Greg Abate
American jazz saxophonist, flautist, and composer (born 1947)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Greg Abate (born May 31, 1947)[1][2] is a jazz saxophonist, flautist, composer, and arranger. He grew up in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. In the fifth grade he began to play clarinet.
Greg Abate | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | May 31, 1947 Fall River, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupations | Musician, composer, arranger |
| Instruments | Alto saxophone, flute |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Labels | Candid, Brownstone, Blue Chip, Koko, Whaling City Sound |
| Website | www |
Career
After high school, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston.[3] After working for several years in California, he returned to Berklee in 1972 to finish his education. During a second trip to Los Angeles he was hired to play alto saxophone in the Ray Charles band in 1973 and '74.[2][4][5]
Soon after, Abate formed a sextet called Channel One.[6] The group's only album, Without Boundaries, was released in 1980. While living in Rhode Island, he became a member of Sax Odyssey, led by Tony Giorgianni, and Duke Bellair's Jazz Orchestra. In 1986 he was hired by Dick Johnson to play tenor saxophone in the Artie Shaw band.[2][3] He has also appeared with Jerome Richardson and Red Rodney.[7] He has taught at Rhode Island College.
In April 2016 Abate was among eight inductees for the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame.[8]
Discography
- Bop City: Live at Birdland (Candid, 1991)[1]
- Straight Ahead (Candid, 1993)[1]
- Dr Jeckyll & Mr Hyde (Candid, 1995)[1]
- It's Christmas Time (Brownstone Recordings, 1995)[1]
- Bop Lives! (1201 Music/Blue Chip Jazz, 1996)[1]
- Happy Samba (Blue Chip, 1998)[1]
- Evolution (1201 Music, 2002)[1]
- Horace Is Here (Koko Jazz, 2005)[1]
- Monsters in the Night (Koko Jazz, 2006)[1]
- Horace Is Here: A Tribute to Horace Silver (Rhombus, 2011)[1]
- The Greg Abate Quintet Featuring Phil Woods (Posi-Tone, 2012)[1]
- Motif (Whaling City Sound, 2014)[1]
- Kindred Spirits: Live at Chan's (Whaling City Sound, 2016)[1]
- Road to Forever (Whaling City Sound, 2016)[1][9]
- Gratitude (Whaling City Sound, 2019)[1]
- Magic Dance: The Music of Kenny Barron (Whaling City Sound, 2021)[1]