__NOTOC__ Shafi Hadi (born Curtis Porter, 21 September 1929 – 1976) 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 ...

tenor and alto saxophonist known for his recordings 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 ...

and with

Hank Mobley Henry "Hank" Mobley (July 7, 1930 – May 30, 1986) was an American hard bop and soul jazz tenor saxophonist and composer. Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to descr ...

Biography

Hadi was born Curtis Porter in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. The 1930 Census indicated his parents were William Porter and Harriette Porter. At age 6, he received piano lessons from his grandmother. Later, he studied musical composition at

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

and

University of Detroit The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Roman Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catholic universi ...

. Hadi performed with

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

artists such as Paul Williams,

Ruth Brown Ruth Alston Brown (; January 12, 1928 – November 17, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and actress, sometimes referred to as the " Queen of R&B". She was noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for Atl ...

, and the Griffin Brothers. Hadi recorded with bassist Charles Mingus between 1956 and 1958. He also recorded with tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley. Hadi improvised the soundtrack music for

John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes ( ; December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. First known as a television and film actor, Cassavetes also helped pioneer American independent cinema, writing and dire ...

's film ''

Shadows A shadow is a dark area where light from a light source is blocked by an opaque object. It occupies all of the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, ...

'', then returned to Mingus's group in 1959. He also collaborated with

Mary Lou Williams Mary Lou Williams (born Mary Elfrieda Scruggs; May 8, 1910 – May 28, 1981) was an American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer. She wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements and recorded more than one hundred records (in 78, 45, and ...

on her 1977 composition "Shafi", although the extent of Hadi's contribution is unclear. The 1977 Copyright filing EU841296 by

credited words to Hadi, pseud. of Shafi Porter, with music and arrangement credited to

. During the 1950s, Hadi was also active in painting. Between 1965 and 1969 he co-wrote five songs with

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles M ...

or Gladys Hampton: Bye, Bye, Hamp Stamps, No, Say No, A Sketch Of Gladys, and Mama Knows. Ancestrylibrary.com has the May 1943 Social Security Application for William Curtis Porter, born 21 September 1929 in

, and a Death Date on June 1976. The Social Security Death Index for William Porter indicates that his Social Security Number was issued before 1951 in West Virginia, and confirms a Death Date of June 1976.https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J2CN-RPT Neither the exact date of death nor a location are specified.

Playing style

Brian Priestley Brian Priestley (born 10 July 1940)Many sources list Priestley's year of birth as 1946, but this is inaccurate. See Priestley's entry in ''The Rough Guide to Jazz'' anon his revised Charlie Parker study. is an English jazz writer, pianist and a ...

describes Hadi's performance style as a "distinctive mixture of bop and blues, combined with a very individual tone." Martin Williams, writing in 1958, described Hadi's playing as being "both contemporary and a reflection of an apprenticeship in rhythm and blues bands."

Discography

As leader

* ''Debut Rarities, Vol. 3'' (1957,

Original Jazz Classics Original Jazz Classics (or OJC) is a record label that founded in 1983 as an imprint of Fantasy Records. Under this name original editions of jazz LPs have been reissued on CD and LP, and formerly on cassette as well. The recordings in the seri ...

) – Shafi Hadi Sextet

As sideman

With

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hug ...

*''

Weary Blues "Weary Blues" is a 1915 tune by Artie Matthews. Despite the name, the form is a multi-strain ragtime rather than a conventional blues. (At the time it was published, many hot or raggy numbers were published with the word "Blues" in the title). It ...

'' (MGM, 1958) With

* '' The Clown'' (1957 ;

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

) * ''

Tijuana Moods ''Tijuana Moods'' is an album by Charles Mingus, recorded in 1957 but not released until June 1962. It was reissued in 1986 on CD as ''New Tijuana Moods'' with four additional alternate takes and as a double LP with five alternate takes. Two-CD ex ...

'' (1957; (issued 1962)

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

) * ''

East Coasting ''East Coasting'' is an album by Charles Mingus, recorded and released in late 1957. It was reissued on CD with bonus takes in 1993. Reception The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow stated: "One of Charles Mingus's lesser-known band sessions, this se ...

'' (1957;

Bethlehem Records Bethlehem Records was an American jazz independent record label, founded by Gus Wildi in 1953. History Bethlehem is remembered for its jazz releases from the 1950s. Producers included Creed Taylor and Teddy Charles. Bethlehem released the first ...

) * ''

A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry ''A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry'' is an album by the jazz bassist, composer, and band leader Charles Mingus, released by Bethlehem Records in mid-1959. In spite of the title, the album does not contain any poetry. "Scenes in the Cit ...

'' (1957; Bethlehem) * ''

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 corrup ...

'' (1959;

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

) * ''

Tonight at Noon Tonight may refer to: Television * ''Tonight'' (1957 TV programme), a 1957–1965 British current events television programme hosted by Cliff Michelmore that was broadcast on BBC * ''Tonight'' (1975 TV programme), a 1975–1979 British current ...

'' (1961; Atlantic) With

: * ''

'' (1957;

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. Or ...

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hadi, Shafi 1929 births 1976 deaths Living people Musicians from Philadelphia American jazz alto saxophonists American jazz tenor saxophonists American male saxophonists Bebop saxophonists 21st-century American saxophonists Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians