Supersax
Encyclopedia
Supersax was a Charlie Parker
tribute band formed by Med Flory and Buddy Clark
that debuted in 1972. Their music consisted of harmonized arrangements of Charlie Parker
's music played by a saxophone
section (2 altos, 2 tenors, and a baritone), rhythm section, and a brass instrument
(trombone
or trumpet
). Notable brass soloists that recorded with the group included Conte Candoli
(trumpet), Frank Rosolino
(trombone) and Carl Fontana
(trombone).
Warne Marsh
was a member in the first edition of the group, and although he was never given freedom to solo on any officially released materials, Lee Konitz
has stated that there are bootleg tapes of the group where Warne played a solo. (There are quite a number of privately recorded tapes of Supersax with Warne Marsh playing very impressive solos. Go to the discography section of the Warne Marsh Information web site http://www.warnemarsh.info)
They won the Grammy Award
for Best Jazz Performance by a Group
in 1974.
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
tribute band formed by Med Flory and Buddy Clark
Buddy Clark
Buddy Clark was a popular American singer in the 1930s and 1940s.-Life and career:Clark was born Samuel Goldberg to Jewish parents in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He made his Big Band singing debut in 1934 with Benny Goodman on the Let's Dance radio program. In 1936 he started to perform on the...
that debuted in 1972. Their music consisted of harmonized arrangements of Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
's music played by a 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...
section (2 altos, 2 tenors, and a baritone), rhythm section, and a brass instrument
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
(trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
or trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
). Notable brass soloists that recorded with the group included Conte Candoli
Conte Candoli
Secondo "Conte" Candoli was an American jazz trumpeter based on the West Coast. He played in the big bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie, and in Doc Severinsen's NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show. He played with Gerry Mulligan, and on Frank Sinatra's TV specials...
(trumpet), Frank Rosolino
Frank Rosolino
Frank Rosolino was an American jazz trombonist.- Biography :Born in Detroit, Michigan, Frank Rosolino studied the guitar with his father from the age of 9. He took up the trombone at age 14 while he was enrolled at Miller High School where he played with Milt Jackson in the school's stage band and...
(trombone) and Carl Fontana
Carl Fontana
Carl Charles Fontana was an American jazz trombonist. Because Fontana rarely recorded under his own name and toured only occasionally after 1958, he is significantly less famous among mainstream jazz fans, although well-known amongst trombonists.-Birth to 1958:Born in Monroe, Louisiana, Fontana...
(trombone).
Warne Marsh
Warne Marsh
Warne Marion Marsh was an American tenor saxophonist born in Los Angeles.-Biography:Marsh came from an affluent background: his father was the cinematographer Oliver T. Marsh , and his mother Elizabeth was a violinist...
was a member in the first edition of the group, and although he was never given freedom to solo on any officially released materials, Lee Konitz
Lee Konitz
Lee Konitz is an American jazz composer and alto saxophonist born in Chicago, Illinois.Generally considered one of the driving forces of Cool Jazz, Konitz has also performed successfully in bebop and avant-garde settings...
has stated that there are bootleg tapes of the group where Warne played a solo. (There are quite a number of privately recorded tapes of Supersax with Warne Marsh playing very impressive solos. Go to the discography section of the Warne Marsh Information web site http://www.warnemarsh.info)
They won the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Jazz Performance by a Group
Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group
The Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album is an award that will start being presented in 2012.The Award was previously called Best Instrumental Jazz Album, Individual or Group from 1959 to 2011. The award will formally be discontinued from 2012 in a major overhaul of Grammy categories...
in 1974.
Discography
- Supersax Plays Bird (1972, Capitol), with Conte Candoli, Med Flory, Joe Lopes, Warne MarshWarne MarshWarne Marion Marsh was an American tenor saxophonist born in Los Angeles.-Biography:Marsh came from an affluent background: his father was the cinematographer Oliver T. Marsh , and his mother Elizabeth was a violinist...
, Jay MiglioriJay MiglioriJay Migliori was an American saxophonist, best known as a founding member of Supersax, a tribute band to Charlie Parker....
, Jack NimitzJack NimitzJack Nimitz was an American jazz baritone saxophonist.He played in a variety of genres including jazz and rock...
, Ronnell BrightRonnell BrightRonnell Bright is an American jazz pianist born in Chicago.Bright played piano from a very young age, and won a piano competition when he was nine years old. In 1944, he played with the Chicago Youth Piano Symphony Orchestra. He studied at Juilliard, graduating early in the 1950s...
, Buddy Clark, Jake HannaJake HannaJake Hanna was an American jazz drummer.Hanna first performed in his home town of Boston, and was the house drummer at Storyville for a number of years in the 1950s and 1960s. He played with Toshiko Akiyoshi , Maynard Ferguson , Marian McPartland , and Woody Herman's Orchestra... - Supersax Plays Bird, Volume 2: Salt Peanuts (1973, Capitol)
- Supersax plays Bird with Strings (1974, Capitol)
- Chasin' the Bird (1977, MPS), with Candoli, Blue MitchellBlue MitchellRichard Allen Mitchell was an American jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock, and funk trumpeter, known for many albums recorded as leader and sideman for Riverside, Blue Note and then Mainstream Records.-Biography:...
, Rosolino - Dynamite (1978, MPS), with Candoli, Rosolino, Don MenzaDon MenzaDon Menza is an American saxophonist, arranger, composer, session musician, and jazz educator noted for his many contributions to American jazz and big band music. -Early years:...
- Supersax & L.A. Voices, Volume 1 (1983, Epic Sony)
- Supersax & L.A. Voices, Volume 2 (1984, Columbia)
- Supersax & L.A. Voices, Volume 3: Straighten Up and Fly (1986, Columbia)
- Stone Bird (1989, Columbia)
- The Joy of Sax (1990)
- Live in '75 (1998)
- Live in '75: Japanese Tour (1999)