording artist), Dennis Macrel (Count Basie), Jeff Hirschfield (Tabakin/Akioshi), Tony 'Thunder' Smith (John McLaughlin), Tommy Mandel (Brian Adams), Larry Goldings (Jim Hall), Bob Belden, Benny Green (Blue Note recording artists), Bill Stewart, Kevin Hayes (Sonny Rollins), Bill Charlap (Phil Woods) and others.

Performed at the Blue Note and Birdland jazz clubs in NYC.

Performances with many top cabaret artists:
Margaret Whiting with Tex Ritter, Steve Ross, Weslia Whitfield with Mike Greensill, Billy Stritch, Sharon McNight and Nancy Lamott.

Jazz clinic performances with
Jim McNeely, Eddie Daniels, Jerry Coker, Roger Pemberton, Vinnie DiMartino, Ted Piltzecker, Ed Soph, John Serry, Lou Fontana, Rick Latham, Nick Brignola and Al Vizutti.

Over a year of private study with Michael Moore one of the top NY bassists and Concord recording artist.

Toured the US with singer and pianist Buddy Greco who began his career in Benny Goodman's band.


PROMINENT GIGS WITH THE FOLLOWING:

Marian McPartland, Freddie Hubbard, Buddy DeFranco, Bob Alberti, Chris Vadalla,
Carl Fontana, Peter Appleyard, Harry Allen, Scott Hamilton, John Coliani,
Pete Minger, Jerry Dodgion, Dizzy Gillespie, John Faddis, Robert Goulet,
Margaret Whiting, Steve Ross, Sharon McNight, Billy Stritch, Weslia Whitfield with Mike Greensill,
Nancy LaMott, Nneenna Freelon, Chris Potter, Larry Goldings, Steve Watson,
Jon Stowell, Larry Koonse, Bob Belden, Bennie Green, Kevin Hayes,
Bill Stewart, Bill Charlap, Joe Taylor, Tony "Thunder" Smith, Tommy Mandel, Gerardo Valez,
Buddy Greco, Billy Eckstine with Bobby Tucker.


COMPOSITION AND ARRANGING

Arrangement for orchestra and jazz trio for a Marian McPartland original "Time and Time Again"
premiered Nov. '89 by the Concordia Orchestra, Marin Alsop conducting, in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center.


EDUCATION


Master of Music degree from the University of South Carolina (1988)
in Composition and Arranging with jazz and commercial music emphasis

Bachelor of Music degree from the University of South Carolina (1984) in performance
in the Jazz and Commercial Music Department.


COLLEGE TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Acoustic and Electric Bass Instructor for the jazz department
at the College of Charleston (Fall 2000-present)

Director of the Reading Band jazz ensemble - CofC (Fall 2002-present)

Instructor of The History of Popular Music in the United States - CofC (Fall 2002-present)

Instructor of Music Fundamentals - CofC (Spring 2008-present)

Instructor of Music Appreciation - CofC (Fall 2000)

Musical Director and Conductor of the 18 member University of South Carolina Jazz Ensemble
for a period of 2 and 1/2 years (1984-85, 87-88)

Instructor of Applied Jazz Lessons on acoustic and electric bass
as an adjunct professor for both undergraduate and graduate USC students (1987-88)

Instructor of Jazz and American Popular Music USC (1987-88)

Instructor of Advanced Sight-Singing and Ear-Training USC (1987-88)

Assisted in organizing the Jazz Combo program with Roger Pemberton (Jazz Artist in residence)
and also directed many of the different level groups USC (1987-88)


phone: (843) 819-6570


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