Noel Pointer
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Noel Pointer (December 26 1954 - December 19 1994) was an American jazz violinist who recorded seven solo albums between 1977 and 1981.
During his solo career, Grammy nominee, Violinist/Performing Artist/Producer Noel Pointer consistently touched the lives of thousands. Pointer's reputation as an outstanding jazz musician and literary advocate garnered him honorary citizenship in cities across the US. He received special citations from the United States Congress, the US Senate Black Legislative Staff Caucus, the African National Congress (ANC), and numerous other civic and private organizations. He served as a music advisory panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the United States Information Agency (USIA).
At age 13, the native Brooklynite made his solo debut, performing Vivaldi with the world-renowned Symphony of the New World Orchestra. Guest solo appearances with the Chicago Chamber of Orchestra and Detroit Symphony Orchestra soon followed. Pointer began playing jazz on the violin while a student at New York City's High School of Music and Art. While attending college at Manhattan School of Music, Pointer earned a reputation as a New York session musician. By age 19, his experience as a free-lance musician had included steady work in The Apollo Theatre Orchestra, The Unlimited Orchestra, The Westbury Music Fair Orchestra, The Radio City Music Hall Symphony, The Love Unlimited Orchestra (US Tour), The Dance Theater of Harlem Orchestra, The Symphony of the New World, and the pit orchestras of several Broadway shows, including Guys and Dolls and Dreamgirls.
From 1977-1981 Noel Pointer recorded six solo albums, four of which reached the top five jazz albums listed on Billboard magazine's jazz charts. His debut album Phantazia won him the #1 New Male Jazz Act award in Record World magazine, along with several other top awards in prestigious trade publications, including Downbeat magazine. Now, years after his death, his legacy remains. His music has brought music into the lives of all the children in the program.
