Charles Covington Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Piano |
| Website | charlescovingtonjazz |
Charles Covington Jr. is an American jazz pianist and a U.S. Life Master in chess.
Career
A native of Baltimore, Covington became interested in jazz when the high school principal broadcast music by Erroll Garner and Ahmad Jamal on the intercom.[1] He served in the U.S. Army, attended the Peabody Institute, and learned piano and organ at the Hammond School of Music.[1] He performed in clubs and at the Royal Theater.[1] After the manager of George Benson heard Covington perform in New York City, he invited him to tour with Benson.[1] He also worked with Ethel Ennis, J.J. Johnson, O'Donel Levy, and Nathan Page.[1]
An interest in chess led Covington to chess clubs in New York. He has been certified a Life Master by the U.S. Chess Federation and is considered one of the top black chess players in the country. He has written books on chess, checkers, and math.[1] For twenty years he taught at the Peabody Conservatory, then at Howard University. Covington has also performed as a magician.[1] He was the pianist for the television program BET on Jazz.[2]
Awards and honors
Discography
As leader
- It's Time for Love (Jazz Karma, 1992)
As sideman
With O'Donel Levy
- Black Velvet (Groove Merchant, 1971)
- Breeding of Mind (Groove Merchant, 1972)
- Dawn of a New Day (Groove Merchant, 1973)
- Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky (Groove Merchant, 1974)
- Windows (Groove Merchant, 1976)
With Nathen Page
- Page 1 (Hugo's Music, 1977)
- Page 2 (Hugo's Music, 1978)
- Plays Pretty for the People (Hugo's Music, 1979)
With others
- George Benson, Shape of Things to Come (A&M/CTI, 1968)
- J.J. Johnson & Kai Winding, Betwixt & Between (A&M/CTI, 1969)
- Ethel Ennis, 10 Sides of Ethel Ennis (BASF, 1973)
- Gary Thomas, Exile's Gate (JMT, 1993)