Charlie Rouse
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Charlie Rouse (born April 6, 1924 in Washington, DC , † November 30, 1988 in Seattle ) was an American tenor saxophonist .
life and work
Charlie Rouse first studied clarinet before turning to the saxophone . He soon played in the big bands of Billy Eckstine (1944) and Dizzy Gillespie (1945), but he made his first recordings as a soloist with Tadd Dameron and Fats Navarro in 1947. Other career stages were engagements with Duke Ellington (1949-50) and Count Basie (1950). This was followed by recordings with Clifford Brown ( Memorial Album , 1953) and an engagement with Oscar Pettiford Sextet (1955). Between 1956 and 1959 he led the band Les Jazz Modes , together with Julius Watkins . In 1961 he worked on Benny Carter's album Further Definitions .
The Monk Years
Rouse is best known for his work with the Thelonious Monk Quartet , to which he belonged for eleven years from 1959 to 1970 and which is considered to be one of the most fruitful collaborations in the history of jazz. At that time, Rouse had developed his own style, which can be described as straightforward, calm, clear and yet exuberant. His rather reserved personality harmonized with that of Monk, with whom he developed a challenging interplay.
In addition to the typical agile improvisation phrases, an outstanding characteristic of the soloist Rouse was the biting, somewhat hoarse sound on the instrument, which he preferred to play in the middle to upper register.
Miles Davis wrote in his biography that the only horn players who made a good sound with Monk were John Coltrane , Sonny Rollins and Charlie Rouse.
Solo career
During the 1970s he recorded three albums as a leader. A highlight of this creative period is the album Cinnamon Flower , on which he brought Brazilian newcomers such as Dom Salvador , Amaury Tristao , Dom Um Romão , Portinho and Claudio Roditi together with well-known New York jazzers such as Ron Carter , Bernard Purdie and Clifford Adams .
In 1979 he founded the group Sphere (from Thelonious Sphere Monk) together with drummer Ben Riley and pianist Kenny Barron as a tribute to the work of Monk. Seven weeks after the release of his last album, Epistrophy , a tribute to Monk, Rouse died of lung cancer at the age of 64 in 1988 at Seattle University Hospital.
Others
In 2007 the asteroid (10426) Charlierouse was named after the saxophonist by its discoverer, the American astronomer Joe Montani, a Monk and Rouse fan. It is an asteroid of the main belt , as is the asteroid "(11091) Thelonious". Both have a period of about four years and a diameter of about ten kilometers.
Discographic notes
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Albums under your own name
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with Thelonious Monk:
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Web links
- Obituary for Rouse in the New York Times
- Video 'Round Midnight, Charlie Rouse and Thelonious Monk, on the artist's homepage
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Rouse, Charlie |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American tenor saxophonist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 6, 1924 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Washington, DC |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 30, 1988 |
| Place of death | Seattle , Washington |