- James Clay (musician)
James Earl Clay (b. Sept. 8, 1935,
Dallas ,Texas - d. there, Jan. 1, 1994) was an Americanhard bop jazz tenor saxophonist and flutist.Biography
While in school Clay played alto saxophone, became a professional musician, and played with local bands in Dallas, including with
Booker Ervin . Later, he went toCalifornia , there he played in 1957 inRed Mitchell 's quartet and on recordings withLawrence Marable . at the end of 1957 he returned to his hometown of Dallas, and served in the Army in 1959. Under his own name, he released two albums in 1960. He made an appearance on the classicWes Montgomery album, "Movin Along", playing sax and flute. Clay attempted a comeback in the 1980s, playing in 1987 with Bill Perkins and in 1988 with Don Cherry on the album "Art Deco".His style is heavily influenced by
Sonny Rollins .Discography
* James Clay Quartet with
Lorraine Geller : "Lorraine Geller Memorial" (1957)
* "The Sound Of The Wide Open Spaces" (OJC, 1960) with David Newman,Wynton Kelly ,Sam Jones ,Art Taylor
* "A Double Dose Of Soul" (OJC, 1960) withNat Adderley ,Victor Feldman ,Gene Harris ,Sam Jones ,Louis Hayes
* "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart" (Verve Records , 1989)As Sideman
* Don Cherry: "Art Deco" (
A&M Records , 1988)
* "Billy Higgins Quartet" (Contemporary, 1980, 1986)
* Lawrence Marable Quartet: "Tenorman" (Fresh Sound Rec., 1956) withSonny Clark
* Red Mitchell: "Presenting Red Mitchell" (OJC, 1957)
* Wes Montgomery: "Movin´Along" (OJC, 1960)
* Bill Perkins: "The Right Chemistry" (Jazz Mark, 1987)Further reading
*
Richard Cook & Morton, Brian: "The Penguin Guide To Jazz on CD", 6th Edition, London, Penguin, 2002 ISBN 0-14-017949-6.
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