Odean Pope
Odean Pope (born October 24, 1938) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist.[1]
Odean Pope | |
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Pope, behind Max Roach, in San Francisco, 1981 | |
Background information | |
Born | Ninety Six, South Carolina, U.S. | October 24, 1938
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instruments | Tenor saxophone |
Labels | Moers, CIMP, Soul Note, Porter, In+Out |
Associated acts | Catalyst |
Website | www |
Biography
Pope was raised in Philadelphia, where he learned from Ray Bryant while young.[2] 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.[3]
He played briefly in the 1960s with Jimmy McGriff, and late in the 1960s he began working with Max Roach, including on tours of Europe in 1967-68. He was a member of Philadelphia group Catalyst 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, which he has had for over 30 years.[4]
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."[3]
Discography
As leader
- Almost Like Me (Moers, 1982)
- The Saxophone Shop (Soul Note, 1985)
- The Ponderer (Soul Note, 1990)
- Out for a Walk (Moers, 1990)
- Epitome (Soul Note, 1993)
- Ninety Six (Enja, 1996)
- Collective Voices (CIMP, 1996)
- Ebioto (Knitting Factory, 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, 2006)
- To the Roach (CIMP, 2007)
- What Went Before, Vol. 1 (Porter, 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)[5]
As sideman
With Max Roach
- 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
- 1972 Catalyst, Eddie Green
- 1986 Music World, Jamaaladeen Tacuma
- 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
- 2009 Blueprints of Jazz, Vol. 3, Donald Bailey
- 2009 Brownswood Bubblers Four, Gilles Peterson
- 2009 Impressions of Coltrane, Khan Jamal
- 2012 Matt Covington, Matt Covington[6]
References
- "Odean Pope Profile". All About Jazz. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- Yanow, Scott. "Odean Pope Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- Cahill, Greg (22 February 2001). "The Seeker: Saxman Odean Pope strives for the sacred". Northern California Bohemian. ISSN 1532-0154.
- John-Hall, Annette (18 March 2011). "Jazz great Pope tells of bipolar struggles". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- "Odean Pope | Album Discography | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- "Odean Pope | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
External links
- Official website
- Odean Pope discography at Discogs
- Odean Pope on IMDb