Clarence Hardy "C." Sharpe (May 5, 1931, St. Louis - January 28, 1990, New York City) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

saxophonist. Sharpe's stepfather, Nathaniel, was a saxophonist in

Fletcher Henderson James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson (December 18, 1897 – December 29, 1952) was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. He was one of the most prolific black musi ...

's orchestra, and his father was big band vocalist Benjamin Hardy. He was raised in Germantown, Pennsylvania, where he led a student band as a high schooler called "C Sharpe and the Flats". He started his professional career in and around Philadelphia, where he played with

Jimmy Garrison James Emory Garrison (March 3, 1934 – April 7, 1976) was an American jazz double bassist. He is best remembered for his association with John Coltrane from 1961 to 1967. Career Garrison was raised in both Miami and Philadelphia where he l ...

Cal Massey Calvin "Cal" Massey (January 11, 1928 – October 25, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. Early life Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, Massey studied trumpet under Freddie Webster, and following this played in ...

Lee Morgan Edward Lee Morgan (July 10, 1938 – February 19, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. One of the key hard bop musicians of the 1960s, Morgan came to prominence in his late teens, recording on John Coltrane's '' Blue Train'' (1 ...

, and McCoy Tyner. After relocating to New York City, he worked with Jimmy McGriff,

Steve Ellington Bradford Steven "Steve" Ellington (July 26, 1941 – March 22, 2013) was an American jazz drummer. He was the grand-nephew of Duke Ellington. Biography Ellington picked up drums when he was four years old and played with Ray Charles when he was ...

Kenny Dorham McKinley Howard "Kenny" Dorham (August 30, 1924 – December 5, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer. Dorham's talent is frequently lauded by critics and other musicians, but he never received the kind of attention or public ...

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...

, and Archie Shepp over the course of the 1960s. After leaving music for a period, he returned in the 1980s, playing with the Jazz Disciples in 1983, with Freddie Redd in 1985 and

Ari Roland Ari may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ari (name), a name in various languages, including a list of people and fictional characters * Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534–1572), Jewish rabbinical scholar and mystic known also as Ari * Ari (foo ...

in 1987, and with his own group late in the decade. His sidemen for this ensemble were

Frank Hewitt Frank Hewitt (October 23, 1935 – September 5, 2002) was an American hard bop jazz pianist. Life and career Born in Queens, New York, Hewitt lived most of his life in Harlem. His mother was a church pianist, and he initially studied classica ...

Leroy Williams Leroy Williams (February 3, 1941 – June 1, 2022) was an American drummer, mostly known for his work in jazz. Williams first began playing drums as a teenager in the 1950s. From 1959 to the middle of the 1960s he played with singer Judy Roberts, ...

, and Hal Dotson. A photo of Clarence Hardy "C." Sharpe, while playing the saxophone, was collected by Pannonica de Koenigswarter, member of the

Rothschild family The Rothschild family ( , ) is a wealthy Ashkenazi Jewish family originally from Frankfurt that rose to prominence with Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744–1812), a court factor to the German Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel in the Free City of F ...

. He died at Goldwater Memorial Hospital on

Roosevelt Island Roosevelt Island is an island in New York City's East River, within the borough of Manhattan. It lies between Manhattan Island to the west, and the borough of Queens, on Long Island, to the east. Running from the equivalent of East 46th to 85 ...

in New York City at the age of 58, having recently undergone surgery for throat cancer.

Discography

, ''

Lee Morgan Indeed! ''Indeed!'' is the debut album by America jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan, recorded on November 4, 1956 and released on Blue Note later that year. The quintet features saxophonist Clarence Sharpe and rhythm section Horace Silver, Wilbur Ware and Phi ...

'' (Blue Note, 1957) * Freddie Redd, ''

Lonely City ''Lonely City'' is an album by pianist Freddie Redd recorded in 1985 and released by the Uptown label in 1989.Fitzgerald, Freddie Redd Leader Entry accessed March 28, 2019 Reception In his AllMusic review, Scott Yanow states: "Pianist Freddie ...

'' (Uptown, 1989) * Archie Shepp, ''

For Losers ''For Losers'' is an album by Archie Shepp released on Impulse! Records, Impulse! in 1970. The album contains tracks recorded from September 1968 to August 1969 by Shepp with three different ensembles. The AllMusic review by Rob Ferrier states ...

'' (ABC Impulse!, 1970) * Archie Shepp, '' Kwanza'' (Impulse!, 1974)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharpe, C American jazz saxophonists Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania Musicians from St. Louis Jazz musicians from Missouri 20th-century American saxophonists American male saxophonists 1931 births 1990 deaths 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians