Shafi Hadi
Encyclopedia
Shafi Hadi is an American
jazz
tenor
and alto saxophonist
born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, perhaps best-known for his recordings with Charles Mingus
and with Hank Mobley
. Brian Priestley
describes Hadi's performance style as a "distinctive mixture of bop
and blues
, combined with a very individual tone." Martin T. Williams, writing in 1958, described Hadi's playing as being "both contemporary and a reflection of an apprenticeship in rhythm and blues
bands."
Hadi improvised the soundtrack music for John Cassavetes
's 1959 film Shadows. He also collaborated with Mary Lou Williams
on her 1977 composition Shafi, although the extent of Hadi's contribution is unclear.
with Hank Mobley
:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
tenor
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
and alto saxophonist
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, perhaps best-known for his recordings 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...
and with Hank Mobley
Hank Mobley
Henry Mobley was an American hard bop and soul jazz tenor saxophonist and composer. Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to describe his tone that was neither as aggressive as John Coltrane nor as mellow as Stan Getz...
. Brian Priestley
Brian Priestley
Brian Priestley is an English jazz writer, pianist and arranger.Priestley began studying music at age 8, and in the 1960s began arranging jazz pieces for the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and gained a degree in modern languages from Leeds University...
describes Hadi's performance style as a "distinctive mixture of bop
Bebop
Bebop differed drastically from the straightforward compositions of the swing era, and was instead characterized by fast tempos, asymmetrical phrasing, intricate melodies, and rhythm sections that expanded on their role as tempo-keepers...
and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, combined with a very individual tone." Martin T. Williams, writing in 1958, described Hadi's playing as being "both contemporary and a reflection of an apprenticeship in rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
bands."
Hadi improvised the soundtrack music for John Cassavetes
John Cassavetes
John Nicholas Cassavetes was an American actor, screenwriter and filmmaker. He acted in many Hollywood films, notably Rosemary's Baby and The Dirty Dozen...
's 1959 film Shadows. He also collaborated with Mary Lou Williams
Mary Lou Williams
Mary Lou Williams was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Williams wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements, and recorded more than one hundred records...
on her 1977 composition Shafi, although the extent of Hadi's contribution is unclear.
As sideman
with Charles MingusCharles 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...
- The ClownThe Clown (album)The Clown is an album by Charles Mingus recorded and released in 1957 on Atlantic Records as SD-1260. It is the follow-up to 1956's Pithecanthropus Erectus and features the improvised narration of Jean Shepherd. A deluxe edition of The Clown was issued in 2000 on Rhino featuring two bonus tracks...
(1957 ; Atlantic RecordsAtlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
) - Tijuana MoodsTijuana MoodsTijuana Moods is a 1962 album by Charles Mingus that was originally recorded in 1957. It was reissued in 1996 on CD as New Tijuana Moods with four alternate takes....
(1957; (issued 1962) RCA RecordsRCA RecordsRCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
) - East CoastingEast CoastingEast Coasting is an album by Charles Mingus, recorded and released in 1957. It was reissued on CD with bonus takes in 1993.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4 stars stating "One of Charles Mingus's lesser-known band sessions, this set of five of his originals features...
(1957; Bethlehem RecordsBethlehem RecordsBethlehem Records was a record label based in New York and Hollywood founded by Gus Wildi in 1953. It was bought by King Records in the early 1960s....
) - A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and PoetryA Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and PoetryA Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry is an album by jazz bassist Charles Mingus. In spite of the title, the album does not contain any poetry. "Scenes in the City", however, includes narration performed by Melvin Stewart and written by actor Lonne Elder with assistance from Langston Hughes...
(1957; Bethlehem) - Mingus Ah UmMingus Ah UmMingus Ah Um is a jazz album by Charles Mingus, recorded and released on Columbia Records in 1959. It was his first album recorded for Columbia. The cover features a painting by S...
(1959; Columbia RecordsColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
) - Tonight at NoonTonight at Noon (album)Tonight at Noon is an album by jazz bassist and composer Charles Mingus compiling tracks recorded at two sessions, one in 1957 from the sessions that produced The Clown and the other in 1961 which produced the album Oh Yeah, that was released on the Atlantic label in 1965...
(1961; Atlantic)
with Hank Mobley
Hank Mobley
Henry Mobley was an American hard bop and soul jazz tenor saxophonist and composer. Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to describe his tone that was neither as aggressive as John Coltrane nor as mellow as Stan Getz...
:
- Hank MobleyHank Mobley (album)Hank Mobley is an album by jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley released on the Blue Note label in 1957 as BLP 1568. It was recorded on June 23, 1957 and features Mobley, Bill Hardman, Curtis Porter, Sonny Clark, Paul Chambers and Art Taylor.-Reception:...
(1957; Blue Note RecordsBlue Note RecordsBlue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
)