- Greg Abate
Greg Abate (born
Fall River, Massachusetts ,1947 ) is aJazz saxophonist ,flautist ,composer , andarranger . He grew up inWoonsocket, Rhode Island . In the fifth grade he began to playclarinet .After high school, he attended
Berklee College of Music inBoston and, after spending some years gigging inCalifornia , returned to Berklee in1972 to finish his education. Later, a second trip toLos Angeles landed him an audition –and the lead alto chair –in theRay Charles Band from1973 through1974 .Soon afterwards Abate formed a sextet called Channel One. The group’s only album, “Without Boundaries,” was released in
1980 . Living in northernRhode Island , Abate settled in the horn section withTony Giorgianni ’sSax Odyssey andDuke Bellair’s Jazz Orchestra . In1986 Abate was hired by Dick Johnson to be the tenor in theArtie Shaw Band .Candid Records , impressed by his playing, agreed to put out a live recording, “Bop City – Live at Birdland” in July of1991 . More albums followed, including “Straight Ahead,” “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” “Bop Lives with Kenny Barron Trio” and “Happy Sambak”.Abate currently resides in
Coventry, Rhode Island with his sons. He teaches students atRhode Island College , and also plays with his quartet locally and around the world.Discography
* Monsters in the Night
* Horace Is Here
* Evolution
* Happy Samba
* Bop Lives!
* Dr Jeckyll & Mr Hyde
* It's Christmas Time
* Straight Ahead
* Bop City: Live at BirdlandExternal links
* [http://www.gregabate.com Greg Abate's Official Homepage]
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:tneq97b7kr5t~T0 AllMusic entry]
* [http://www.jazzhistorydatabase.com/collections/stevens-audio.html?zoom_highlight=greg+abate New England Jazz History Database - My Buddy, Audio Recordings & Transcriptions]
* [http://www.jazzhistorydatabase.com/collections/zupan-audio.html?zoom_highlight=abate New England Jazz History Database - Audio Interviews]
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