Known to Pace students as ‘Dr. C,’ Nicholas Catalano has been working at Pace University for 55 years, spending 35 of those years teaching his passion; jazz.

“I write jazz criticism for a variety of publications,” Catalano said. “I teach jazz here at Pace. I’ve written and produced it while I was here at Pace.”

The professor and avid writer recently finished a screenplay about the late jazz artist, Clifford Brown.

The screenplay, Brownie’s Bop, took approximately eight months to produce. It is based on a book Catalano published in 2000, Clifford Brown: The Life and Art of the Legendary Jazz Trumpeter. His book was published in over five languages and Catalano toured with it around the world. The film is set for pre-production in the beginning of next January.

“This is a story of the greatest jazz trumpeter ever,” Catalano said. “I met him when I was 14 and playing.”

Before Brown’s untimely death at 25, he recorded enough music to be established as one of the best jazz artists. Jazz musicians Max Roach (drummer) and Sonny Rollins (tenor saxophone) were a part of Brown’s group and will be featured in the film.

With the screenplay finished, HBO is now in the process of casting and preproduction meetings. They are looking into actor Chadwick Boseman, the lead in Black Panther, to play Brown. With Catalano’s expert opinion, they are looking into prominent faces of jazz such as Quincy Jones and Wynton Marsalis to be featured.

“I am especially excited because jazz is the only original American art form; very little understood and this film will advance the cause,” Catalano said. “The principal excitement here is not only that he was a great trumpeter but a consummate genius in an art form that deserves equal billing with classical music.”

Catalano never let his successful career in the show business persuade him to leave his teaching career at Pace. Other than being a professor, for 30 years Catalano was also the University Director of Performing Arts for both campuses.

“A lot of the things I did while I was Performing Arts Director connected me with show business,” he said. “I was often asked to work in show business, but chose teaching at Pace over working in Hollywood.”

One of his greatest accomplishments at the university was running a comedy series that Pace had 40 years ago. Well-known faces of Hollywood performed at the comedy show several times. Some of these comedians include: Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Maher, Larry David, and Robin Williams.

Catalano has a packed career filled with accomplishments at Pace and in the show business. He produced comedy series for HBO and Cinemax, wrote comedy pilots for CBS, and wrote screenplays for ABC Circle Films. Catalano has also written four books, and already has his idea for his fifth and final book.