Fred Hess (September 3, 1944, Abington, Pennsylvania – October 27, 2018) 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 m ...

tenor saxophonist. Hess was raised in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and studied at

Trenton State College The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is a public university in Ewing Township, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Established in 1855 as the New Jersey State Normal School, TCNJ was the first normal school, or ...

. His early experiences include studies with saxophonist Phil Woods, a stint with bandleader Fred Waring, and composing music for the world premiere of a Sam Shepard play. As a composer, his influences encompass avant-garde classical sources, as well as

Anthony Braxton Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Ch ...

and the members of the AACM. He moved to Boulder, Colorado, in 1981, where he founded the Boulder Creative Music Ensemble. He then completed further studies at the

University of Colorado, Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sys ...

, taking his doctorate in composition in 1991. He recorded his first albums as a leader in the early 1990s. He was the Director of Music Composition at Metro State College in Denver, Colorado. In addition to his own projects as a leader (BCME and The Fred Hess Group), he was the founding director of Denver's Creative Music Works Orchestra and was a member of drummer

Ginger Baker Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and African rhythms and pi ...

's Denver Jazz Quintet, as well as ensembles led by trumpeter

Ron Miles Ronald Glen Miles (May 9, 1963 – March 8, 2022) was an American jazz trumpeter, cornetist, and composer. He recorded for the labels Prolific (1986), Capri (1990), and Gramavision. His final album, ''Rainbow Sign'', was his first on the Blu ...

. His most recent performing group was the Fred Hess Big Band. Hess's playing was influenced by

Lester Young Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most ...

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...

, the

Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1965 in Chicago by pianist Muhal Richard Abrams, pianist Jodie Christian, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran. The AACM is devot ...

, and Eric Dolphy. Among his releases is ''Extended Family'', issued in 2003 on Tapestry Records.''Extended Family'' Review

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

, February 11, 2003.

Discography

* ''Sweet Thunder'' ( Capri, 1991) * ''You Know I Care'' ( Capri, 1994) * ''Faith'' (

Cadence Jazz Cadence Jazz is an American record company and label specializing in noncommercial modern jazz. It is associated with ''Cadence Magazine''. Cadence Jazz was founded by Bob Rusch in Redwood, New York in 1980. By 2000 the label had issued more ...

, 2000) * ''Exposed'' (

CIMP Creative Improvised Music Projects, usually abbreviated CIMP or C.I.M.P., is an American jazz record company and label. It is associated with ''Cadence Magazine'' and Cadence Jazz Records. The label is noted for its minimal use of electronic proc ...

, 2001) * ''Right at Home'' (Tapestry, 2002) * ''Between the Lines'' (Tapestry, 2003) * ''Ninth Street Park'' (Tapestry, 2003) * ''Extended Family'' (Tapestry, 2003) * ''Long and Short of It'' (Tapestry, 2004) * ''Crossed Paths'' (Tapestry, 2005) * ''How Bout Now'' (Tapestry, 2006) * ''In the Grotto'' (Alison, 2007) * ''Single Moment'' (Alison, 2008) * ''Hold On'' Fred Hess Big Band (Dazzle), 2009) * ''Into the Open'' Fred Hess Big Band (Alison, 2010) * ''Speak'' Fred Hess Big Band (Alison, 2012)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hess, Fred American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania University of Colorado Boulder alumni CIMP artists 1944 births 2018 deaths American male jazz musicians 20th-century American saxophonists