Frank Strozier
Frank R. Strozier (* 13. June 1937 in Memphis , Tennessee ) is an American alto saxophonist , clarinetist , flutist and composer of hard bop .
Live and act
Strozier had piano and later saxophone lessons as a child and grew up in the rhythm and blues city of Memphis with schoolmates such as George Coleman , Hank Crawford , Harold Mabern and Booker Little ; the singer Othella Dallas is his half-sister. In 1954 he began to study music at the Chicago Conservatory , which he graduated in 1958. In addition to his studies, he took part in sessions with musicians such as Johnny Griffin and Clifford Jordan , played with Booker Little and in 1957 with Walter Perkins ' group MJT + 3 , with which Strozier first went to New York in 1958. There he recorded the album Waltz Of The Demons in 1960 as a co-leader of a quintet with Booker Little. From 1961 to 1964 he played in Roy Haynes ' quartet , in 1963 he briefly belonged to Miles Davis' band and toured with him; In 1965 he settled in Los Angeles. In the same year he was a member of Shelly Manne's band , played an album with Chet Baker and then belonged to Oliver Nelson’s band and the Don Ellis Orchestra . Strozier mostly worked as a studio musician in Hollywood in commercial areas.
In 1971 Strozier moved to New York , where he worked as a teacher and played with the Jazz Contemporaries , the New York Jazz Repertory Company in 1974, then simultaneously with the Octet of George Coleman and the Quartet of Louis Hayes , with whom he visited Europe in 1976. In 1976 and 1977 he made albums under his own name; He has also made recordings with McCoy Tyner , Roy Haynes , Booker Ervin , Shelly Manne, MJT + 3 , Don Ellis, Harold Mabern, Bobby Pierce , Horace Parlan and Johnny Griffin during his career .
His biggest influence was saxophonists Charlie Parker and Lee Konitz : even as far as my entry into jazz is concerned, they were the two alto players I heard first. You are most likely to be responsible for my exposure to jazz . The underrated alto saxophonist Frank Strozier, like Jackie McLean , has found an independent style on the alto saxophone, starting with Parker. His soloistic eloquence and warm tone were praised by his colleagues.
Discographic notes
As a leader
- Fantastic Frank Strozier (Vee Jay, 1959/60) with Booker Little, Wynton Kelly , Jimmy Cobb , Vernell Fournier
- Waltz Of The Demons ( Atlantic Records , 1960) with Booker Little, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers , Jimmy Cobb
- Long Night / March of the Siamese Children ( Milestone Records , 1961/62) with George Coleman , Harold Mabern, Al Dreares , Walter Perkins
- Remember Me (Steeplechase, 1976) with Harold Mabern, Howard Johnson
- What´s Going On (Steeplechase, 1977) with Stafford James, Louis Hayes
As a sideman
- Chet Baker: Baby Breeze (Verve, 1965)
- Booker Ervin: Exulation (OJC, 1963)
- Shelly Manne & His Men : Perk Up (Concord, 1967; ed. 1977)
literature
- Richard Cook , Brian Morton : The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD . 6th edition. Penguin, London 2002, ISBN 0-14-051521-6 .
- Leonard Feather , Ira Gitler : The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford University Press, New York 1999, ISBN 0-19-532000-X .
- Martin Kunzler : Jazz-Lexikon , Reinbek, Rowohlt 1988.
- Bielefeld Jazz Catalog, 2001.
Remarks
- ↑ As successor to Hank Mobley and predecessor of George Coleman
- ↑ zi. according to Kunzler, p. 1126
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Strozier, Frank |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Strozier, Frank R. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz saxophonist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 13, 1937 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Memphis , Tennessee |