Results for "Saxophone"

John Gilmore

Born: September 28, 1931

Gilmore grew up in Chicago and played clarinet from the age of 14. [1] He took up the tenor saxophone while serving in the United States Air Force from 1948-1952, then pursued a musical career, playing briefly with pianist Earl Hines before encountering Sun Ra in 1953. For the next four decades, Gilmore recorded and performed almost exclusively with Sun Ra. This was puzzling to some, who noted Gilmore's talent, and thought he could be a major star like John Coltrane or Sonny Rollins. Coltrane, in fact, was impressed with Gilmore's playing, and took informal lessons from him in the late 1950's

Maurizio Giammarco

Born: October 17, 1952

Born in Pavia in 1952 but for the most of his life a Roma resident, Maurizio Giammarco has been a central figure on the italian jazz scene since the early '70's (see also: The Biographical Encyclopedia Of Jazz, edited by Leonard Feather & Ira Gitler), Maurizio Giammarco has made his name as a saxophonist, composer and leader of historic groups such as Lingomania (a pool winner electric-jazz band regarded as the most representative group of the '80's in Italy); or the Parco Della Musica Jazz Orchestra (PMJO), a resident big band at the new roman Auditorium (Directed from 2005 to 2010)

Herb Geller

Born: November 2, 1928

Herb Geller, born on 2. November 1928 in Los Angeles is an American Jazz Musician, Composer and Arranger.

His musical abilities could have been inherited from his mother, Francis. She worked at the neighbourhood cinemas playing piano accompanying silent movies. At the age of 8 he was presented with an alto saxophone, purchased from a local music store owner and music teacher who was also a friend of the family and had a used instrument for sale.
Two years later he started clarinet. Herb attended Dorsey High School in the southwestern part of Los Angeles and joined the school band which among others included the musicians Eric Dolphy, Vi Redd and Bobby White. At the age of 14 he heard Benny Carter perform at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles and was so impressed that he decided to persue a career in music, specializing on the alto saxophone.
Two years later during a summer vacation he had his first professional engagement in the band of the great jazz violinist Joe Venuti. A short time later he discovered the music of Charlie Parker, who became an important idol along with Benny Carter and Johnny Hodges. In 1949 Herb went to New York City for the first time, where he performed in the bands of Jack Fina, (with Paul Desmond also in the sax section), Claude Thornhill, Jerry Wald and Lucky Millinder. During this time he met the pianist Lorraine Walsh in Los Angeles, who later in New York became his wife and also an important musical partner. After three years in New York Herb joined the Billy May orchestra in 1952 and following an engagement in Los Angeles the Gellers returned there to live. The development of the Long Playing Record created more work opportunities for jazz musicians using many different ensembles and the so-called West Coast Jazz style became popular. Among the groups Herb worked and recorded with were Shorty Rogers, Maynard Ferguson, Bill Holman, Shelly Manne, Marty Paich, Barney Kessel, Andre Previn, Quincy Jones, Wardel Grey, Jack Sheldon and Chet Baker. Lorraine worked as the house pianist at the Lighthouse Jazz Club, and played with Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Jack Teagarden, Bill Holman and was the accompanist for the singer Kay Starr. Herb recorded three LPs as a leader for Emarcy plus some with Dinah Washington, Max Roach, Clifford Brown, Clark Terry, Maynard Ferguson and Kenny Drew.

Charles Gayle

Born: February 28, 1939

Charles Gayle blew down with hurricane force - the pun is too obvious - out of Buffalo. He drifted in and out of the first great free jazz scenes of the Sixties, playing with Pharoah, Archie Shepp, and other trailblazers. But he says now that his sound then was even more fiery and forceful than it is now, and he couldn't get a recording date. He drifted. He became homeless. He lived as a squatter in an abandoned Lower East Side tenement. He found Jesus.

He kept playing. His music retained its hard industrial edge. It sent listeners through the wall. It busted them out of the day-to-day grind into a divine ecstasy. It lifted and uplifted. He developed a tremendous facility with the upper- upper register of the tenor saxophone, so that he could take his spiritual flights to their farthest reaches. He played wherever he could; his steadiest gig was in the New York subways.

Tim Garland

Born: October 19, 1966

Tim Garland is widely known as one of the UKs most successful musical exports working in jazz. Much of his output reflects interests beyond conventional jazz boundaries and he is increasingly acknowledged for large ensemble writing including many orchestral pieces, works for chamber ensembles, choirs, and of course many commissions from jazz ensembles of all kinds. He first made international waves playing saxophone, bass clarinet and flute with Chick Corea, an ongoing collaboration today. He also was featured with Bill Brufords Earthworks for over four years and has an ongoing commitment with two award winning ensembles: The Lighthouse Project, and Acoustic Triangle

Leo Gandelman

Born: August 10, 1956

Saxophonist, producer, composer and arranger, music has always been present in Leo Gandelman's life. Son of a classic pianist and a conductor, at 15 years old he was already a Soloist with the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra. Besides having a solid classical training, he studied Jazz at Berklee College of Music in Boston, returning to Brazil in 1979 to start his professional career. His music is inspired especially by MPB (Brazilian Popular Music) and Jazz, and always composed in a very versatile and inventive way. These characteristics have led Leo to be elected during 15 years in a row “The Best Brazilian Instrumentalist” by the pool “Diretas na Música” from Jornal do Brasil (Brazilian newspaper). Leo has already released 11 solo albums besides 7 compilations having already sold more than 500.000 records, and is today recognized as an Icon in his segment

Jim Galloway

Born: July 28, 1936

Jim Galloway (born James Braidie Galloway in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland) was a jazz clarinet and saxophone player. He based his career in Canada since emigrating in the mid-1960s. He began an ensemble, the Wee Big Band, in the late 1970s. One of his albums, Walking On Air, was nominated for Best Jazz Album at the Juno Awards of 1980. He was the artistic director of the Toronto Jazz Festival from 1987 to 2009. In 2002 he was made a Chevalier of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. His musical performances continue to be listed on the Toronto Jazz Festival website. I've usually seen him with his little soprano saxophone, which he played with love and coaxed out wonderful lyrical melodies

Chico Freeman

Born: July 17, 1949

Heralded as one of the most important saxophonists of our time, musician, composer and producer Chico Freeman marked his return to the United States after more than a decade living and working in Europe with a new album and a new group in 2016. In the early 2000s, with dozens of recordings as a leader, Freeman moved from New York to Europe to start a new chapter of chico2011exploration by focusing on his own self-improvement and self-reflection. His thirst to immerse himself in his music, his curiosity to explore working with different musicians and living in different cultures and challenging himself to be better than he was, all prepared Freeman for this new stateside chapter of his life. “As much as I’ve travelled and on the road playing with such masters as McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, Jack DeJohnette, Sam Rivers, Sun Ra, Dizzy Gillespie and so many jazz greats, as well as leading my own groups including founding “The Leaders” and the group “Roots,” an inner voice was telling me, you need to go to another level both musically and personally,“ Freeman explains

Frank Foster

Born: September 23, 1928

Born September 23, 1928 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Frank Benjamin Foster III began his long musical career at age eleven, when he took up the clarinet. Two years later he began playing alto saxophone, advancing technically to the point of performing with local dance bands at age 14. He began to compose and arrange at 15, and led his own 12- piece band while still only a senior in high school. Foster attended Wilberforce University, then left for Detroit in 1949 (with trumpeter Snooky Young) where he played with such local musicians as Wardell Gray. Upon finishing his military service in 1953, Foster joined Count Basie's big band (replacing Eddie Lockjaw Davis) on the recommendation of Ernie Wilkins

Brandon Fields