Painter David X. Young Dies at 71

Painter and loft-jazz impresario David X. Young died Tuesday, May 22, at St. Vincent’s hospital in New York City. He was 71 years old.

Though he never achieved wide public recognition, Young was a gifted painter who focused on the abstract. The jazz community will remember him for hosting jam sessions at his New York loft in the ’50s and ’60s. Players like Zoot Sims, Bob Brookmeyer, Pepper Adams, Steve Swallow, Dave McKenna and others attended the sessions which Young recorded on his Webcor tape machine. Highlights from the loft sessions were released by Jazz Magnet on David X. Young’s Jazz Loft: 1954-1965, a two-disc set that includes a book of Young’s artwork.

Young became discouraged as an artist in the ’60s when the pop art movement hit. He traveled to Haiti frequently during this time and began making films. He never quit painting, however, and today an appreciative, if small, group of fans enjoy and collect his art.

Originally Published May 25, 2001