Results for "saxophone, tenor"

Albert Ayler

Born: July 13, 1936

Tenor saxophonist Albert Ayler was born on July 13th 1936 in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He learned to play the alto sax at a young age. His father, Edward, encouraged his musical interests and was his first teacher. Albert Ayler continued his musical education at John Adams High School, where he played oboe, and at the local music academy. His first gig was with Lloyd Pearson and his Counts of Rhythm when has was 15 in 1951. This led to a job with Little Walter Jacobs’ R&B band with whom he spent the following two summer vacations traveling. After graduating from high school in 1954 he went to a local college but financial difficulties forced him to leave college in 1956 and join the army

Gene Ammons

Born: April 14, 1925

Eugene "Jug" Ammons was a jazz tenor saxophone player, and the son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons. Ammons began to gain recognition when he went on the road with trumpeter King Kolax band in 1943, at the age of 18. He became a member of the Billy Eckstine and Woody Herman bands in 1944 and 1949 respectively, and then in 1950 formed a duet with Sonny Stitt. His later career was interrupted by two prison sentences for narcotics possession, the first from 1958 to 1960, the second from 1962 to 1969. Ammons and Von Freeman were the founders of the Chicago School of tenor saxophone. His style of playing showed influences from Lester Young as well as Ben Webster

JD Allen

Born: December 11, 1972

Hailed by the New York Times as "a tenor saxophonist with an enigmatic, elegant and hard-driving style," J.D. Allen is one of the most thoughtful jazz saxophonists on the scene today. The Detroit natives apprenticeship has largely been in New York, where he has performed, recorded, and toured with legends Lester Bowie, George Cables, Betty Carter,Louis Hayes , Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, Frank Foster Big Band, Winard Harper, Butch Morris, David Murray, Wallace Roney, and contemporaries Cindy Blackman, Orrin Evans, Marcus Gilmore, Russell Gunn, and Me'shell N'degeocello, Dave Douglas among others

Chuz Alfred

The Chuz Alfred Quintet began traveling the U.S. and Canada in June 1954. In March 1955, the president of Savoy Records contacted the group. The quintet recorded a rhythm and blues single at King Studios in Cincinnati; then, in September, went to New York to record another. On September 27, 1955, the group's album, Jazz Young Blood, was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey with Ola Hanson, trombone; Chuck Lee, piano; jazz great Vinnie Burke, bass; and the legendary Kenny Clarke, drums. In 1956, the quintet left New York's Gale Booking Agency and signed with General Artists Corporation (GAC)

Eric Alexander

Born: August 4, 1968

Boasting a warm, finely burnished tone and a robust melodic and harmonic imagination, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander has been exploring new musical worlds from the outset. He started out on piano as a six-year-old, took up clarinet at nine, switched to alto sax when he was 12, and converted to tenor when jazz became his obsession during his one year at the University of Indiana, Bloomington (1986-87). At William Paterson College in New Jersey he advanced his studies under the tutelage of Harold Mabern, Joe Lovano, Rufus Reid, and others. "The people I listened to in college are still the cats that are influencing me today," says Alexander

George Adams

Born: April 29, 1940

George Adams - tenor saxophone, flute, bandleader (1940 - 1992) A soulful soloist of fierce energy, with a sound that could break into a bluesy, vocalized cry, Adams was heavily steeped in the blues and gospel tradition of his roots. George Adams was born in Covington. Georgia on 29 April 1940. At the age of eleven he started to play the piano, at High School he switched to tenor sax. He studied at the Clark College and got lessons on flute by that former Chick Webb man, Wayman Carver. At first George Adams played mostly rhythm and blues in so-called organ trios. He worked with Sam Cooke and some local guys

Don Braden

Born: November 20, 1963

A world-class saxophonist, flutist, composer and educator, Don Braden’s jazz career has spanned over 40 years. He has toured the world with jazz greats Betty Carter, Wynton Marsalis, Tony Williams, Freddie Hubbard, Roy Haynes, Herbie Hancock and the Hancock Institute, and many others, and has performed in venues as diverse as Carnegie Hall, Saturday Night Live, Harvard University (where he studied Engineering as an undergrad), and countless jazz festivals and clubs. He has played on over 100 CDs as a sideman and has produced 23 as a leader, the most recent being his critically acclaimed Earth Wind and Wonder and the recently released In the Spirit of Herbie Hancock and Chemiatry, co-led with bassist Joris Teepe.

Albert Rivera

Born: July 23, 1983

Contemporary, smooth, and eclectic – three words that just begin to describe Albert Rivera, “a modern Jazz Messenger” with one of the most exciting and sought-after saxophone sounds in today’s jazz scene. His four albums, Re-Introduction, Inner Peace (Turnaround Records) Back At It and Live at the Litchfield Jazz Festival (Truth Revolution Records) was warmly embraced by critics, who call Albert and his bandmates,“ young artists who are part of the next wave in this jazz ritual.” (Downbeat Magazine) Albert Rivera’s musical journey began at the prestigious Laguardia High School in New York City and continued throughout the summers at the Litchfield Jazz Camp

Greg Tardy

Born: February 3, 1966

“Music is an expression of the soul and I always try to speak through my horn,” says Gregory Tardy. “I once heard an older musician say ‘it is better to be felt than to be heard’. I never forgot that. That is my approach to playing any style of music.” Born into a musical family, Gregory Tardy began his musical career studying classical clarinet. In high school, Gregory excelled in music, winning many awards and scholarships offers. While studying with renowned clarinetists Russell Dagon and Jack Snavely, Tardy began preparing for a symphony career. Over time, he began to be asked to play saxophone, to fill in missing gaps in various ensembles

Chris Madsen

Jazz saxophonist Christopher Madsen is one of the most in-demand figures in the Chicago jazz world as a performer, composer, and pedagogue.  A former faculty member at Northwestern University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Midwest Young Artists, he currently coordinates the jazz program at Loyola University Chicago. He is a sought-after jazz clinician, adjudicating at jazz festivals and offering workshops to ensembles of all ages and levels from across the globe. He is a Vandoren and Conn-Selmer Performing Artist, member of the Fulbright Specialist Program roster, Jazz Education Network, the National Educator’s Association, and the National Association for Music Education. Madsen serves on the Education Committee for the Jazz Education Network and has been featured in Jazziz Magazine (2005), the Jazz Spotlight for artsamerica.org (2012), and has been interviewed for saxplaying.com (2018) and the Chicago Jazz Magazine (2019). Madsen has also contributed jazz articles to The Instrumentalist magazine and been interviewed on several radio broadcasts about jazz history and his performing career.