Paul Jeffrey
Encyclopedia
Paul Jeffrey is an American jazz tenor saxophonist, arranger, and educator born in New York City. Perhaps best known for performing with Thelonious Monk
from 1970–1975, Jeffrey also worked with musicians including Charles Mingus
, Dizzy Gillespie
, Clark Terry
, Lionel Hampton
, B.B. King, and many others.
, Elmo Hope, Big Maybelle, and Wynonie Harris. From 1960-1961, Jeffrey toured the US with B.B. King, after which he worked as a freelance musician in the New York City area and toured with bands led by Howard McGhee, Clark Terry, and Dizzy Gillespie.
1968 marked Jeffrey’s first studio work as a leader, when he recorded the album Electrifying Sounds through Savoy Records (Savoy 12192). He then toured with the Count Basie Orchestra before beginning his associations with Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus. Jeffrey first joined Monk’s quartet for a multi-day run at the Frog & Nightgown club in Raleigh, NC in May 1970. He then performed as a regular member of Monk’s band throughout the remainder of Monk’s public performance career, appearing with Monk throughout the US and Japan at the Village Vanguard, Lincoln Center’s Philharmonic Hall, the Jazz Workshop, the Manne-Hole, the Cellar Door, and many other venues. Jeffrey was hired by George Wein
to organize a 15-piece band for a tribute concert to Monk at Carnegie Hall in 1974; a concert at which Monk made a surprise appearance, replacing Barry Harris on the piano just as the concert was starting.
Jeffrey also enjoyed a lasting association with Charles Mingus throughout the 1970s. He first performed as a member of Mingus’s big band at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1972, and he continued performing, arranging, and recording with Mingus through 1979, the year Mingus died. In 1973 and 1974 Jeffrey made three additional studio recordings as leader on the Mainstream Records label.
Jeffrey also enjoyed a prolific teaching career, first working as a saxophone instructor at Columbia University
in 1973. He also held positions in arranging and jazz history at Jersey City State College (1974), as jazz ensemble director at the University of Hartford (1975–1983), and as an assistant professor of jazz at Livingston College of Rutgers University (1978–1983).
In 1983 Jeffrey accepted a position as artist in residence and director of jazz studies at Duke University
; a position he held until his retirement in 2003. At Duke, Jeffrey taught courses on jazz history and arranging while also directing the Duke Jazz Ensemble
. He also organized the NC/Umbria Jazz Festival and the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival while serving on the NC Council of the Arts and the Durham Arts Council. He currently resides in Durham, NC, where he is Professor of the Practice Emeritus in Duke University's Department of Music.
In 2009, Jeffrey recorded a tribute to Thelonious Monk with the French label Imago Records distributed by Orkhestra, with Alessandro Collina on piano, Sebastien Adnot on bass and Laurent Sarrien on drums.
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...
from 1970–1975, Jeffrey also worked with musicians including 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...
, 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...
, 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...
, Lionel Hampton
Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first jazz vibraphone players. Hampton ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy...
, B.B. King, and many others.
Biography
After graduating from Kingston High School in 1951, Jeffrey completed a Bachelor of Science degree in music education at Ithaca College in 1955. He spent the late 1950s touring with bands led by Illinois JacquetIllinois Jacquet
Jean-Baptiste Illinois Jacquet was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, best remembered for his solo on "Flying Home", critically recognized as the first R&B saxophone solo....
, Elmo Hope, Big Maybelle, and Wynonie Harris. From 1960-1961, Jeffrey toured the US with B.B. King, after which he worked as a freelance musician in the New York City area and toured with bands led by Howard McGhee, Clark Terry, and Dizzy Gillespie.
1968 marked Jeffrey’s first studio work as a leader, when he recorded the album Electrifying Sounds through Savoy Records (Savoy 12192). He then toured with the Count Basie Orchestra before beginning his associations with Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus. Jeffrey first joined Monk’s quartet for a multi-day run at the Frog & Nightgown club in Raleigh, NC in May 1970. He then performed as a regular member of Monk’s band throughout the remainder of Monk’s public performance career, appearing with Monk throughout the US and Japan at the Village Vanguard, Lincoln Center’s Philharmonic Hall, the Jazz Workshop, the Manne-Hole, the Cellar Door, and many other venues. Jeffrey was hired by George Wein
George Wein
George Wein is an American jazz promoter and producer who has been called "the most famous jazz impresario" and "the most important non-player... in jazz history"...
to organize a 15-piece band for a tribute concert to Monk at Carnegie Hall in 1974; a concert at which Monk made a surprise appearance, replacing Barry Harris on the piano just as the concert was starting.
Jeffrey also enjoyed a lasting association with Charles Mingus throughout the 1970s. He first performed as a member of Mingus’s big band at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1972, and he continued performing, arranging, and recording with Mingus through 1979, the year Mingus died. In 1973 and 1974 Jeffrey made three additional studio recordings as leader on the Mainstream Records label.
Jeffrey also enjoyed a prolific teaching career, first working as a saxophone instructor at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1973. He also held positions in arranging and jazz history at Jersey City State College (1974), as jazz ensemble director at the University of Hartford (1975–1983), and as an assistant professor of jazz at Livingston College of Rutgers University (1978–1983).
In 1983 Jeffrey accepted a position as artist in residence and director of jazz studies at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
; a position he held until his retirement in 2003. At Duke, Jeffrey taught courses on jazz history and arranging while also directing the Duke Jazz Ensemble
Duke Ambassadors
The Duke Ambassadors were a student-run jazz big band, active at Duke University from 1934-1964. Student-run big bands continued in 1969 as the Duke Stage Band and from 1971-1974 as the Duke Jazz Ensemble...
. He also organized the NC/Umbria Jazz Festival and the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival while serving on the NC Council of the Arts and the Durham Arts Council. He currently resides in Durham, NC, where he is Professor of the Practice Emeritus in Duke University's Department of Music.
In 2009, Jeffrey recorded a tribute to Thelonious Monk with the French label Imago Records distributed by Orkhestra, with Alessandro Collina on piano, Sebastien Adnot on bass and Laurent Sarrien on drums.
As leader
- 1968: Electrifying Sounds (Savoy Records, Savoy MG-12192) with Jimmy Owens (tpt), George Cables (p), Larry Ridley (b), and Billy Hart (d)
- 1973: Family (Mainstream Records, 376) with George Cables (p), Stuart Butterfield (fr h), Joe Gardner (tpt), Hamiet BluiettHamiet BluiettHamiet Bluiett is an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. His primary instrument is the baritone saxophone, and he is considered one of the finest living players of this instrument...
(bar), J.C. Williams (b cl), Bob Stewart (tuba), Wilbur WareWilbur WareWilbur Ware was an American jazz double-bassist known for his hard bop percussive style.Born in Chicago, Ware taught himself to play banjo and bass. In the 1940s, he worked with Stuff Smith, Sonny Stitt and Roy Eldridge. In the 1950s, Ware played with Eddie Vinson, Art Blakey, and Buddy DeFranco...
(b), Stanley ClarkeStanley ClarkeStanley Clarke is an American jazz musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and electric bass guitar as well as for his numerous film and television scores...
(b), and Thelonious Monk, Jr. (d) - 1973: Watershed (Mainstream Records, 390) with Jack WilkinsJack WilkinsJack Wilkins is a guitarist born on June 3, 1944 in Brooklyn, New York. He has played with many jazz greats including Stanley Turrentine, Jimmy Heath, Epitaph , and bassist Eddie Gomez, as well as with singers Mel Tormé, Ray Charles, Morgana King, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett, The Manhattan...
(eg), Richard Davis (b), and Thelonious Monk, Jr. (d) - 1974: Paul Jeffrey (Mainstream Records, 406) with Jay Migliori (bar), Bill Green (bar), Blue Mitchell (t), David Walker (g), George Walker (g), George Wright (g), Darrell Clayborn (g), Joe SampleJoe SampleJoseph Leslie "Joe" Sample is an American pianist, keyboard player and composer.He is one of the founding members of the Jazz Crusaders, the band which became simply The Crusaders in 1971, and remained a part of the group until its final album in 1991 .- Biography :Sample began playing the piano...
(p), Charles Kynard (org), Chuck Rainey (eb), and Ray Pounds (d)