Greg Osby

四年九班的薩克斯風(fēng)手Greg Osby絕對(duì)是新一輩爵士樂(lè)手中的佼佼者，創(chuàng)造力與創(chuàng)意并行不悖。去年發(fā)行，充滿創(chuàng)造力的專(zhuān)輯《Inner Circle》音猶在耳，今年再度推出饒富創(chuàng)意的全新作品，《St. Louis Shoes》。請(qǐng)注意，創(chuàng)造力代表的是Osby作曲能力的展現(xiàn)，《Inner Circle》專(zhuān)輯收錄的大多是他的創(chuàng)作曲目；而創(chuàng)意則是聽(tīng)Osby如何將舊瓶裝新酒，新專(zhuān)輯《St. Louis Shoes》就是這張將讓樂(lè)迷擊節(jié)叫好的力作。
by Jason Ankeny
Post-bop saxophonist Greg Osby was born April 3, 1960 in St. Louis, playing in a series of R&B, funk, and blues units throughout his teen years before attending Howard University. Upon graduating from the Berklee School of Music, he settled in New York City and went on to play behind Jack DeJohnette, Andrew Hill, Herbie Hancock, and Muhal Richard Abrams; during the mid-80s, Osby also served alongside Steve Coleman, Geri Allen, Gary Thomas, and Cassandra Wilson as a member of the renowned M-Base Collective. Making his solo debut with 1987s Sound Theatre, Osby went on to record several sets for the JMT label, also earning notice for his impressive contributions to Hills 1989 date, Eternal Spirit, and its follow-up But Not Farewell; with 1990s Man-Talk for Moderns, Vol. X, he cut his first headling session for Blue Note, with subsequent efforts for the company (including 1993s 3-D Lifestyles and 1995s Black Book), pioneering a distinctive fusion of jazz and hip-hop. While 1996s Art Forum captured the saxophonist in an acoustic setting, Osby continues exploring new avenues with each successive release, capturing the improvisational intensity of his live dates with 1999s Banned in New York and reuniting with Hill and fellow elder statesman Jim Hill for the following years The Invisible Hand. 2001s Symbols of Light (A Solution) was a varied effort that witnessed him teaming with a string quartet, while the next years Inner Circle was an older recording of sessions that featured a knockout version of Bjorks All Neon Like. Osby teamed with pianist Marc Copland for 2003s Round and Round, while St. Louis Shoes was released that same year on Blue Note. Also released on Blue Note was 2005s Channel Three, which saw Osby working with drummer Jeff Tain Watts and bassist Matt Brewer.