John Handy
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (August 2016) |
John Handy | |
|---|---|
 Handy in 1977 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Richard Handy III |
| Born | February 3, 1933 Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz and Jazz fusion |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Saxophone |
| Years active | 1953–present |
| Labels | Roulette, Columbia, Impulse!, Warner Bros., Milestone, American Music, Harbor, Koch, Boulevard |
| Website | www |
John Richard Handy III (born February 3, 1933) is an American jazz musician most commonly associated with the alto saxophone, although he also plays tenor and baritone, saxello, clarinet, and oboe, and also sings.[1]
Biography
Handy first came to prominence while working for Charles Mingus in the 1950s. In the 1960s, Handy led several groups, among them a quintet with Michael White, violin, Jerry Hahn, guitar, Don Thompson, bass, and Terry Clarke, drums. This group's performance at the 1965 Monterey Jazz Festival was recorded and released as an album; Handy received Grammy nominations for "Spanish Lady" (jazz performance) and "If Only We Knew" (jazz composition).
Handy has taught music history and performance at San Francisco State University, Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
In the 1980s he worked in the project Bebop & Beyond, which recorded tribute albums to Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk. His son, John Richard Handy IV, is a drummer who has played with Handy on occasion.
Discography
As leader
- In the Vernacular (Roulette, 1959)
- No Coast Jazz (Roulette, 1960)
- Jazz (Roulette, 1962)
- Recorded Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival (Columbia, 1966)
- The 2nd John Handy Album (Columbia, 1966)
- New View (Columbia, 1967)
- Projections (Columbia, 1968)
- Karuna Supreme (MPS, 1975) with Ali Akbar Khan
- Hard Work (Impulse!, 1976)
- Carnival (Impulse! 1977)
- Where Go the Boats (Warner Bros., 1978)
- Handy Dandy Man (Warner Bros., 1978)
- Rainbow (MPS, 1980) with Ali Akbar Khan and Dr. L. Subramaniam
- Excursion in Blue (Quartet, 1988)
- Centerpiece (Milestone, 1989) with CLASS
- Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival (Koch, 1996)
- Live at Yoshi's Nightspot (Boulevard, 1996)
- John Handy's Musical Dreamland (Boulevard, 1996)
As sideman
With Brass Fever
- Brass Fever (Impulse!, 1975)
- Time Is Running Out (Impulse!, 1976)
With Charles Mingus
- Jazz Portraits: Mingus in Wonderland (United Artists, 1959)
- Mingus Ah Um (Columbia, 1959)
- Mingus Dynasty (Columbia, 1959)
- Blues & Roots (Atlantic, 1960)
- Right Now: Live at the Jazz Workshop (Fantasy, 1964)
With Mingus Dynasty
- Live at the Theatre Boulogne-Billancourt/Paris, Vol. 1 (Soul Note, 1988)
- Live at the Theatre Boulogne-Billancourt/Paris, Vol. 2 (Soul Note, 1988)
References
External links
- Official website
- John Handy talks about the Fillmore neighborhood and Bop City (1999)
- Jazz Weekly interview with Handy
- Hard Work-John Handy-1976 on YouTube
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- 1933 births
- Living people
- American jazz composers
- American male jazz composers
- American jazz alto saxophonists
- American male saxophonists
- African-American musicians
- Columbia Records artists
- Impulse! Records artists
- MPS Records artists
- San Francisco State University faculty
- 21st-century saxophonists
- 21st-century American male musicians
- Mingus Dynasty (band) members
- Bebop & Beyond members
- Brass Fever members