Michael Brecker
Michael Brecker in July 2004, performing during the "Jazz for Kerry" benefit concert in Manhattan.
Background information
Birth name	Michael Leonard Brecker
Born	(1949-03-29)March 29, 1949 Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	January 13, 2007(2007-01-13) (aged 57) New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres	Jazz, post-bop,[1][2] jazz fusion, funk, R&B, rock
Occupations	Saxophonist, composer
Instruments	Saxophone, EWI
Years active	1969–2007
Website	http://www.michaelbrecker.com

Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Acknowledged as "a quiet, gentle musician widely regarded as the most influential tenor saxophonist since John Coltrane,"^[3] he has been awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer and was inducted into Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame in 2007.

Biography[link]

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and raised in Cheltenham Township, a local suburb, Michael Brecker was exposed to jazz at an early age by his father, an amateur jazz pianist. He grew up a part of the generation of jazz musicians who saw rock music not as the enemy but as a viable musical option. Brecker began studying clarinet, then moved to alto saxophone in school, eventually settling on the tenor saxophone as his primary instrument. He graduated from Cheltenham High School in 1967 and after only a year at Indiana University, Michael Brecker moved to New York City in 1969 where he carved out a niche for himself as a dynamic and exciting jazz soloist. He first made his mark at age 21 as a member of the jazz-rock band Dreams—a band that included his older brother Randy, trombonist Barry Rogers, drummer Billy Cobham, Jeff Kent and Doug Lubahn. Dreams was short-lived, lasting only a year, but Miles Davis was seen at some gigs prior to his recording Jack Johnson.^[4]

Most of Brecker's early work is marked by an approach informed as much by rock guitar as by R&B saxophone. After Dreams, he worked with Horace Silver and then Billy Cobham before once again teaming up with his brother Randy to form the Brecker Brothers. The band followed jazz-rock trends of the time, but with more attention to structured arrangements, a heavier backbeat, and a stronger rock influence. The band stayed together from 1975 to 1982 with consistent success and musicality.

During his career, he was in great demand as a soloist and sideman. He performed with bands which spanned from mainstream jazz to mainstream rock. Altogether, he appeared on over 700 albums, either as a band member or a guest soloist. He put his stamp on numerous pop and rock recordings as a soloist. His featured guest solos with James Taylor and Paul Simon are excellent examples from this body of work. For example, on James Taylor's 1972 album, One Man Dog, Brecker's solo on the track "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" complements the other acoustic instruments and sparse vocal. Also, on Paul Simon's 1975 album Still Crazy After All These Years, Brecker's solo on the title track is used to a similar effect. His solos are often placed in the bridge, or appended as a coda. This musical structure and instrumentation typifies (and somewhat defines) this jazz-rock fusion style. Other notable collaborations in this genre include work with Steely Dan, Lou Reed, Donald Fagen, Dire Straits, Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Aerosmith, Dan Fogelberg, Frank Sinatra, Frank Zappa, Bruce Springsteen, and Parliament-Funkadelic.

Brecker also recorded or performed with leading jazz figures during his era, including Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Chet Baker, George Benson, Quincy Jones, Charles Mingus, Jaco Pastorius, McCoy Tyner, Pat Metheny, Elvin Jones, Claus Ogerman, and many others.

During the early 1980s, he was also a member of NBC’s Saturday Night Live Band. Brecker can be seen in the background sporting shades during Eddie Murphy’s James Brown parody. After a stint co-leading the all-star group Steps Ahead with Mike Mainieri, Brecker finally recorded a solo album in 1987. That eponymously titled debut album marked his return to a more traditional jazz setting, highlighting his compositional talents and featuring the EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument), which Brecker had previously played with Steps Ahead. In 1987 he featured his new solo CD at the JVC Newport Jazz Festival, incorporating the EWI. Referring to the sound that Brecker produced from the EWI, musician and opening act Ruben Riera (flautist, percussionist) (with The Gary Pearson Ensemble) said "it was amazing." He continued to record albums as a leader throughout the 1990s and 2000s, winning multiple Grammy Awards. His solo and group tours consistently sold out top jazz venues in major cities worldwide.

Michael Brecker in Munich (July 2001)

He went on tour in 2001 with a collaborative group, Hancock-Brecker-Hargrove. This tour was dedicated to jazz pioneers John Coltrane and Miles Davis. Brecker paid homage to Coltrane by performing Coltrane's signature piece, "Naima". This composition is a definitive work for tenor sax; its demanding solo enabled Brecker to show his complete mastery of the instrument. The live concert CD from the tour, Directions in Music, won a Grammy in 2003.

While performing at the Mount Fuji Jazz Festival in 2004, Brecker experienced a sharp pain in his back. Shortly thereafter in 2005, he was diagnosed with the blood disorder myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Despite a widely publicized worldwide search, Brecker was unable to find a matching stem cell donor. In late 2005, he was the recipient of an experimental partial matching stem cell transplant. By late 2006, he appeared to be recovering, but the experiment proved not to be a cure. He made his final public performance on June 23, 2006, playing with Herbie Hancock at Carnegie Hall.

On January 13, 2007, Michael Brecker died from complications of leukemia in New York City. His funeral was held on January 15, 2007 in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY.

On February 11, 2007, Michael Brecker was awarded two posthumous Grammy awards for his involvement on his brother Randy's 2005 album Some Skunk Funk.

On May 22, 2007, his final recording, Pilgrimage, was released receiving a good critical response. It was recorded in August 2006 with Pat Metheny on guitar, John Patitucci on bass, Jack DeJohnette on drums and Herbie Hancock and Brad Mehldau on piano. Brecker was critically ill when it was recorded but the other musicians involved praised the standard of his musicianship.^[5] Brecker was again posthumously nominated and subsequently awarded two additional Grammy Awards for this album in the categories of Best Jazz Instrumental Solo and Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group, bringing his Grammy total to 15.

During his career, Brecker played a Selmer Mark VI tenor saxophone using a customized Dave Guardala mouthpiece. Early in his career, he had played a Selmer Super Balanced Action saxophone. His earlier mouthpieces included a metal Dukoff (in the late 70s and early 80s) and a metal Otto Link (in the mid-70s).

More to Live For

The film is the story of three lives, all shaken by cancer and dependent upon the one vital bone marrow match that could save them. Their unrelated paths become connected in a desperate fight for survival and a singular mission: to bring awareness about bone marrow donation to the millions of people who could save a life today. A film of tragedy and loss, strength and hope, “More to Live For” presents the stories of three individuals facing life and death, and their commitment to making a difference. These deeply personal accounts of confronting illness will inspire hope and action, leaving the viewer empowered to become part of the cure.

In the summer of 2004, Brecker was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), an early form of leukemia. In need of a bone marrow transplant to save his life, Brecker searched in the International Bone Marrow Registry for a match. This prompted Michael’s wife and manager to organize a series of bone marrow drives throughout the world, including the Red Sea, Monterey, and Newport Jazz Festivals. By going public with his illness, Brecker raised tens of thousands of dollars for testing, and signed up many thousands of donors, but was unable to find a match for himself. "More to Live For" documents Brecker's intense battle with leukemia, and the production of his final recording, "Pilgrimage".

Selected discography[link]

Michael Brecker in Hamburg (1981)

As leader & co-leader[link]

• 1975 Brecker Bros.
• 1983 Cityscape (Michael Brecker & Claus Ogerman) with Marcus Miller, Eddie Gomez, Steve Gadd, Alex Acuña
• 1983 Steps Ahead with Mike Mainieri, Eddie Gomez, Peter Erskine & Eliane Elias
• 1987 Michael Brecker with Pat Metheny, Kenny Kirkland, Charlie Haden & Jack DeJohnette
• 1990 Now You See It… (Now You Don't)
• 1992 Return Of The Brecker Brothers (Live in Barcelona)
• 2007 Some Skunk Funk with Randy Brecker

As sideman[link]

• 1969 Score - Randy Brecker
• 1972 Something/Anything? - Todd Rundgren
• 1973 A Wizard, a True Star - Todd Rundgren
• 1974 Todd - Todd Rundgren
• 1974 The Chicago Theme - Hubert Laws (CTI)
• 1975 The Rape of El Morro - Don Sebesky (CTI)
• 1975 Good King Bad - George Benson (CTI)
• 1976 The Main Attraction - Grant Green (Kudu)
• 1976 End of a Rainbow - Patti Austin
• 1976 Jaco Pastorius
• 1976 Hear & Now Don Cherry
• 1977 Ghost Writer (Garland Jeffreys)
• 1977 Havana Candy - Patti Austin
• 1978 Zappa in New York
• 1978 Live at the Bottom Line - Patti Austin
• 1979 Shadows and Light (Joni Mitchell) with Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Lyle Mays and Don Alias
• 1979 In a Temple Garden (Yusef Lateef)
• 1979 In Out and Around with Mike Nock (p), Mike Brecker (ts) and Al Foster (d)
• 1981 Three Quartets - Chick Corea
• 1984 Night - John Abercrombie
• 1985 Mastertouch (Torsten de Winkel (g), with (b), Alphonse Mouzon (dr), Joachim Kühn (p))
• 1988 Times Like These (Gary Burton)
• 1996 Across America (Art Garfunkel)
• 1997 West Side Story (Dave Grusin)
• 1999 The Truth: Heard Live at the Blue Note - Elvin Jones (Half Note)
• 2001 Hourglass (James Taylor)
• 2002 Rendezvous in New York With Chick Corea's Three Quartets Band
• 2002 American Dreams with Charlie Haden
• 2003 Louis Bellson and His Big Band with Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Herb Geller, Benny Bailey, Howard Johnson, and Lew Soloff^[6]
• 2004 Live from the Village Vanguard, Vol. 3 with the John Abercrombie Quartet
• 2004 Horacio Hernandez: Live at the Modern Drummer Festival with Marc Quinones, Michael Brecker, John Patitucci, and Hilario Duran
• 2007 Gil Evans and His Orchestra with Gil Evans, Randy Brecker, Michael Brecker, Lew Soloff, Herb Geller, Mike Mainieri, Howard Johnson and Billy Cobham^[7]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Live recordings
• Complete Discography
• Lucky Link To Old Site
• The Independent - Obituary

Bill Evans
Bill Evans performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland) with his trio consisting of Marc Johnson, bass & Philly Joe Jones, drums, July 13, 1978. (Photo by Brian McMillen)
Background information
Birth name	William John Evans
Also known as	Bill Evans
Born	(1929-08-16)August 16, 1929 Plainfield, New Jersey, United States
Died	September 15, 1980(1980-09-15) (aged 51) Fort Lee, New Jersey, United States
Genres	Jazz, modal jazz, third stream, cool jazz, post-bop
Occupations	Pianist Composer Arranger
Instruments	Piano
Years active	1950s–1980[1]
Labels	Riverside, Verve, Fantasy
Associated acts	George Russell, Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, Philly Joe Jones, Scott LaFaro, Paul Motian, Eddie Gomez, Marty Morell, Tony Bennett, Jim Hall, Monica Zetterlund

William John Evans, known as Bill Evans (August 16, 1929–September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists. He is considered by some to be the most influential post-World War II jazz pianist.^[2] Evans had a distinct playing posture in which his neck would often be stooped very low, and his face parallel to the piano.

Evans is an inductee of the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame.^[3]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Bill Evans was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, United States, to a mother of Rusyn ancestry and a father of Welsh descent.^[4] He received his first musical training at his mother's church. Evans' mother was an amateur pianist with an interest in modern classical composers, and Evans began classical piano lessons at age six. He also became a proficient flautist by age 13 and could play the violin.

At age 12, Evans filled in for his older brother Harry in Buddy Valentino's band.^[5] At this age he was able to interpret classical music, but he couldn't improvise. In the beginning, he played exactly what was written in the sheet, but soon started trying to improvise, while learning about harmonies in the songs and how to alter them. Meanwhile, he was playing dance music (and jazz) at home, in a recording studio he built in his family's basement..^[6] In the late 1940s, Evans played boogie woogie in various New Jersey clubs. He attended Southeastern Louisiana University on a music scholarship, and in 1950 performed Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto on his senior recital there, graduating with a degree in piano performance and teaching. He was also among the founding members of SLU's Delta Omega Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and played quarterback for the fraternity's football team, helping them win the school's 1949 intramural tournament.^[6]

Evans's first professional job was with sax player Herbie Fields's band, based in Chicago. During the summer of 1950, the band did a three-month tour backing Billie Holiday, including East Coast appearances at Harlem's Apollo Theater and shows in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and at Washington D.C.'s Howard Theater. In addition to Fields and Evans, the band included trumpeter Jimmy Nottingham, trombonist Frank Rosolino and bassist Jim Aton. Upon its return to Chicago, Evans and Aton worked as a duo in Chicago clubs, often backing singer Lurlean Hunter. Shortly thereafter, Evans received his draft notice and entered the U.S. Army.

After his army service, Evans returned to New York and worked at nightclubs with jazz clarinetist Tony Scott and other leading players. Later, he took postgraduate studies in composition at the Mannes College of Music, where he also mentored younger music students.

1950s[link]

Working in New York in the 1950s, Evans gained recognition as a sideman in traditional and so-called Third Stream jazz groups. During this period he had the opportunity to record in many different contexts with some of the best jazz musicians of the time. Seminal recordings made with composer/theoretician George Russell, including "Concerto for Billy the Kid" and "All About Rosie," are notable for Evans's solo work. Evans also appeared on notable albums by Charles Mingus, Oliver Nelson, Tony Scott, and Art Farmer. In 1956, he made his debut album, New Jazz Conceptions, featuring the original version of "Waltz for Debby," for Riverside Records. Producer Orrin Keepnews was convinced to record the reluctant Evans by a demo tape guitarist Mundell Lowe played to him over the phone.

In 1958, Evans was hired by Miles Davis, becoming the only white member of Davis's famed sextet. Though his time with the band was brief (no more than eight months), it was one of the most fruitful collaborations in the history of jazz, as Evans's introspective approach to improvisation deeply influenced Davis's style. Davis wrote in his autobiography, "Bill had this quiet fire that I loved on piano. The way he approached it, the sound he got, was like crystal notes or sparkling water cascading down from some clear waterfall." Additionally, Davis said, "I've sure learned a lot from Bill Evans. He plays the piano the way it should be played."

Evans's desire to pursue his own projects as a leader (and increasing problems with drug use) led him to leave the Davis sextet in late 1958. Shortly after, he recorded Everybody Digs Bill Evans, documenting the wholly original meditative sound he was exploring at the time. But Evans came back to the sextet at Davis's request to record the jazz classic Kind of Blue in early 1959. Evans's contribution to the album was overlooked for years; in addition to cowriting the song "Blue in Green,"^[7] he had also already developed the ostinato figure from the track "Flamenco Sketches" on the 1958 solo recording "Peace Piece" from his album Everybody Digs Bill Evans. Evans also penned the heralded liner notes for Kind of Blue comparing jazz improvisation to Japanese visual art.^[8] By the fall of 1959, he had started his own trio.

1960s[link]

At the turn of the decade, Evans led a trio with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian. This group was to become one of the most acclaimed piano trios — and jazz bands in general — of all time. With this group, Evans's focus settled on traditional jazz standards and original compositions, with an added emphasis on interplay among the band members that often bordered on collective improvisation, blurring the line between soloist and accompanist. The collaboration between Evans and the young LaFaro was particularly fruitful, as the two achieved a remarkable level of musical empathy. The trio recorded four albums: Portrait in Jazz (1959); and Explorations, Sunday at the Village Vanguard, and Waltz for Debby, all recorded in 1961. The last two albums are live recordings from the same recording date, and are routinely named among the greatest jazz recordings of all time. In 2005, the full sets were collected on the three-CD set The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961. There is also a lesser-known recording of this trio, Live at Birdland, taken from radio broadcasts in early 1960, though the sound quality is poor.

In addition to introducing a new freedom of interplay within the piano trio, Evans began (in performances such as "My Foolish Heart" from the Vanguard sessions) to explore extremely slow ballad tempos and quiet volume levels, which had been virtually unknown in jazz. His chordal voicings became more impressionistic, reminiscent of classical composers such as Debussy, Ravel, Scriabin, and Satie, and he moved away from the thick block chords he had often used with Davis. His sparse left-hand voicings supported his lyrical right-hand lines, reflecting the influence of jazz pianist Bud Powell.

Like Davis, Evans was a pioneer of modal jazz, favoring harmonies that helped avoid some of the idioms of bebop and other earlier jazz. In tunes like Time Remembered, the chord changes more or less absorbed the derivative styles of bebop and instead relied on unexpected shifts in color. It was still possible (and desirable) to make these changes swing, and a certain spontaneity appeared in expert solos that were played over the new sound. Most composers refer to the style of Time Remembered as "plateau modal," because of its frequent juxtaposition of harmony.

LaFaro's death at age 25 in a car accident, ten days after the Vanguard performances, devastated Evans. He did not record or perform in public again for several months. His first recording after LaFaro's death was the duet album Undercurrent, with guitarist Jim Hall, released on United Artist Jazz records in 1963. Recorded in two sessions on April 24 and May 14, 1962, it is now widely regarded as a classic jazz piano-guitar duet recording. The album is also notable for its striking cover image, "Weeki Wachee Spring, Florida" by photographer Toni Frissell. The original LP and the first CD reissue featured a cropped, blue-tinted version, overlaid with the title and the Blue Note logo; but for the most recent (24-bit remastered) CD reissue, the image has been restored to its original black-and-white coloration and size, without lettering.

When he re-formed his trio in 1962, Evans replaced LaFaro with bassist Chuck Israels, initially keeping Motian on the drums. Two albums, Moon Beams and How My Heart Sings!, resulted. In 1963, after having switched from Riverside to the much more widely distributed Verve, he recorded Conversations With Myself, an innovative album on which he employed overdubbing, layering up to three individual tracks of piano for each song. The album won him his first Grammy award, for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance — Soloist or Small Group.

Though his time with Verve was prolific in terms of recording, his artistic output was uneven. Despite Israels's fast development and the creativity of new drummer Grady Tate, they were ill-represented by the rather perfunctory album Bill Evans Trio with Symphony Orchestra, with the piece Pavane by Gabriel Fauré remarkably reinvented with improvisations by Evans. Some unique contexts were attempted, such as a big-band live album at Town Hall, recorded but never issued due to Evans's dissatisfaction with it (although the jazz trio portion of the Pavane concert was made into its own somewhat successful release), and an album with a symphony orchestra, not warmly received by critics.

During this time, Helen Keane, Evans's manager, began having an important influence. One of the first women in her field, she significantly helped to maintain the progress (or prevent the deterioration) of Evans's career in spite of his self-destructive lifestyle.

In 1966, Evans discovered the remarkable young Puerto Rican bass player Eddie Gomez. In what turned out to be an eleven-year stay, the sensitive and creative Gomez sparked new developments in both Evans's playing and his trio conception. One of the most significant releases during this period is Bill Evans at the Montreux Jazz Festival, from 1968. Although it was the only album Evans made with drummer Jack DeJohnette, it has remained a critical and fan favorite, due to the trio's remarkable energy and interplay.

Other highlights from this period include "Solo — In Memory of His Father" from Bill Evans at Town Hall (1966), which introduced the famous theme "Turn Out the Stars," a second successful pairing with guitarist Jim Hall; Intermodulation (1966); and the subdued, crystalline solo album Alone (1968), featuring a 14-minute-plus version of "Never Let Me Go." In 1969, Evans visited Ilkka Kuusisto's home in Helsinki and was interviewed about jazz before performing.

1970s[link]

In 1968, Marty Morell joined the trio on drums and remained until 1975, when he retired to family life. This was Evans's most stable, longest-lasting group. Evans had kicked his heroin habit and was entering a period of personal stability as well. The group made several albums, including From Left to Right (1970), which features Evans's first use of electric piano; The Bill Evans Album (1971), which won two Grammies; The Tokyo Concert (1973); Since We Met (1974); and But Beautiful (1974), featuring the trio plus legendary tenor saxophonist Stan Getz in live performances from Holland and Belgium, released posthumously in 1996. Morell was an energetic, straight-ahead drummer, unlike many of the trio's former percussionists, and many critics feel that this was a period of little growth for Evans. After Morell left, Evans and Gomez recorded two duo albums, Intuition and Montreux III.

In 1974, Bill Evans recorded a multimovement jazz concerto specifically written for him by Claus Ogerman entitled Symbiosis, originally released on the MPS Records label. The 1970s also saw Evans collaborate with the singer Tony Bennett on 1975's The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album and 1977's Together Again.

On September 13, 1975, Evans's son, Evan, was born. Evan Evans did not often see his always-touring father. A child prodigy, he embarked on a career in film scoring, ambitiously attending college courses in 20th-century composition, instrumentation, and electronic composition at the age of ten. He also studied with many of his father's contemporaries, including Lalo Schifrin and harmony specialist Bernard Maury.

In 1976, Marty Morell was replaced on drums by Eliot Zigmund. Several interesting collaborations followed, and it was not until 1977 that the trio was able to record an album together. Both I Will Say Goodbye (Evans's last album for Fantasy Records) and You Must Believe in Spring (for Warner Bros., released posthumously) highlighted changes that would become significant in the last stage of Evans's career. A greater emphasis was placed on group improvisation and interaction, Evans was reaching new expressive heights in his soloing, and new experiments with harmony and keys were attempted.

Gomez and Zigmund left Evans in 1978. Evans then asked Philly Joe Jones, the drummer he considered his "all-time favorite drummer" and with whom he had recorded his second album in 1957, to fill in. Several bassists were tried, with Michael Moore staying the longest. Evans finally settled on Marc Johnson on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums. This trio was Evans's last.

Death[link]

Evans was a heroin addict for much of his career, his health was generally poor, and his financial situation worse, for much of the 1960s. By the end of that decade, he appeared to have succeeded in overcoming his addiction to heroin. However, in the late 1970s, cocaine use became a serious problem for Evans. On September 15, 1980, Bill Evans was accompanied by Joe LaBarbera and his partner Laurie Verchomin, to the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, where he died that afternoon. ^[9] Evans's friend Gene Lees bleakly summarized Evans's struggle with drugs to Peter Pettinger as "the longest suicide in history.".^[6] Bill Evans is buried at Roselawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum, Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana (Section #161, Plot K), next to his brother Harry Evans, who died the previous year.

Legacy and influence[link]

Music critic Richard S. Ginell noted, “With the passage of time, Bill Evans has become an entire school unto himself for pianists and a singular mood unto himself for listeners. There is no more influential jazz-oriented pianist—only McCoy Tyner exerts nearly as much pull among younger players and journeymen—and Evans has left his mark on such noted players as: Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, John Taylor, Steve Kuhn, Don Friedman, Marian McPartland, Denny Zeitlin, Bobo Stenson, Warren Bernhardt, Michel Petrucciani and Keith Jarrett, as well as many other musicians worldwide. The music of Bill Evans continues to inspire younger pianists like Fred Hersch, Bill Charlap, Lyle Mays, Eliane Elias^[10] and arguably Brad Mehldau ^[11] early in his career.

Conversations with Myself and Further Conversations with Myself were innovative solo performances involving multiple overdubs of Evans.

Many of his tunes, such as "Waltz for Debby," "Turn Out the Stars," "Very Early," and "Funkallero," have become often-recorded jazz standards. Many tribute recordings featuring his compositions and favorite tunes have been released in the years following his passing as well as tribute compositions. Pat Metheny's "September 15th" is one such recording.

During his lifetime, Evans was honored with 31 Grammy nominations and seven Awards. In 1994, he was posthumously honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Tribute albums[link]

The embedded lists in this article may contain items that are not encyclopedic. Please help out by removing such elements and incorporating appropriate items into the main body of the article. (October 2011)

• 1981: Elegy For Bill Evans by Richie Beirach
• 1986: Music of Bill Evans by the Kronos Quartet with Eddie Gomez and Jim Hall.
• 1990: Bill Evans by Paul Motian
• 1991: Bill Evans: A Tribute by Jimmy Rowles, McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock, John Lewis, and Dave McKenna (Palo Alto Records)
• 1992: Then Along Came Bill: A Tribute to Bill Evans by Sylvia Syms
• 1993: Time Remembered: John Mclaughlin Plays Bill Evans by John Mclaughlin
• 1994: Now & Then: A Tribute to Bill Evans by Mitchel Forman
• 1994: Your Story: The Music of Bill Evans by Howard Alden
• 1996: Turn Out The Stars - The Songs Of Bill Evans by Dominic Alldis
• 1997: Conversations with Bill Evans by Jean-Yves Thibaudet
• 1998: Evanessence: Tribute to Bill Evans by Fred Hersch
• 1998: I Remember Bill: A Tribute to Bill Evans by Don Sebesky and Larry Coryell
• 2000: Conviction: Thoughts Of Bill Evans by Roseanna Vitro
• 2002: Homage To Bill Evans And Jim Hall by Luigi Tessarollo with Stefano Bollani
• 2002: Play Bill Evans by the Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra & Jim McNeely
• 2003: Bill Evans: Tribute to the Great Post-Bop Pianist by Paul Motian
• 2006: Paz - Niño Josele and the music of Bill Evans by Niño Josele
• 2008: Something for you - Eliane Elias Sings and Plays Bill Evans by Eliane Elias
• 2009: Bill Evans Compositions Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 by Stefano Battaglia

Discography[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Shadwick, Keith (2002) [2002]. Bill Evans Everything Happens To Me - a musical biography (Paperback ed.). Backbeat Books. ISBN 0-87930-708-0. 
• Verchomin, Laurie (2011) [2010]. The Big Love ~ Life & Death with Bill Evans (Paperback ed.). Amazon. ISBN 978-1-4565-6309-7. 

• Bill Evans - How My Heart Sings (Paperback ed.). 

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Bill Evans

• Bill Evans at Find A Grave
• Bill Evans entry — Jazz Discography Project
• The Bill Evans Webpages
• Bill Evans: Time Remembered
• "Remembering Bill Evans" by Ted Gioia, Jazz.com, January, 2008.
• Letter From Evans edited by Win Hinkle — newsletter dedicated solely to the music and the life of Bill Evans, published 1989–94. Link is to all issues.
• "Bill Evans: Twelve Essential Recordings by Ted Gioia"
• The Bill Evans Memorial Library
• Jazz wax-Interview with Laurie Verchomin

Ernie Watts
Ernie Watts in 2008 Photo: Bob Travis
Background information
Birth name	Ernest James Watts
Born	(1945-10-23) October 23, 1945 (age 66) Norfolk, Virginia, United States
Genres	Jazz, rhythm and blues
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	Saxophone, flute, clarinet
Labels	Motown, Tamla, Atlantic, Warner Bros., A&M, CBS, Qwest Records,
Associated acts	Charlie Haden
Website	Official website
Notable instruments
Keilwerth Saxophones

Ernest James "Ernie" Watts (born October 23, 1945) is an American jazz and rhythm and blues musician. He plays saxophone (tenor, alto and soprano) and flute. He might be best known for his work with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and his Grammy Awards as an instrumentalist. He has also toured with The Rolling Stones, joining them on their 1981 tour and also appearing with them in the 1982 film Let's Spend the Night Together (film).

He is noted for playing "The Mystery Horn" (actually a Conn straight-necked C Melody Saxophone) solo on Frank Zappa's album The Grand Wazoo in 1972.

Biography[link]

Watts was born in Norfolk, Virginia. He began playing saxophone at thirteen and later attended the Berklee College of Music on a Downbeat scholarship, after a brief period at West Chester University. He toured with Buddy Rich in the mid-1960s, occupying one of the alto saxophone chairs, with Lou Marini occupying the other. Later, he visited Africa on a US State Department tour with Oliver Nelson's group. Watts also played tenor saxophone with The Tonight Show Band under Doc Severinsen for 20 years. He also was a featured soloist on many of Marvin Gaye's original albums on Motown during the 1970s, as well as on many other pop and r&b sessions during 25 years as a first-call musician in the studios in LA. He has won two Grammy Awards as an instrumentalist.

In the mid-1980s Watts decided to rededicate himself to jazz. He recorded and toured with German guitarist and composer Torsten de Winkel, drummer Steve Smith and keyboardist Tom Coster. He was invited to join bassist Charlie Haden's Quartet West. Watts and Haden met when Haden heard Ernie play the Michel Columbier piece Nightbird (written for Watts) at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and Haden came backstage to meet Watts . Watts had earlier played the saxophone on the Grease soundtrack and clarinet on The Color Purple. He also played the saxophone on the opening theme song of the popular 80s sitcom Night Court.^[1]

Ernie Watts was also featured in the Windows XP edition Jazz preview. The song he was featured in was "Highway Blues". He plays black-lacquered Keilwerth SX90R saxophones, one of which can clearly be seen in the cover photograph of his 1995 "Unity" recording.^[2]

In early 2008, Watts' Analog Man on his own label Flying Dolphin Records won the award in the 7th Annual Independent Music Awards for Best Jazz Album.^[3]

Recently he has recorded a new Quartet West album with Charlie Haden, and also works with vocalist Kurt Elling, whose album Dedicated To You, featuring Watts, won a Grammy in 2010 for Best Jazz Vocal Album. In 2012, Watts once again teamed up to tour with former Johnny Carson band leader Doc Serverinsen in Severinsen's Big Band as guest soloist. Watts primarily is featured playing the tenor saxophone.

He tours Europe twice a year with his own Ernie Watts Quartet, and is often a featured artist in Asia, as well as in summer jazz festivals the world over. His record company Flying Dolphin Records produces his own music with his US quartet as well as his European band.

Discography[link]

As leader[link]

• The Wonder Bag (Vault, 1972)
• Look In Your Heart (Elektra, 1980)
• Chariots Of Fire (Qwest, 1982)
• Musician (Qwest, 1985)
• Sanctuary (Qwest, 1986)
• The Ernie Watts Quartet (JVC, 1987 [1991])
• Afoxe with Gilberto Gil (CTI, 1991)
• Reaching Up (JVC, 1994)
• Unity (JVC, 1995)
• Long Road Home (JVC, 1996)
• Classic Moods (JVC, 1998)
• Reflections with Ron Feuer (Flying Dolphin, 2000)
• Alive (Flying Dolphin, 2004)
• Spirit Song (Flying Dolphin, 2005)
• Analog Man (Flying Dolphin, 2006)
• To The Point (Flying Dolphin, 2007)
• Four Plus Four (Flying Dolphin, 2009)
• Oasis (Flying Dolphin, 2011)

As sideman[link]

With Billy Alessi and Bobby Alessi

• Words and Music (A&M, 1979)
• Long Time Friends (Qwest, 1982)

With Paul Anka

• Walk a Fine Line (CBS, 1983)

With Willie Bobo

• Tomorrow Is Here (1977)

With Brass Fever

• Time Is Running Out (Impulse!, 1976)

With Donald Byrd

• Caricatures (Blue Note, 1976)

With Stanley Clarke

• Time Exposure (CBS, 1984)

With Billy Cobham

• Inner Conflicts (Atlantic, 1978)

With Randy Crawford

• Secret Combination (Warner Bros., 1981)

With Torsten de Winkel and Hellmut Hattler

• Mastertouch (EMI, 1985)

With Marvin Gaye

• Let's Get It On (Tamla, 1973)
• I Want You (Tamla, 1976)

With Dizzy Gillespie

• Free Ride (Pablo, 1977) composed and arranged by Lalo Schifrin

With Charlie Haden

• Quartet West (Verve, 1986)
• In Angel City (Verve, 1988)
• The Montreal Tapes: Liberation Music Orchestra (Verve, 1989 [1999])
• Haunted Heart (Verve, 1991)
• Always Say Goodbye (Verve, 1993)
• Now Is the Hour (Verve, 1995)
• The Art of the Song (Verve, 1999)

With Bobby Hutcherson

• Head On (Blue Note, 1971)
• Linger Lane (Blue Note, 1975)
• Montara (Blue Note, 1975)

With Milt Jackson

• Memphis Jackson (Impulse!, 1969)

With Carole King

• Music (Ode, 1971)

With John Mayall

• Moving On (Polydor, 1973)

With Blue Mitchell

• Vital Blue (Mainstream, 1971)

With New Stories

• Speakin' Out (1998)

With Moacir Santos

• Carnival of the Spirits (Blue Note, 1975)

With Lalo Schifrin

• Gypsies (Tabu, 1978)
• No One Home (Tabu, 1979)

With Gábor Szabó

• Faces (Mercury, 1977)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

Stanley Turrentine
Turrentine in 1976.
Background information
Born	(1934-04-05)April 5, 1934
Origin	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	September 12, 2000(2000-09-12) (aged 66)
Genres	Bebop, hard bop, jazz blues, soul jazz
Occupations	Bandleader, composer, saxophonist
Instruments	Tenor saxophone
Years active	1959–2000
Labels	Blue Note, Fantasy, CTI, Prestige, Impulse!
Associated acts	Shirley Scott, Tommy Turrentine, Jimmy Smith, Freddie Hubbard, Kei Akagi

Stanley William Turrentine, also known as "Mr. T" or "The Sugar Man", (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.^[1]

Biography[link]

Turrentine was born in Pittsburgh's Hill District into a musical family. His father, Thomas Turrentine, Sr., was a saxophonist with Al Cooper's Savoy Sultans, his mother played stride piano, and his older brother Tommy Turrentine also became a professional trumpet player.^[2]

He began his prolific career with blues and rhythm and blues bands, and was at first greatly influenced by Illinois Jacquet. In the 1950s, he went on to play with the groups of Lowell Fulson, Earl Bostic, and at the turn of the decade, Max Roach.

Turrentine received his only formal musical training during his military stint in the mid-'50s. In 1959, he jumped from the frying pan into the fire when he left the military and went straight into the band of the great drummer Max Roach.

He married the organist Shirley Scott in 1960 and the two frequently played and recorded together. In the 1960s, he started working with organist Jimmy Smith, and made many soul jazz recordings both with Smith and as a leader.

In the 1970s, after his professional split and divorce from Scott, Turrentine turned to jazz fusion and signed for Creed Taylor's CTI label. His first album for CTI, "Sugar" proved one of his biggest successes and a seminal recording for the label. He worked with Freddie Hubbard, Milt Jackson, George Benson, Bob James, Richard Tee, Idris Muhammad, Ron Carter, Grant Green and Eric Gale, to name a few. He returned to soul jazz in the 1980s and into the 1990s.

Turrentine lived in Ft. Washington, Maryland from the early 90s until his death. He died of a stroke in New York City on September 12, 2000 and is buried in Pittsburgh's Allegheny Cemetery.^[3]

Discography[link]

As leader[link]

Blue Note Records

• 1960 Look Out!
• 1960 Blue Hour with The Three Sounds
• 1961 Comin' Your Way
• 1961 Up at "Minton's"
• 1961 Dearly Beloved
• 1961 ZT's Blues
• 1962 That's Where It's At
• 1962 Jubilee Shout!!!
• 1963 Never Let Me Go
• 1963 A Chip Off the Old Block
• 1964 Hustlin'
• 1964 In Memory Of
• 1964 Mr. Natural
• 1965 Joyride
• 1966 Rough 'n' Tumble
• 1966 Easy Walker
• 1966 The Spoiler
• 1967 A Bluish Bag
• 1967 The Return of the Prodigal Son
• 1968 The Look of Love
• 1968 Common Touch
• 1968 Always Something There
• 1969 Another Story
• 1984 Straight Ahead
• 1986 Wonderland
• 1989 La Place
• 1993 Ballads

CTI Records

• 1970 Sugar
• 1971 The Sugar Man - (released in 1975)
• 1971 Salt Song
• 1972 Cherry (with Milt Jackson)
• 1973 Freddie Hubbard/Stanley Turrentine In Concert Volume One
• 1973 In Concert Volume Two
• 1973 Don't Mess with Mister T.

Fantasy Records

• 1974 Pieces of Dreams
• 1975 In the Pocket
• 1975 Have You Ever Seen the Rain
• 1976 Everybody Come on Out
• 1977 Nightwings
• 1977 West Side Highway
• 1978 What About You!
• 1980 Use the Stairs

Other labels

• 1966 Let It Go (Impulse!)
• 1965 Tiger Tail (Mainstream Records)
• 1960 Stan "The Man" Turrentine (Bainbridge)
• 1976 Man with the Sad Face - Bainbridge (orig. released on Fantasy Recs.)
• 1977 Love's Finally Found Me - Classic World
• 1979 Soothsayer - Elektra
• 1979 Betcha - Elektra
• 1980 Inflation - Elektra
• 1981 Tender Togetherness - Elektra
• 1983 Home Again - Elektra
• 1991 The Look of Love - Huub
• 1992 More than a Mood - Music Masters
• 1993 If I Could - Music Masters
• 1995 Three of a Kind Meet Mr. T - Minor Music
• 1995 T Time - Music Masters
• 1995 Time - Music Masters
• 1999 Do You Have Any Sugar? - Concord Jazz

As sideman[link]

With Kenny Burrell

• 1963: Midnight Blue (Blue Note)
• 1964: Freedom (Blue Note)

With Donald Byrd

• 1964: Up with Donald Byrd (Verve)
• 1964: I'm Tryin' to Get Home (Blue Note)

With Georgie Fame

• 1996: The Blues and Me (Go Jazz)

With Astrud Gilberto

• 1971: Gilberto with Turrentine (CTI)

With Roy Hargrove

• 1993: With the Tenors of Our Time (Verve)

With Gene Harris

• 1985: Gene Harris Trio Plus One (Concord Jazz)

With Freddie Hubbard

• 1987: Life Flight (Blue Note)

With Duke Jordan

• 1960: Flight to Jordan (Blue Note)

With Diana Krall

• 1994 Only Trust Your Heart (GRP)

With Abbey Lincoln

• 1959: Abbey Is Blue (Riverside)
• 1991: Devil's Got Your Tongue (Verve)

With Les McCann

• 1961: Les McCann Ltd. in New York (Pacific Jazz)

With Jimmy McGriff

• 1969: Electric Funk (Blue Note)

With David "Fathead" Newman

• 1988: Fire! Live at the Village Vanguard (Atlantic)

With Horace Parlan

• 1960: Speakin' My Piece (Blue Note)
• 1961: On the Spur of the Moment (Blue Note)

With Duke Pearson

• 1965: The Right Touch (Blue Note)

With Ike Quebec

• 1962: Easy Living (Blue Note)

With Dizzy Reece

• 1960: Comin' On! (Blue Note)

With Max Roach

• 1959: Quiet as It's Kept (Mercury)
• 1959: Moon Faced and Starry Eyed (Mercury)
• 1960: Parisian Sketches (Mercury)

With Mongo Santamaria

• 1970: Mongo's Way (Atlantic)

With Shirley Scott

• 1961: Hip Soul (Prestige)
• 1961: Hip Twist (Prestige)
• 1963: The Soul is Willing (Prestige)
• 1963: Soul Shoutin' (Prestige)
• 1964: Blue Flames (Prestige)
• 1964: Everybody Loves a Lover (Impulse!)
• 1964: Queen of the Organ (Impulse!)
• 1968: Soul Song (Atlantic)

With Marlena Shaw

• 1997: Elemental Soul (Concord Jazz)

With Horace Silver

• 1968: Serenade to a Soul Sister (Blue Note)

With Jimmy Smith

• 1960: Midnight Special (Blue Note)
• 1960: Back at the Chicken Shack (Blue Note)
• 1961: Prayer Meetin' (Blue Note)
• 1968: Stay Loose (Verve)
• 1982: Off the Top (Elektra/Musician)
• 1986: Go Fot Watcha Know (Blue Note)
• 1990: Fourmost (Milestone)

With Art Taylor

• 1960: A.T.'s Delight (Blue Note)

With Tommy Turrentine

• 1960: Tommy Turrentine with Stanley Turrentine (Time)

References[link]

External links[link]

Biography portal

• Stanley Turrentine Hard Bop Homepage accessed March 23, 2011
• Stanley Turrentine biography All About Jazz accessed January 6, 2010
• Stanley Turrentine at Find a Grave

Roy Hargrove
Roy Hargrove at the North Sea, Rotterdam Photo: Bob Travis
Background information
Birth name	Roy Anthony Hargrove
Born	(1969-10-16) October 16, 1969 (age 42)
Origin	Waco, Texas, United States
Genres	Latin jazz Mainstream jazz Post bop Hard bop M-Base Soul
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	Trumpet, flugelhorn
Years active	1987–present
Labels	Verve Records, Emarcy Records, RCA Novus
Associated acts	Crisol, D'Angelo, The RH Factor, Johnny Griffin, Joe Henderson, Wynton Marsalis, David "Fathead" Newman, Joshua Redman, Stanley Turrentine

Roy Anthony Hargrove (born October 16, 1969) is an American jazz trumpeter. He won worldwide notice after winning two Grammy Awards for differing types of music, in 1997, and in 2002. Hargrove has played primarily with jazz musicians with stellar careers, from Wynton Marsalis to Herbie Hancock.

Hargrove is the bandleader of the progressive group the RH Factor, which combines elements of jazz, funk, hip-hop, soul, and gospel music. Its members include Chalmers "Spanky" Alford, Pino Palladino, James Poyser, Jonathan Batiste and Bernard Wright.

Biography[link]

Hargrove was born October 16, 1969 in Waco, Texas, to parents who early in his childhood discovered his musical potential,^[1] and with lessons on the trumpet, was discovered as a potential jazz talent when trumpet player Wynton Marsalis visited his high school, Dallas's Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. One of his influences was saxophone player David "Fathead" Newman, who performed in Ray Charles' Band at Hargrove's junior high school.

Hargrove spent one year (1988–1989) studying at Boston's Berklee College of Music, but could more often be found in New York City jam sessions, and finally transferred to the New School, in New York. His first recording there was with the saxophonist Bobby Watson. Shortly afterwards he made a recording with Superblue featuring Watson, Mulgrew Miller, and Kenny Washington. In 1990 he released his first solo album, Diamond in the Rough, on the Novus/RCA label, along with four other albums.

Roy Hargrove at Aalener Jazzfest 2008

Between April 1991 and February 1993 Hargrove frequently joined the Arnold Strickland Trio at the French bistro restaurant Cuckoo's in NYC's Upper East Side. Several recordings of this time period reveal Roy at what is considered as his most provocative.^{[citation needed]}

In 1993 he was commissioned by the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and wrote The Love Suite: In Mahogany. Hargrove won a Grammy Award in 1998 for the album Habana with the Afro-Cuban band he founded, "Crisol".^[1]

Hargrove moved on, recording Family in 1995, and then, experimenting with other musicians, as part of a trio, the album Parker's Mood, in 1995 with bassist Christian McBride and Stephen Scott on keyboards.

In 1994, still with Verve, he took the opportunity to record with some of the major jazz musicians on With the Tenors of Our Time, including Joe Henderson, Stanley Turrentine, Johnny Griffin, Joshua Redman, and Branford Marsalis.

Hargrove moved toward a jazz sound with a lot of groove and funk in it, performing and recording with nu soul singer D'Angelo, resulting in Voodoo in 2000.

In 2002, he collaborated with D'Angelo and other soul artists, Macy Gray, The Soultronics, and Nile Rodgers, on two tracks for Red Hot & Riot, a compilation CD in tribute to the music of afrobeat pioneer, Fela Kuti.

He acted as sideman for jazz pianist Shirley Horn, rapper Common, on the album Like Water for Chocolate in 2002, and the following year, singer Erykah Badu, Worldwide Underground. Nowadays he fronts a big band aptly named the "Roy Hargrove Big Band".

Discography[link]

As leader[link]

• 1989: Diamond in the Rough (Novus)
• 1990: Public Eye (Novus)
• 1991: Tokyo Sessions (Novus)
• 1992: The Vibe (Novus)
• 1993: Of Kindred Souls (Live) (Novus)
• 1994: With the Tenors of Our Time – The Roy Hargrove Quintet (Verve)
• 1994: Approaching Standards (Jive/Novus)
• 1995: Family (Verve)
• 1995: Parker's Mood – with Christian McBride (bass), and Stephen Scott (piano) (Verve)
• 1997: Habana – Crisol (Verve)
• 2000: Moment to Moment (Verve)
• 2003: Hard Groove – The RH Factor (Verve)
• 2004: Strength – The RH Factor (Verve)
• 2006: Distractions – The RH Factor (Verve)
• 2006: Nothing Serious – The Roy Hargrove Quintet (Verve)
• 2008: Earfood – The Roy Hargrove Quintet (Emarcy)
• 2009: Emergence – The Roy Hargrove Big Band (Emarcy)

As sideman[link]

• 1988: with Superblue: Superblue (Blue Note Records)^[2]
• 1993: with Bob Thiele Collective: Lion Hearted
• 1995: with Shirley Horn: The Main Ingredient (Verve)
• 1995: with Christian McBride: Gettin' To It
• 1995: with Jimmy Smith: Damn!
• 1996: with Jimmy Smith: Angel Eyes
• 2000: with Erykah Badu: Mama's Gun
• 2000: with D'Angelo: Voodoo
• 2000: with Common: Like Water for Chocolate
• 2001: with Roy Haynes: Birds of a Feather: A Tribute to Charlie Parker
• 2002: with Herbie Hancock and Michael Brecker: Directions in Music: Live At Massey Hall (Verve)
• 2003: with Erykah Badu: Worldwide Underground
• 2003: with Shirley Horn: May the Music Never End (Verve)
• 2006: with John Mayer: Continuum
• 2008: with John Beasley: Letter to Herbie
• 2010: with Angelique Kidjo: Samba Pa Ti on album Õÿö
• 2011: with Cyrille Aimée: Cyrille Aimée & Friends (Live at Smalls)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Roy Hargrove

• Jazz Trumpet Solos featuring Roy Hargrove
• All About Jazz album review
• Verve Records featured music and Biography
• Vibe Magazine Review of Roy Hargrove's Hard Groove
• Emarcy Records Biography of Roy Hargrove