Greg Osby

四年九班的萨克斯风手Greg Osby绝对是新一辈爵士乐手中的佼佼者，创造力与创意并行不悖。去年发行，充满创造力的专辑《Inner Circle》音犹在耳，今年再度推出饶富创意的全新作品，《St. Louis Shoes》。请注意，创造力代表的是Osby作曲能力的展现，《Inner Circle》专辑收录的大多是他的创作曲目；而创意则是听Osby如何将旧瓶装新酒，新专辑《St. Louis Shoes》就是这张将让乐迷击节叫好的力作。 by Jason Ankeny Post-bop saxophonist Greg Osby was born April 3, 1960 in St. Louis, playing in a series of R&B, funk, and blues units throughout his teen years before attending Howard University. Upon graduating from the Berklee School of Music, he settled in New York City and went on to play behind Jack DeJohnette, Andrew Hill, Herbie Hancock, and Muhal Richard Abrams; during the mid-80s, Osby also served alongside Steve Coleman, Geri Allen, Gary Thomas, and Cassandra Wilson as a member of the renowned M-Base Collective. Making his solo debut with 1987s Sound Theatre, Osby went on to record several sets for the JMT label, also earning notice for his impressive contributions to Hills 1989 date, Eternal Spirit, and its follow-up But Not Farewell; with 1990s Man-Talk for Moderns, Vol. X, he cut his first headling session for Blue Note, with subsequent efforts for the company (including 1993s 3-D Lifestyles and 1995s Black Book), pioneering a distinctive fusion of jazz and hip-hop. While 1996s Art Forum captured the saxophonist in an acoustic setting, Osby continues exploring new avenues with each successive release, capturing the improvisational intensity of his live dates with 1999s Banned in New York and reuniting with Hill and fellow elder statesman Jim Hill for the following years The Invisible Hand. 2001s Symbols of Light (A Solution) was a varied effort that witnessed him teaming with a string quartet, while the next years Inner Circle was an older recording of sessions that featured a knockout version of Bjorks All Neon Like. Osby teamed with pianist Marc Copland for 2003s Round and Round, while St. Louis Shoes was released that same year on Blue Note. Also released on Blue Note was 2005s Channel Three, which saw Osby working with drummer Jeff Tain Watts and bassist Matt Brewer.