C. Sharpe
Clarence Hardy "C." Sharpe (May 5, 1931, St. Louis - January 28, 1990, New York City) was an American jazz saxophonist.[1]
Sharpe's stepfather, Nathaniel, was a saxophonist in Fletcher Henderson's orchestra, and his father was big band vocalist Benjamin Hardy. He was raised in Germantown, Pennsylvania, where he led a student band as a high schooler called "C Sharpe and the Flats". He started his professional career in and around Philadelphia, where he played with Jimmy Garrison, Cal Massey, Lee Morgan, and McCoy Tyner. After relocating to New York City, he worked with Jimmy McGriff, Steve Ellington, Kenny Dorham, Joe Henderson, and Archie Shepp over the course of the 1960s. After leaving music for a period, he returned in the 1980s, playing with the Jazz Disciples in 1983, with Freddie Redd in 1985 and Ari Roland in 1987, and with his own group late in the decade. His sidemen for this ensemble were Frank Hewitt, Leroy Williams, and Hal Dotson. A photo of Clarence Hardy "C." Sharpe, while playing the saxophone, was collected by Pannonica de Koenigswarter, member of the Rothschild family.[2]
He died at Goldwater Memorial Hospital on Roosevelt Island in New York City at the age of 58, having recently undergone surgery for throat cancer.[3]
Discography
[edit]- Lee Morgan, Lee Morgan Indeed! (Blue Note, 1957)
- Freddie Redd, Lonely City (Uptown, 1989)
- Archie Shepp, For Losers (ABC Impulse!, 1970)
- Archie Shepp, Kwanza (Impulse!, 1974)
References
[edit]- ^ Gary W. Kennedy writes, "obituaries published his age as 53; however, Sharpe himself gave his year of birth as 1931 in his application for social security.". "C. Sharpe". The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. 2nd edition, ed. Barry Kernfeld, 2004.
- ^ "The Collections ‹ Treasure of the Month :: The Rothschild Archive". www.rothschildarchive.org. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (30 January 1990). "Clarence (C) Sharpe Dead at 53; Played Jazz on Saxophone". The New York Times.
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