Greg Osby

Greg Osby
Osby performing in 2008
Background information
Born (1960-08-03) August 3, 1960
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
GenresFree jazz, free funk, M-Base
OccupationsMusician, record label owner
InstrumentSaxophone
Years active1980–present
LabelsJMT, Blue Note, Inner Circle Music
Websitewww.gregosby.com

Greg Osby (born August 3, 1960)[1] is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.

Biography

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Osby studied at Howard University, then at the Berklee College of Music.[1] He moved to New York City in 1982, where he played with Jaki Byard, Jim Hall, Muhal Richard Abrams, Andrew Hill, Jack DeJohnette, Dizzy Gillespie, and Herbie Hancock.[2][3] In 1985, he joined DeJohnette's group Special Edition.[2] With Steve Coleman, Geri Allen, and Cassandra Wilson, he was a founding member of the M-Base Collective.[4]

Osby began recording albums under his own name for JMT Records in the mid-1980s, then signed with Blue Note in 1989.[2] In 2007, he formed his own label, Inner Circle Music.[2] He gave exposure to young pianist Jason Moran,[5] who appeared on most of Osby's 1990s albums, including Further Ado, Zero, Banned in New York and Symbols of Light, a double quartet featuring the addition of a string quartet to the band.[6]

He has also played with Phil Lesh and Friends, and he has toured with the Dead, a reincarnation of the Grateful Dead.[7] He received the Playboy Magazine Jazz Artist of the Year award for 2004 and 2009.[8]

Nate Chinen, writing for The New York Times, called Osby "a mentor and a pacesetter, one of the sturdier bridges between jazz generations," and stated that he has "a keen, focused tone on alto saxophone and a hummingbird's phrasing, an equilibrium of hover and flutter."[9]

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Recording date Title Label Year released Notes
1987-05,
1987-06 		Greg Osby and Sound Theatre JMT 1987 with Michele Rosewoman, Kevin McNeal, Lonnie Plaxico, Paul Samuels, Terri Lyne Carrington, Fusako Yoshida, Haruko Nara
1988-05 Mindgames JMT 1988 with Geri Allen, Edward Simon, Kevin McNeal, Lonnie Plaxico, Paul Samuels
1989-07 Season of Renewal JMT 1990 with Kevin Eubanks, Edward Simon, Lonnie Plaxico, Paul Samuels, Cassandra Wilson, Amina Claudine Myers, Renee Rosnes, Steve Thornton
1990-10,
1990-11 		Man-Talk for Moderns Vol. X Blue Note 1991 with Edward Simon, Michael Cain, Chan Johnson, David Gilmore, Lonnie Plaxico, James Genus, Billy Kilson, Steve Moss, and with guests Steve Coleman, Gary Thomas, Hochmad Ali Akkbar
1993? 3-D Lifestyles Blue Note 1993 with Darrell Grant, Geri Allen, Cassandra Wilson
1995? Black Book Blue Note 1995 with Mulgrew Miller, DJ Ghetto, Calvin Jones, Bill McClellan
1996? Art Forum Blue Note 1996 with Marvin Sewell, Lonnie Plaxico, Alex Harden, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Cleave Guyton, James Williams, Darrell Grant, Robin Eubanks, Bryan Carrott
1997? Further Ado Blue Note 1997 with Jason Moran, Calvin Jones, Lonnie Plaxico, Eric Harland, Cleave Guyton, Jeff Haynes, Mark Shim, Tim Hagans
1997-12 Banned in New York Blue Note 1998 Live with Jason Moran, Atsushi (Az'Shi) Osada, Rodney Green
1998-01 Zero Blue Note 1998 with Jason Moran, Dwayne Burno, Lonnie Plaxico, Rodney Green, Kevin McNeal
1998-12 Friendly Fire Blue Note 1999 co-led by Joe Lovano, with Jason Moran, Cameron Brown, Idris Muhammad
1999-04 Inner Circle Blue Note 2002 with Jason Moran, Stefon Harris, Tarus Mateen, Eric Harland
1999-05 New Directions Blue Note 2000 with Jason Moran, Stefon Harris, Mark Shim
1999-09 The Invisible Hand Blue Note 2000 with Gary Thomas, Andrew Hill, Jim Hall, Scott Colley, Terri Lyne Carrington
2001-01 Symbols of Light (A Solution) Blue Note 2001 with Jason Moran, Scott Colley, Marlon Browden, Nioka Workman, Judith Insell, Marlene Rice, Christian Howes
2002-11 Round & Round Nagel-Heyer 2003 duo with Marc Copland
2003-01 St. Louis Shoes Blue Note 2003 with Nicholas Payton, Harold O'Neal, Robert Hurst, Rodney Green
2003-11 Night Call Nagel-Heyer 2004 duo with Marc Copland
2004-01 Public Blue Note 2004 Live with Nicholas Payton, Megumi Yonezawa, Robert Hurst, Rodney Green, Joan Osborne
2005-02 Channel Three Blue Note 2005 with Jeff "Tain" Watts, Matt Brewer
2008-08 9 Levels Inner Circle Music 2008 with Sara Serpa, Adam Birnbaum, Nir Felder, Joseph Lepore, Hamir Atwal
2014 Sonic Halo Challenge 2014 co-led by Tineke Postma, with Matt Mitchell, Linda Oh, Dan Weiss
2019 Minimalism Inner Circle Music 2023 with Tal Cohen, João Barradas, Nimrod Speaks, Adam Arruda, Viktorija Pilatovic, Alessandra Diodati

As a member

M-Base collective
  • as Strata Institute, Cipher Syntax (JMT, 1989), sextet with Steve Coleman a. o. M-Base musicians
  • Anatomy of a Groove (Rebel-X [self-rel.], 1991/DIW, 1992)
  • as Strata Institute, Transmigration (Rebel-X, 1991/DIW, 1992), sextet with Coleman and Von Freeman
Other collaborations

As sideman

With Franco Ambrosetti

With Jangeun Bae Trio

  • Go (Sony, 2008)
  • Go+ (Inner Circle, 2010)
  • Last Minute (Sony Korea, 2011)

With Steve Coleman

  • Drop Kick (Novus/RCA, 1992), on two tracks
  • The Council of Balance (and Five Elements), Genesis & The Opening of the Way (BMG France/RCA Victor, 1997), only on Genesis, the first of the 2CD set

With Jack DeJohnette's Special Edition

With Jim Hall

With Stefon Harris

With Peter Herborn

  • Large One (Jazzline, 1998), featuring Gary Thomas, T. L. Carrington, a. o.[11]
  • Large Two (Jazzline, 2002)

With Andrew Hill

With Terumasa Hino-Masabumi Kikuchi Quintet

  • Acoustic Boogie (Somethin' Else, 1995)
  • Moment: Alive at Blue Note Tokyo (EMI/Somethin' Else, 1996)

With Henry Kaiser & Wadada Leo Smith, Yo Miles!

  • Sky Garden (Cuneiform, 2004)
  • Upriver (Cuneiform, 2005)

With Phil Lesh and Friends

  • Live at the Warfield, San Francisco, CA (Image Entertainment/Relix, 2006)
  • Bethel, NY 7.09.06 (Instant Live, 2006)

With Jason Moran

  • Facing Left (Blue Note, 1999)
  • Black Stars (Blue Note, 2001)

With Paul Motian Trio 2000 + Two

With Lonnie Plaxico

  • Plaxico (Muse, 1990)
  • Iridescence (Muse, 1991)
  • Short Takes (Muse, 1992)

With Sam Rivers' Rivbea All-Star Orchestra

With Michele Rosewoman

  • Quintessence (Enja, 1987)
  • Quintessence, Contrast High (Enja, 1989)

With Gary Thomas

With others

References

  1. ^ a b Feather, Leonard; Gitler, Ira (1999). "Osby, Greg". The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 508.
  2. ^ a b c d "Greg Osby: Biography". All About Jazz. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  3. ^ Osby uploaded two network recordings of his European tour with the Herbie Hancock Quartet in 1988 on YouTube: Herbie Hancock Greg Osby Buster Williams Al Foster in Hamburg Fabrik (Germany), and Herbie Hancock Quartet Belgrade Jazz Festival 1988 in Belgrade, Serbia. In addition there is an audience recording Herbie Hancock Quartet - Live in Messina (Italy), Nov. 11, 1988 (audio).
  4. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Greg Osby". AllMusic. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  5. ^ Chinen, Nate (2019). Playing Changes: Jazz for the New Century. Vintage Books. pp. 106–108.
  6. ^ Lyles, Ronald (April 6, 2011). "Greg Osby Discography". JazzDiscography.com. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  7. ^ Varga, George (October 24, 2014). "Sax Great Greg Osby Transcends the Dead". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  8. ^ Fripp, Matt (January 21, 2022). "Interview with American Saxophone Great Greg Osby". JazzFuel. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  9. ^ Chinen, Nate (August 4, 2010). "Bridging Jazz Generations Without Nostalgia". The New York Times. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  10. ^ Osby is also featured on a track of Hall's following album By Arrangement (Telarc, 1998).
  11. ^ Large One at Discogs.
  12. ^ Osby was also featured on the Prince tribute album by Belden accompanying Cassandra Wilson singing (the title track) "When Doves Cry", also on the Beatles tribute Strawberry Fields alongside Jahlisa Williams (Blue Note, 1996), and on a track of Shades of Blue: A Bob Belden Project (Somethin' Else, 1998).
  13. ^ Scoop at Discogs.
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