Results for "saxophone, tenor"

Grant Stewart

Born: June 4, 1971

Born in Toronto, Canada on June 4, 1971, Grant Stewart was exposed to the music of Charlie Parker, Wardell Gray and Coleman Hawkins by his father, a high-school English teacher and semiprofessional guitarist. Father and son often played together for hours on end. It was through these early experiences and his father's encouragement that Stewart first developed a strong ear for melody, style, and improvisation. He began with the alto saxophone at age 10, and when he was 14 his first teacher, noted Toronto bandleader Pete Schofield, invited him to play professionally in Schofield's Big Band. At 17 he switched to the tenor saxophone and was soon playing with such master saxophonists as Pat Labarbara and Bob Mover

Tommy Smith

Born: April 27, 1967

Smith grew up in the housing schemes and began his prolific career at 14 when his quartet won Best Band, and he received Best Musician Trophy at the 1981 Edinburgh Jazz Festival. A year later, he was invited to appear on the TV show 'Jazz at the Gateway' with Niels Henning Ørsted Petersen and Jon Christensen; toured with the European Youth Jazz Orchestra, and recorded his quintet for BBC Radio.

At 16, he released his first two albums, Giant Strides and Taking Off! and studied at Berklee with financial assistance from Sean Connery. He joined Gary Burton's quintet after a recommendation from Chick Corea at 18, toured worldwide, and recorded on ECM's album Whiz Kids.

Zoot Sims

Born: October 29, 1925

John Haley "Zoot" Sims was born in Inglewood, California. Growing up in a vaudeville family, Sims learned to play both drums and clarinet at an early age. His father was a vaudeville hoofer, and Sims prided himself on remembering many of the steps his father taught him. Following in the footsteps of Lester Young, Sims developed into an innovative tenor saxophonist. Throughout his career, he played with renowned bands, including Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Stan Kenton, and Buddy Rich. Sims was also one of Woody Herman's "Four Brothers", and he was known among his peers as one of the strongest swingers in the field

Mark Shim

Born: November 11, 1973

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, saxophonist Mark Shim moved to Canada then later settled in Richmond, Virginia. He started on saxophone in seventh grade, graduating from high school in 1991 and attending Virginia Commonwealth University and William Paterson College. In 1994 he moved to Brooklyn, where he played and recorded with Hamiett Bluiett in Harlem. He then played with Mose Allison, Betty Carter, Greg Osby, and the Mingus Big Band.

Shim's debut recording Mind Over Matter (Blue Note, 1998) was followed by New Directions , a young group project, that included Osby, Jason Moran, and Stefon Harris and then his second recording as a leader, the outstanding Turbulent Flow, both released on Blue Note in 2000.

Eddie Shaw

Born: March 20, 1937

Eddie Shaw has done just about everything in the blues business. He’s been a sideman, singer, bandleader, songwriter, arranger, producer and tavern owner. In most of those roles, he has worked on behalf of other artists. The whole West Side blues scene benefited from Eddie’s efforts, which included acting as bandleader and manager for the late Howlin’ Wolf from 1972 to 1975. After working for years behind the scenes, Eddie stepped out on his own as a band leader, proving himself to be one of the blues world’s premier horn players and a fine vocalist to boot. Before Wolf died in 1976, he urged Eddie to carry on the blues with The Wolf Gang

Ronnie Scott

Born: January 28, 1927

The son of a musician, Scott became a saxophonist in his teens. Eventually, as the owner of the UK's most famous jazz club, his name was virtually synonymous with jazz in the country. Working on the Atlantic oceanliners in the late 1940s, Scott got to hear modern jazz being played by the likes of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis at first hand. He returned to London convinced that he would play this same kind of jazz in Britain, even if there was not yet a public ready to hear it. He played and recorded in the modern style with like-minded musicians in London's Club Eleven, and after stints with various other bands, formed his own nine-piece group in 1953, with a line-up that included the critic and writer Benny Green on baritone sax. In 1957 he jointly fronted the Jazz Couriers with fellow-tenorist Tubby Hayes, and this band lasted until Scott (and his partner Pete King, another saxophonist) opened the first Ronnie Scott's night club in London's Gerrard Street in 1959

David Sanchez

Born: September 9, 1968

Latin Grammy Award winner David Sánchez is being hailed as “the most profound young tenor saxophonist working today. In a review, world- renown jazz critic Howard Reich saluted the young bandleader saying, “Technically, tonally and creatively, he seems to have it all. His sound is never less than plush, his pitch is unerring, his rapid-fire playing is ravishing in its combination of speed, accuracy and utter evenness of tone.” Such is the acclaim and respect that Sánchez has engendered from critics, music lovers and fellow artists throughout the world as he continues to push the frontiers of mainstream jazz to incorporate a compelling and rich array of Latin and Afro-Caribbean influences, while remaining true to the tenets of the jazz genre

Charlie Rouse

Born: April 6, 1924

Though a top tenor man in his own right, he will always be remembered as the saxophonist for the Thelonious Monk quartet. He adapted his playing to Monk’s music; his tone became heavier, his phrasing more careful, and he seemed to be the medium between Monk and the audience. Charlie Rouse studied clarinet before taking up tenor saxophone. He played in the bop big bands of Billy Eckstine (1944) and Dizzy Gillespie (1945), but made his first recordings as a soloist only in 1947, with Tadd Dameron and Fats Navarro. After playing rhythm-and-blues in Washington and New York, he was a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra (1949-50) and Count Basie's octet (1950)

Antoine Roney

Born: April 1, 1963

Philadelphia-born tenor saxophonist Antoine Roney grew up surrounded by music. After a short period learning the clarinet, young Roney took an interest in the saxophone, after his older brother - renowned saxophonist Wallace - introduced him to John Coltrane's Live at Birdland album. Inspired by what he heard, the young musician pursued studies in both alto and tenor sax, and in 1992 released his first album, "The Traveler". After a few years of touring, he issued a second album, "Whirling," in 1996. In 2006, Roney self-released two more albums, including a duet with Daniel Moreno. Always vastly active, he continues to tour and play extensively with his own trio, and has recently participated in the Miles Davis tribute project Bitches Brew Revisited, with drummer Cindy Blackman.

Spike Robinson

Born: January 16, 1930

Henry "Spike" Robinson was born in Kenosha,Wisconsin on 16th January 1930. He begain playing alto in the early 40's and in 1948 entered service in the U.S Navy as a musician. He somehow got a posting to London in 1950 and very quickly found his way to the leading jazz clubs where the new music was being disseminated. t this time he was Parker influenced and made some sides for the local Esquire Label in company with the leading London boppers including Victor Feldman. When he returned to America he wisely acquired a professional degree and established himself as an electronics engineer in Colorado