Greg Abate (born May 31, 1947)[1][2] is a jazz saxophonist, flautist, composer, and arranger. He grew up in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. In the fifth grade he began to play clarinet.

Greg Abate
Background information
Born (1947-05-31) May 31, 1947 (age 77)
Fall River, Massachusetts, U.S.
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician, composer, arranger
Instrument(s)Alto saxophone, flute
Years active1973–present
LabelsCandid, Brownstone, Blue Chip, Koko, Whaling City Sound
Websitewww.gregabate.com

Career

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After high school, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston.[3] After working for several years in California, he returned to Berklee in 1972 to finish his education. During a second trip to Los Angeles he was hired to play alto saxophone in the Ray Charles band in 1973 and '74.[2][4][5]

Soon after, Abate formed a sextet called Channel One.[6] The group's only album, Without Boundaries, was released in 1980. While living in Rhode Island, he became a member of Sax Odyssey, led by Tony Giorgianni, and Duke Bellair's Jazz Orchestra. In 1986 he was hired by Dick Johnson to play tenor saxophone in the Artie Shaw band.[2][3] He has also appeared with Jerome Richardson and Red Rodney.[7] He has taught at Rhode Island College.

In April 2016 Abate was among eight inductees for the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame.[8]

Discography

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  • Bop City: Live at Birdland (Candid, 1991)[1]
  • Straight Ahead (Candid, 1993)[1]
  • Dr Jeckyll & Mr Hyde (Candid, 1995)[1]
  • It's Christmas Time (Brownstone Recordings, 1995)[1]
  • Bop Lives! (1201 Music/Blue Chip Jazz, 1996)[1]
  • Happy Samba (Blue Chip, 1998)[1]
  • Evolution (1201 Music, 2002)[1]
  • Horace Is Here (Koko Jazz, 2005)[1]
  • Monsters in the Night (Koko Jazz, 2006)[1]
  • Horace Is Here: A Tribute to Horace Silver (Rhombus, 2011)[1]
  • The Greg Abate Quintet Featuring Phil Woods (Posi-Tone, 2012)[1]
  • Motif (Whaling City Sound, 2014)[1]
  • Kindred Spirits: Live at Chan's (Whaling City Sound, 2016)[1]
  • Road to Forever (Whaling City Sound, 2016)[1][9]
  • Gratitude (Whaling City Sound, 2019)[1]
  • Magic Dance: The Music of Kenny Barron (Whaling City Sound, 2021)[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "International Jazz Musician Greg Abate United States". gregabate.com. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  2. ^ a b c Yanow, Scott "Greg Abate Biography", Allmusic, retrieved 2011-02-05
  3. ^ a b "Greg Abate Archived 2011-09-29 at the Wayback Machine", All About Jazz, retrieved 2011-02-05
  4. ^ Massimo, Rick (2004) "Charles remembered as a 'true original'", Providence Journal, June 11, 2004, retrieved 2011-02-05
  5. ^ Butler, Mike "Jazz: Greg Abate", Metro, retrieved 2011-02-05
  6. ^ Smith, Andy (1994) "Paul Murphy: Beloved, respected, gone The sudden death of a rhythm guitar genius stuns the local music scene", Providence Journal, August 19, 1994, p. D-02
  7. ^ Kernfeld, Barry, ed. (2002). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (2 ed.). New York: Grove's Dictionaries Inc. p. 2. ISBN 1561592846.
  8. ^ ChrisS. "GoLocalProv | Lifestyle | Herb Weiss: Abate Joins Exclusive Class of Musicians". GoLocalProv. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  9. ^ "Greg Abate | Album Discography | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
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