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

* '' 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