Arnie Lawrence
Encyclopedia
Arnold Lawrence Finkelstein, better known as Arnie Lawrence (July 10, 1938, Brooklyn
- April 22, 2005, Jerusalem) was an American
jazz saxophonist.
Lawrence studied clarinet
in his youth before switching to saxophone
. He played from age 12 in clubs in the Catskills, and by age 17 was performing at Birdland
, at one point working a double bill with John Coltrane
. He played with Charles Mingus
, Thad Jones
, Maynard Ferguson
, Clark Terry
Quintet and Duke Pearson
, but did not make his first recordings until 1966, playing on Chico Hamilton
's The Dealer
. He worked for several years with Hamilton, and concomitantly became a soloist on The Tonight Show
from 1967 to 1972. His first records as a leader appeared in 1968.
In the early 1970s Lawrence played with Willie Bobo
, then joined Blood, Sweat & Tears
in 1974. He did a world tour with Liza Minnelli
in 1978-79, and released a few more records under his own name before touring with Louie Bellson
and Elvin Jones
in the early 1980s. He composed a symphony
entitled Red, White and Blues, which was premiered by an orchestra in Williamsburg, Virginia
; Lawrence, Dizzy Gillespie
, and Julius Hemphill
all soloed in the performance.
Lawrence had taught from the middle of the 1970s, working as an artist in residence in Kentucky
and Kansas
. In 1986, he stopped recording and touring and founded the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City
; among the program's students were Roy Hargrove
, Brad Mehldau
, Larry Goldings
, John Popper
, Peter Bernstein
, and Jay Rodriguez
. He moved to Israel
in 1997, where he founded the International Center for Creative Music, an education facility open to both Jewish and Arab
students. He played regularly in Israel and owned his own nightclub called Arnie's Jazz Underground. He suffered from lung
and liver cancer
late in life, and died in Jerusalem in 2005.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
- April 22, 2005, Jerusalem) was an American
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
jazz saxophonist.
Lawrence studied clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
in his youth before switching to saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
. He played from age 12 in clubs in the Catskills, and by age 17 was performing at Birdland
Birdland (jazz club)
Birdland is a jazz club started in New York City on December 15, 1949. The original Birdland, which was located at 1678 Broadway, just north of West 52nd Street in Manhattan, was closed in 1965 due to increased rents, but it re-opened for one night in 1979...
, at one point working a double bill with John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
. He played with Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist.Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third stream, free jazz, and classical music...
, Thad Jones
Thad Jones
Thaddeus Joseph Jones was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader.-Biography:Thad Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan to a musical family of ten . Thad Jones was a self taught musician, performing professionally by the age of sixteen...
, Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson was a Canadian jazz musician and bandleader. He came to prominence playing in Stan Kenton's orchestra, before forming his own band in 1957...
, Clark Terry
Clark Terry
Clark Terry is an American swing and bop trumpeter, a pioneer of the fluegelhorn in jazz, educator, NEA Jazz Masters inductee, and recipient of the 2010 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award...
Quintet and Duke Pearson
Duke Pearson
Duke Pearson was an American jazz pianist and composer. Allmusic notes him as being a "big part in shaping the Blue Note label's hard bop direction in the 1960s as a producer."-History:...
, but did not make his first recordings until 1966, playing on Chico Hamilton
Chico Hamilton
Chico Hamilton , is an American jazz drummer and bandleader.-Early life through 1960s:Hamilton was born in Los Angeles, California. He had a fast-track musical education in a band with Charles Mingus, Illinois Jacquet, Ernie Royal, Dexter Gordon, Buddy Collette and Jack Kelso...
's The Dealer
The Dealer
The Dealer is a 1966 release by jazz drummer/bandleader Chico Hamilton. It was first released by Impulse! Records and has been subsequently reissused on CD with the addition of bonus tracks from Chic Chic Chico, Definitive Jazz Scene Vol. 3 and Passin' Thru...
. He worked for several years with Hamilton, and concomitantly became a soloist on The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
from 1967 to 1972. His first records as a leader appeared in 1968.
In the early 1970s Lawrence played with Willie Bobo
Willie Bobo
Willie Bobo was the stage name of William Correa , an American jazz percussionist.-Biography:William Correa grew up in Spanish Harlem, New York City. He made his name in Latin Jazz, specifically Afro-Cuban jazz, in the 1960s and '70s, with the timbales becoming his favoured instrument...
, then joined Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears is an American music group, originally formed in 1967 in New York City. Since its beginnings in 1967, the band has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a multitude of musical styles...
in 1974. He did a world tour with Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
in 1978-79, and released a few more records under his own name before touring with Louie Bellson
Louie Bellson
Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni , better known by the stage name Louie Bellson , was an Italian-American jazz drummer...
and Elvin Jones
Elvin Jones
Elvin Ray Jones was a jazz drummer of the post-bop era. He showed interest in drums at a young age, watching the circus bands march by his family's home in Pontiac, Michigan....
in the early 1980s. He composed a symphony
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
entitled Red, White and Blues, which was premiered by an orchestra in Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
; Lawrence, Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, and Julius Hemphill
Julius Hemphill
Julius Arthur Hemphill was a jazz composer and saxophone player. He performed mainly on alto saxophone; less often soprano and tenor saxophones and flute.-Biography:...
all soloed in the performance.
Lawrence had taught from the middle of the 1970s, working as an artist in residence in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. In 1986, he stopped recording and touring and founded the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
; among the program's students were Roy Hargrove
Roy Hargrove
Roy Anthony Hargrove is an American jazz trumpeter. He won worldwide notice after winning two Grammy Awards for differing types of music, in 1997, and in 2002...
, Brad Mehldau
Brad Mehldau
Brad Mehldau is an American jazz pianist. Besides leading his own group, the Brad Mehldau Trio, he has performed with many renowned artists, including Pat Metheny, Wayne Shorter, Larry Grenadier, Peter Bernstein, Jeff Ballard, Joshua Redman, Christian McBride, Michael Brecker, Chris Potter, Kurt...
, Larry Goldings
Larry Goldings
-Life and career:Goldings was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His father was a classical music enthusiast, and Larry studied classical piano until the age of twelve. While in high school at Concord Academy, he attended a program at the Eastman School of Music. During this period Erroll Garner,...
, John Popper
John Popper
John Popper is an American musician and songwriter.He is most famous for his role as frontman of rock band Blues Traveler performing harmonica, guitar and vocals...
, Peter Bernstein
Peter Bernstein (guitarist)
-Biography:Born in New York City on September 3, 1967, Peter began playing piano when he was 8 but switched to guitar when he was 13, learning the instrument primarily by ear. He studied Jazz at Rutgers University with Ted Dunbar, and Kenny Barron. He completed his degree at The New School in New...
, and Jay Rodriguez
Jay Rodriguez
Jay Enrique Rodriguez is an English footballer who plays as a Striker . He currently plays for Burnley.-Early life:Rodríguez, of Spanish descent, was born in Burnley, Lancashire, the son of Enrique and Carol Rodríguez . He attended Heasandford Primary School and Barden High School in the town...
. He moved to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in 1997, where he founded the International Center for Creative Music, an education facility open to both Jewish and Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
students. He played regularly in Israel and owned his own nightclub called Arnie's Jazz Underground. He suffered from lung
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
and liver cancer
Liver cancer
Liver tumors or hepatic tumors are tumors or growths on or in the liver . Several distinct types of tumors can develop in the liver because the liver is made up of various cell types. These growths can be benign or malignant...
late in life, and died in Jerusalem in 2005.
Discography
- You're Gonna Hear from Me (1968)
- Look Toward a Dream with Larry CoryellLarry CoryellLarry Coryell is an American jazz fusion guitarist.-Biography:Coryell was born in Galveston, Texas. He graduated from Richland High School, in Richland, Washington, where he played in local bands The Jailers, The Rumblers, The Royals, and The Flames. He also played with The Checkers from nearby...
(1969) - Inside an Hourglass (1970) Embryo RecordsEmbryo RecordsEmbryo Records was a jazz and rock record label founded by Herbie Mann as a division of Atlantic Records, itself distributed by the Atlantic subsidiary Cotillion Records. The label released albums in the years 1969 through 1977.-Discography:...
- Might Just Turn Out To Be Sages with Children Of All Ages (1976)
- Treasure Island (1979)
- Renewal (1981) Palo Alto RecordsPalo Alto RecordsPalo Alto Records was a jazz record label that released most of its discography in the 1980s. The label was founded in 1981 by Jim Benham, who was a Palo Alto, California resident. The artistic director was Herb Wong. In 1985 the company ceased its activities...