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Gary Bartz
Gary Bartz has been known to many as a trail blazer in the music business from the moment he started playing with Art Blakey at his father’s jazz club in his hometown of Baltimore, MD to his own music throughout the 57 years as a professional musician. As if his Grammy Award© with McCoy Tyner in 2005 (‘Illuminations’) wasn’t enough to carve out a place for Bartz in the jazz genre, he has broken the mold with more than 40 solo albums and over 200 as a guest artist.
Gary Bartz first came to New York In 1958 to attend the Julliard Conservatory of Music. Just 17 years old, Gary couldn't wait to come to the city to play and learn. "It was a very good time for the music in New York, at the end of what had been the be-bop era," says Bartz. "Charlie Parker had passed away three years previously but Miles' group was in its heyday, Monk was down at the Five Spot, and Ornette Coleman was just coming to town. Things were fresh." Back then, Gary could regularly be found drinking Cokes in the all ages "peanut gallery" of Birdland, enjoying a marathon bill of performers. "If I didn't have money to get in. I'd help somebody carry a drum and sneak in," laughs Bartz. "I learned that early on."
Circa mid-'60s, the alto saxophonist - still in his early 20s - began performing throughout the city with the Max Roach/Abbey Lincoln Group and quickly established himself as the most promising alto voice since Cannonball Adderley. "In those days, we used to go by people's lofts and stay for weeks, just working on music," says Gary. "Folks would all chip in and buy food, and one of us would cook. But there was always music, because people were dropping by at all hours. We didn't even think about it; that's just what we did. We were very unselfish about what we were writing because, after all, music doesn't belong to any one person. It belongs to the people, to everybody."
With the splash of his New York debut solidly behind him, Bartz soon joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. According to the story, Gary's parents owned a club in Baltimore, the North End Lounge. When his father hired Blakey for a gig, Gary grabbed the opportunity to fill a sax player vacancy in the band. After his performance that night, the young Bartz was officially hired to join the Jazz Messengers; in 1965, he would make his recording debut on Blakey's ‘Soulfinger’ album.
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Gary Bartz, Sun Ra, Meshell Ndegeocello and More
by Jerome Wilson
This show gets into both the celestial and the funky with artists such as Gary Bartz, Sun Ra, Oliver Nelson, Itamar Borochov, and Meshell Ndegeocello. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) 00:00 Sun Ra “Rocket Number Nine Take Off For The Planet Venus" from Visits Planet Earth/Interstellar Low Ways (Evidence) 00:53 Kathrine Windfeld “Safe and Sorrow" from Determination (Prophone) 7:05 ...
read moreBlackstone Legacy
by C. Andrew Hovan
When trumpeter Woody Shaw passed away in 1989, he left behind a wealth of amazing music, notwithstanding the realized sadness inherent in wondering what more he could have accomplished had he lived a longer life. Back in the mid '60s, Shaw was ubiquitous as a sideman recording iconic albums with the likes of Larry Young, Horace Silver, Chick Corea, Art Blakey, and McCoy Tyner. Despite common misconceptions, Shaw led his first date as a leader in December of 1965, which ...
read moreFunkwrench Blues: Soundtrack For A Film Without Pictures
by Chris May
Once upon a time it was hard to walk into an arthouse cinema without bumping into a jazz soundtrack. Miles Davis' for Louis Malle's Ascenseur Pour L'échafaud (1958), Charles Mingus' for John Cassavetes' Shadows (1959), Krzysztof Komeda's for Roman Polanski's Knife In The Water (1962) were among a legion of similarly inclined endeavours. But all that was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. In the 2020s, if you want to hear a freshly ...
read moreRoseanna Vitro: Sing a Song of Bird
by Pierre Giroux
Roseanne Vitro is one of those jazz singers who falls into the category of “I recognize the voice, but I just can't seem to place her." She has more than a respectable discography which stretches back to 1982, when she released her debut album Listen Here for the Texas Rose label. Her fall 2021 album, Sing A Song Of Bird, is a combination of abundance of attitude and perseverance, since it is composed of two separate sessions (one recorded in ...
read moreGary Bartz NTU Troop: Live In Bremen
by Chris May
In the early 1970s there was fusion and there was NTU Troop. After paying his dues in bands led by Charles Mingus, Max Roach and Art Blakey, Bartz made a splash in 1969 with his sophomore album, Another Earth (Milestone), a genius blend of spiritual jazz, space jazz and down and dirty blues. On it, Bartz was joined by tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, trumpeter Charles Tolliver, pianist Stanley Cowell, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Freddie Waits. Heavy company.
read moreGary Bartz At 80: On Jazz Is Dead, Miles Davis And Why Improvisation Is A Dirty Word
by Rob Garratt
It's hard to talk to Gary Bartz about music. Not because he's a difficult or reluctant interviewee—quite the opposite. In fact, the 80-year-old saxophonist is refreshingly unguarded and garrulous when looking back over his formidable six-decade musical career. It's just finding the right words that's the tricky part. Like many musicians, jazz isn't one of them he's a fan of—for the word's pejorative roots as much as its genre pigeonholing. Which is why, as a quick-fast rule, it ...
read moreGary Bartz and Maisha: Night Dreamer Direct-To-Disc Sessions
by Emmanuel Di Tommaso
La storia della collaborazione fra il leggendario Gary Bartz e il collettivo di spiritual jazz Maisha risale al 2019, quando il DJ e produttore Gilles Peterson invitò il veterano del sax contralto a suonare al We Out Here Festival di Londra supportato dal collettivo fondato dal batterista Jake Long. Quella prima esibizione andò così bene che Bartz e i Maisha cominciarono a suonare in tutta Europa. Nel mezzo del tour europeo decisero poi di fermarsi qualche giorno ad Amsterdam per ...
read more2024 NEA Jazz Masters Honored At Free Events
Source:
Silky Sullivan
Washington, DC—The National Endowment for the Arts, in collaboration with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, will celebrate the 2024 NEA Jazz Masters at a series of public events April 11-13, 2024, in Washington, DC, culminating in a free tribute concert on Saturday, April 13. The 2024 NEA Jazz Masters tribute concert will include virtuoso vocalist and pianist Amina Claudine Myers, prolific saxophonist Gary Bartz, Grammy-winning trumpet player and composer Terence Blanchard, and writer and Artistic Director ...
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Bassist-Producer Frank Swart Releases 'Soundtrack For A Film Without Pictures' Featuring Gary Bartz, Dave Liebman, George Garzone, Bill Evans, Warren Wolf And Idris Ackamoor
Source:
Scott Thompson Public Relations
In his wide-ranging career, bassist, guitarist, arranger, composer, producer, and engineer Frank Swart has contributed to countless sessions covering a wide range of music, from rock and funk to psychedelic acid jazz. In recent times, under the Funkwrench Blues name, he has created and produced 146 singles (at the time of this writing) that have been released once every two weeks, featuring such major artists as Mike Stern, Charlie Hunter, John Medeski, Oz Noy, Fred Wesley, and the late Lucky ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Gary Bartz
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Gary Bartz's birthday today!
Gary Bartz has been known to many as a trail blazer in the music business from the moment he started playing with Art Blakey at his father’s jazz club in his hometown of Baltimore, MD to his own music throughout the 57 years as a professional musician. As if his Grammy Award with McCoy Tyner in 2005 (‘Illuminations’) wasn’t enough to carve out a place for Bartz in the jazz genre, ...
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Gary Bartz Headlines 13th Annual Berklee Global Jazz Summit
Source:
Daniel Pesquera
The Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI) presents its 13th annual Berklee Global Jazz Summit on March 24, 8:00 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center, featuring special guest saxophonist Gary Bartz, as well as original compositions from BGJI faculty, alumni, visiting artists, and students. Hosted by BGJI founder and Grammy Award-winning composer and pianist Danilo Pérez, this year’s concert honors the accomplishments of several acclaimed members of the BGJI community, with performances specially dedicated to influential women in celebration of Women’s ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Gary Bartz
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Gary Bartz's birthday today!
Gary Bartz has been known to many as a trail blazer in the music business from the moment he started playing with Art Blakey at his father’s jazz club in his hometown of Baltimore, MD to his own music throughout the 57 years as a professional musician. As if his Grammy Award with McCoy Tyner in 2005 (‘Illuminations’) wasn’t enough to carve out a place for Bartz in the jazz genre, ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Gary Bartz
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Gary Bartz's birthday today!
Gary Bartz has been known to many as a trail blazer in the music business from the moment he started playing with Art Blakey at his father’s jazz club in his hometown of Baltimore, MD to his own music throughout the 57 years as a professional musician. As if his Grammy Award with McCoy Tyner in 2005 (‘Illuminations’) wasn’t enough to carve out a place for Bartz in the jazz genre, ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Gary Bartz
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Gary Bartz's birthday today!
Gary Bartz has been known to many as a trail blazer in the music business from the moment he started playing with Art Blakey at his father’s jazz club in his hometown of Baltimore, MD to his own music throughout the 57 years as a professional musician. As if his Grammy Award with McCoy Tyner in 2005 (‘Illuminations’) wasn’t enough to carve out a place for Bartz in the jazz genre... ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Gary Bartz
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Gary Bartz's birthday today!
Gary Bartz has been known to many as a trail blazer in the music business from the moment he started playing with Art Blakey at his father’s jazz club in his hometown of Baltimore, MD to his own music throughout the 57 years as a professional musician. As if his Grammy Award with McCoy Tyner in 2005 (‘Illuminations’) wasn’t enough to carve out a place for Bartz in the jazz genre... ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Gary Bartz
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Gary Bartz's birthday today!
Gary Bartz has been known to many as a trail blazer in the music business from the moment he started playing with Art Blakey at his father’s jazz club in his hometown of Baltimore, MD to his own music throughout the 57 years as a professional musician. As if his Grammy Award with McCoy Tyner in 2005 (‘Illuminations’) wasn’t enough to carve out a place for Bartz in the jazz genre... ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Gary Bartz
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Gary Bartz's birthday today!
Gary Bartz has been known to many as a trail blazer in the music business from the moment he started playing with Art Blakey at his father’s jazz club in his hometown of Baltimore, MD to his own music throughout the 57 years as a professional musician. As if his Grammy Award with McCoy Tyner in 2005 (‘Illuminations’) wasn’t enough to carve out a place for Bartz in the jazz genre... ...
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Richard Oppenheim
saxophone, alto
Tyrone Birkett
saxophone, altoPhotos
Music
The Call
From: Soundtrack For A Film Without...By Gary Bartz
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Gary Bartz
Instrument: Saxophone, alto
Born: September 26, 1940
Management: J. Chriss & Co.
