John Richard Handy III (born February 3, 1933)
is 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 ...
musician most commonly associated with the
alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...
. He also sings and plays the
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
and
baritone
A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...
saxophone,
saxello
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...
,
clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound.
Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...
, and
oboe
The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range.
A ...
.
Biography
Handy was born in
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, United States.
He first came to prominence while working for
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians and ...
in the 1950s.
In the 1960s, Handy led several groups, among them a quintet with
Michael White, violin,
Jerry Hahn, guitar,
Don Thompson, bass, and
Terry Clarke, drums.
This group's performance at the 1965
Monterey Jazz Festival
The Monterey Jazz Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Monterey, California, United States. It debuted on October 3, 1958, championed by Dave Brubeck and co-founded by jazz and popular music critic Ralph J. Gleason and jaz ...
was recorded and released as an album;
Handy received
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
nominations for "Spanish Lady" (jazz performance) and "If Only We Knew" (jazz composition).
After completing high school at
McClymonds High School
McClymonds High School is a public high school in the West Oakland neighborhood of Oakland, California, United States.
In addition to being the third oldest high school in Oakland, it is the only comprehensive high school in West Oakland, opera ...
in
Oakland
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
, he studied music at
San Francisco State College
San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...
, interrupted by service during the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, graduating in 1958. Following graduation, he moved to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. Handy has taught music history and performance at
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...
,
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
, the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
, and the
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) is a private music conservatory in San Francisco, California. As of 2021, it had 480 students.
History
The San Francisco Conservatory of Music was founded in 1917 by Ada Clement and Lillian Hodgh ...
.
In the 1980s he worked in the project
Bebop & Beyond Bebop & Beyond is a jazz tribute bebop ensemble led by saxophonist Mel Martin.
''Bebop and Beyond'' features Martin, George Cables, Warren Gale, John Handy, Eddie Marshall, Frank Tusa.
''Plays Dizzy Gillespie'' features Martin, Vince Lateano, G ...
, which recorded tribute albums to
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...
and
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", "B ...
. His son, John Richard Handy IV, is a drummer who has played with Handy on occasion.
In 2009, he received the Beacon Award from
SF JAZZ.
[
]
Discography
As leader
* '' In the Vernacular'' (Roulette
Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning ''little wheel'' which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi''.'' In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the ...
, 1959)
* '' No Coast Jazz'' (Roulette, 1960)
* ''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 ...
'' (Roulette, 1962)
* '' Recorded Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival'' ( Columbia, 1966)
* ''The 2nd John Handy Album'' (Columbia, 1966)
* '' New View'' (Columbia, 1967)
* '' Projections'' (Columbia, 1968)
* '' Karuna Supreme'' ( MPS, 1975) with Ali Akbar Khan
Ali Akbar Khan (14 April 192218 June 2009) was a Indian Hindustani classical musician of the Maihar gharana, known for his virtuosity in playing the sarod. Trained as a classical musician and instrumentalist by his father, Allauddin Khan, he ...
* ''Hard Work
Diligence—carefulness and persistent effort or work—is one of the seven heavenly virtues. It is indicative of a work ethic, the belief that work is good in itself.
In students
Bernard et al. suggest that diligence in students is define ...
'' (Impulse!
Impulse! Records (occasionally styled as "¡mpulse! Records" and "¡!") is an American jazz record company and label established by Creed Taylor in 1960. John Coltrane was among Impulse!'s earliest signings. Thanks to consistent sales and positiv ...
, 1976)
* ''Carnival
Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
'' (Impulse! 1977)
* '' Where Go the Boats'' (Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
, 1978)
* ''Handy Dandy Man'' (Warner Bros., 1978)
* ''Rainbow
A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
'' (MPS, 1980) with Ali Akbar Khan and Dr. L. Subramaniam
Lakshminarayana Subramaniam (born 23 July 1947) is an Indian violinist, composer and conductor, trained in the classical Carnatic music tradition and Western classical music.
Early years
Subramaniam was born in Madras, Madras Presidency, Brit ...
* ''Excursion in Blue'' (Quartet, 1988)
* ''Centerpiece'' (Milestone
A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...
, 1989) with CLASS
* ''Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival'' ( Koch, 1996)
* ''Live at Yoshi's Nightspot'' (Boulevard
A boulevard is a type of broad avenue planted with rows of trees, or in parts of North America, any urban highway.
Boulevards were originally circumferential roads following the line of former city walls.
In American usage, boulevards may ...
, 1996)
* ''John Handy's Musical Dreamland'' (Boulevard, 1996)
As sideman
With Brass Fever
Brass Fever was an American jazz musical ensemble, which recorded two albums for Impulse! Records. Consisting of both session musicians and leaders such as Shelly Manne, their two albums covered jazz and R&B genres.
Their second album charted a ...
* ''Brass Fever
Brass Fever was an American jazz musical ensemble, which recorded two albums for Impulse! Records. Consisting of both session musicians and leaders such as Shelly Manne, their two albums covered jazz and R&B genres.
Their second album charted a ...
'' (Impulse!, 1975)
* '' Time Is Running Out'' (Impulse!, 1976)
With Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians and ...
* '' Jazz Portraits: Mingus in Wonderland'' (United Artists, 1959)
* ''Mingus Ah Um
''Mingus Ah Um'' is a studio album by American jazz musician Charles Mingus which was released in October 1959 by Columbia Records. It was his first album recorded for Columbia. The cover features a painting by S. Neil Fujita. The title is a co ...
'' (Columbia, 1959)
* ''Mingus Dynasty
''Mingus Dynasty'' is a jazz album by Charles Mingus, recorded in 1959 and released on Columbia Records in May 1960. It is a companion album to his 1959 record, ''Mingus Ah Um'', and was inducted in the List of Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipie ...
'' (Columbia, 1959)
* ''Blues & Roots
''Blues & Roots'' is an album by Charles Mingus, recorded in 1959 and released on the Atlantic label in 1960. It has been reissued on CD by both Atlantic and Rhino.
Inspiration
Mingus explained the origins of this record in the album's liner no ...
'' (Atlantic, 1960)
* '' Right Now: Live at the Jazz Workshop'' (Fantasy, 1964)
With Mingus Dynasty
''Mingus Dynasty'' is a jazz album by Charles Mingus, recorded in 1959 and released on Columbia Records in May 1960. It is a companion album to his 1959 record, ''Mingus Ah Um'', and was inducted in the List of Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipie ...
* '' Live at the Theatre Boulogne-Billancourt/Paris, Vol. 1'' (Soul Note, 1988)
* '' Live at the Theatre Boulogne-Billancourt/Paris, Vol. 2'' (Soul Note, 1988)
References
External links
*
John Handy talks about the Fillmore neighborhood and Bop City (1999)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Handy, John
1933 births
Living people
American jazz composers
American male jazz composers
American jazz alto saxophonists
American male saxophonists
African-American saxophonists
Columbia Records artists
Impulse! Records artists
MPS Records artists
San Francisco State University faculty
21st-century American saxophonists
21st-century American male musicians
Mingus Dynasty (band) members
Bebop & Beyond members
Brass Fever members
21st-century African-American musicians
20th-century African-American people