JANE (NOSSETT) JARVIS

Jarvis was born in Vincennes to Charles and Luella Nossett. A child prodigy regarding her skills' playing piano, her parents sought lessons for her at age 5 from a professor at VU. She was the staff pianist for WJKS in Gary, IN., when she was 12. Also at age 12, she wrote the school song for Emerson High School in Gary.

Her parents were killed in a tragic train-auto accident in Gary when she was 13. At that time she returned to Vincennes and lived with relatives.

Jarvis graduated from Lincoln in 1932. There she participated in school musicals and other events where a pianist was needed. Though she did not play in the high school band, her mentor was O. L. Dunn, the founder and director of the LHS Band.

An accomplished jazz pianist, Jarvis has had a distinguished career in music. At age 81 she continues to compose, play and record music. She was among acclaimed jazz musicians who traveled to Japan this September for the "Statesman of Jazz" tour.

The Statesman of Jazz are musicians 65 years of age and older, a group which was launched by the American Federation of Jazz Societies. Life magazine featured these "Statesman" in a cover photograph in 1995 and Jarvis was among those pictured.

In July, she recorded a CD of Hoagy Carmichael and Cole Porter tunes titled " Back Home Again in Indiana." She currently is selecting versions of those songs for its scheduled release. In August she finished recording, with a number of acclaimed jazz and studio musicians, a Broadway musical she wrote. Jarvis studied music at VU, the Chicago Conservatory of Music, the Bush Conservatory of Music, the Loyola University School of Music and the DePauw University of Music-- all before she was graduated from high school. She has a bachelor's degree from Pace University, New York.

Jarvis has more than 300 musical compositions to her credit. She is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and the National Academy of Recoding Arts and Science (NARAS). She has earned numerous awards and commendations for her work as a jazz musician and as a composer and arranger of music for MUSAK.

One of her first jobs was laying the organ for the former Milwaukee Braves in the 1940s. She moved on to New York City where she became the organist for the New York Mets and held that job for many years. She was organist for the team in 1969, the year of the "Miracle Mets" when that team won the World Series. In 1963 she went to work for MUSAK Corp. where she became vice president and director of recording and programming. She retired from MUSAK in 1978 to pursue hr love of jazz music.

She has recorded 15 albums of her own music and has worked on countless arrangements and compositions with a number of musical luminaries, including Nick Perito, Al Caiola, Frank Hunter, Grady Tate, Zoot Sims, Richie Kamuca, Doc Severinsen, Lionel Hampton and Clark Terry.

In addition, Jarvis also found time to work at the Clinton Youth Center in New York City, a rehabilitation facility for youthful drug victims. She also has played numerous benefit concerts for a variety of causes.

After living for many years in New York City, Jarvis now resides in Cocoa Beach, FL. She is the mother of two children.

Distinguished Alumni 1997

Class of 1932