Odean Pope (born October 24, 1938) 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 m ...
tenor saxophonist.
Biography
Pope was raised in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
, where he learned from
Ray Bryant
Raphael Homer "Ray" Bryant (December 24, 1931 – June 2, 2011) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.
Early life
Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 24, 1931. His mother was an ordained minister who had tau ...
while young. Early in his career, at Philadelphia's Uptown Theater, Pope played behind a number of noted rhythm and blues artists including
James Brown,
Marvin Gaye and
Stevie Wonder.
He played briefly in the 1960s with
Jimmy McGriff
James Harrell McGriff (April 3, 1936 – May 24, 2008) was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader.
Biography Early years and influences
Born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, United States, McGriff started playing pi ...
, and late in the 1960s he began working with
Max Roach
Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He work ...
, including on tours of Europe in 1967-68. He was a member of Philadelphia group
Catalyst
Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...
in the early and mid-1970s, and assembled the
Saxophone Choir, which consists of nine saxophones and a rhythm section (piano, bass and drums), in 1977. He became a regular member of Roach's quartet in 1979 and recorded extensively with him, in addition to numerous releases as a leader.
Pope has publicly spoken about his
bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...
, which he has had for over 30 years.
Pope was quoted in 2001 as saying, "Every time I pick that horn up there's always something that I discover I can do differently if I really seek. If you were on planet Earth for, like, 2 billion years, I feel as though there's always something new that you can find to do. There's no end."
[
]
Discography
As leader
* ''Almost Like Me'' (Moers
Moers (; older form: ''Mörs''; archaic Dutch: ''Murse'', ''Murs'' or ''Meurs'') is a German city on the western bank of the Rhine, close to Duisburg. Moers belongs to the district of Wesel.
History
Known earliest from 1186, the county of Mo ...
, 1982)
* '' The Saxophone Shop'' (Soul Note
Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz.
History
Black S ...
, 1985)
* '' The Ponderer'' (Soul Note, 1990)
* ''Out for a Walk'' (Moers, 1990)
* '' Epitome'' (Soul Note, 1993)
* ''Ninety Six'' ( Enja, 1996)
* ''Collective Voices'' (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 ...
, 1996)
* ''Ebioto'' (Knitting Factory
The Knitting Factory is a nightclub in New York City that features eclectic music and entertainment. After opening in 1987, various other locations were opened in the United States.
The Knitting Factory gave its audience poetry readings, perform ...
, 1999)
* ''Changes & Changes'' (CIMP, 1999)
* ''Philadelphia Spirit in New York'', (CIMP, 2001)
* ''Nothing Is Wrong'' (CIMP, 2004)
* ''Two Dreams'' (CIMP, 2004)
* ''Mystery of Prince Lasha'' (CIMP, 2005)
* ''Locked & Loaded: Live at the Blue Note'' (Half Note
''Half Note'' is a live album by saxophonist Clifford Jordan which was recorded in 1974 and first released on the SteepleChase label in 1985. , 2006)
* ''To the Roach'' (CIMP, 2007)
* ''What Went Before, Vol. 1'' (Porter
Porter may refer to:
Companies
* Porter Airlines, Canadian regional airline based in Toronto
* Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets
* Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer
* H.K. Porter, Inc., ...
, 2008)
* ''Plant Life'' (Porter, 2008)
* ''The Misled Children Meet Odean Pope'' (2008)
* ''Universal Sounds'' (Porter, 2011)
* ''Odean's List'' ( In+Out, 2010)
* ''Odean's Three'' (In+Out, 2012)
* ''In This Moment'' (CIMP, 2016)
As sideman
With Max Roach
Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He work ...
* '' Pictures in a Frame'' (Soul Note, 1979)
* '' In the Light'' (Soul Note, 1982)
* '' It's Christmas Again'' (Soul Note, 1984)
* '' Scott Free'' (1984)
* '' Easy Winners'' (Soul Note, 1985)
* '' Bright Moments'' (Soul Note, 1986)
* '' To the Max!'' (Enja, 1992)
* ''Live in Berlin'' (2010)
With Catalyst
* 1972 ''Perception''
* 1974 ''Unity''
* 1999 ''The Funkiest Band You Never Heard''
* 2010 ''The Complete Recordings, Vol. 1''
* 2010 ''The Complete Recordings, Vol. 2''
With others
* 1965 '' Metaphysics: The Lost Atlantic Album'', Hasaan Ibn Ali
Hasaan Ibn Ali (born William Henry Langford, Jr.; May 6, 1931 – 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer.
Ibn Ali was strongly influenced by Elmo Hope, and his playing was rapid and intense, retaining a sense of rhythm even when his st ...
* 1972 ''Catalyst'', Eddie Green
* 1986 ''Music World'', Jamaaladeen Tacuma
Jamaaladeen Tacuma (born Rudy McDaniel; June 11, 1956) is an American free jazz bassist born in Hempstead, New York. He was a bandleader on the Gramavision label and worked with Ornette Coleman during the 1970s and 1980s, mostly in Coleman's P ...
* 1992 ''Seeking Spirit'', Bobby Zankel
* 1996 ''13 Steps on Glass'', Sunny Murray
* 2001 ''Philadelphia Spirit in New York'', Byard Lancaster
* 2002 ''Stepping Around the Giant'', Carl Grubbs
* 2006 ''A Horse of a Different Rhythm'', Craig McIver
* 2008 ''Let the Rhythm Take You'', Monnette Sudler
Monnette Sudler (June 5, 1952 – August 21, 2022) was an American jazz guitarist from Philadelphia.
Early life and career
Sudler was born Monnette Goldman in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her mother, Lea Goldman, married Truman W. Sudler in 19 ...
* 2009 ''Blueprints of Jazz, Vol. 3'', Donald Bailey
* 2009 ''Brownswood Bubblers Four'', Gilles Peterson
Gilles Jérôme Moehrle MBE (; born 28 September 1964), better known as Gilles Peterson (), is a French broadcaster, DJ, and record label owner. He founded the influential labels Acid Jazz and Talkin' Loud, and started his current label Brow ...
* 2009 ''Impressions of Coltrane'', Khan Jamal
Khan Jamal (July 23, 1946 – January 10, 2022), born Warren Robert Cheeseboro, was an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. He founded the band Sounds of Liberation in 1970. He was described by Ron Wynn as "a proficient soloist when ...
* 2012 ''Matt Covington'', Matt Covington
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pope, Odean
American jazz saxophonists
American male saxophonists
Musicians from South Carolina
CIMP artists
1938 births
Living people
People with bipolar disorder
Moers Music artists
Pew Fellows in the Arts
People from Ninety Six, South Carolina
21st-century American saxophonists
American male jazz musicians
Catalyst (band) members
21st-century American male musicians