Supersax 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 ...

group, created in 1972 by saxophonist

Med Flory Meredith Irwin Flory, known professionally as Med Flory (August 27, 1926 – March 12, 2014), was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader, and actor. Early years Flory was born in Logansport, Indiana, United States. His mother was an organist a ...

and bassist Buddy Clark as a tribute to saxophonist

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

. The group's music consisted of harmonized arrangements of Parker's improvisations played by a saxophone section (two altos, two tenors, and a baritone),

rhythm section A rhythm section is a group of musicians within a music ensemble or band that provides the underlying rhythm, harmony and pulse of the accompaniment, providing a rhythmic and harmonic reference and "beat" for the rest of the band. The rhythm sec ...

(bass, piano, drums), and a brass instrument (trombone or trumpet).

History

Notable brass soloists that recorded with the group included

Conte Candoli Secondo "Conte" Candoli (July 12, 1927 – December 14, 2001) was an American jazz trumpeter based on the West Coast. He played in the big bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie, and in Doc Severinsen's NBC Orch ...

(trumpet),

Frank Rosolino Frank Rosolino (August 20, 1926 – November 26, 1978) was an American jazz trombonist. Biography Rosolino was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States, He performed with the big bands of Bob Chester, Glen Gray, Tony Pastor, Herbie Fields, Gen ...

(trombone) and

Carl Fontana Carl Charles Fontana (July 18, 1928 – October 9, 2003) was an American jazz trombonist. After working in the big bands of Woody Herman, Lionel Hampton, and Stan Kenton, he devoted most of his career to playing music in Las Vegas. Career Font ...

(trombone). On the group's recordings their music was tightly orchestrated, with arrangements by Flory that contained little or no calls for improvisation (although members of the band would often solo at live performances). Saxophonist

Warne Marsh Warne Marion Marsh (October 26, 1927 – December 18, 1987) was an American tenor saxophonist. Born in Los Angeles, his playing first came to prominence in the 1950s as a protégé of pianist Lennie Tristano and earned attention in the 1970s as ...

was a member in the first edition of the group, and although he was never given freedom to solo on any officially released materials,

Lee Konitz Leon Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American composer and alto saxophonist. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's association with the cool jazz ...

has stated that there are bootleg tapes of the group where Warne played a solo. They won the

Grammy Award 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 pres ...

for Best Jazz Performance by a Group in 1974. They were also part of the Grammy-nominated 1983 recording ''Supersax & L.A. Voices, Volume 1'', in which the L.A. Voices were nominated for Best Jazz Vocal Performance - Duo Or Group. Med Flory also wrote the vocal arrangements for this recording.

Discography

* ''Supersax Plays Bird'' (Capitol, 1973) * ''Salt Peanuts: Supersax Plays Bird Vol. 2'' (Capitol, 1974) * ''Supersax Plays Bird with Strings'' (Capitol, 1975) * ''Chasin' the Bird'' (MPS, 1977) * ''Dynamite!!'' (MPS, 1979) * ''Supersax & L.A. Voices: L.A.'' (Columbia, 1983) * ''Supersax & L.A. Voices Vol. 2'' (CBS, 1984) * ''Supersax & L.A. Voices Vol. 3: Straighten Up and Fly Right'' (CBS, 1986) * ''Stone Bird'' (Columbia, 1988) * ''Live in '75: The Japanese Tour'' (Hindsight, 1998) * ''Live in '75: The Japanese Tour Vol. 2'' (Hindsight, 1999)

References

External links

*
Med Flory/Supersax collection, 1972-1987
at th
Library of Congress
{{Authority control American jazz ensembles Tribute bands Grammy Award winners Pausa Records artists Columbia Records artists Capitol Records artists MPS Records artists