NEA Jazz Master Gary Bartz is among the most influential living alto saxophonists and composers, and a leading voice in jazz since the 1960’s. Known for what he calls “informal composition,” Bartz has worked with an extraordinary roster of artists including Max Roach, Charles Mingus, Art Blakey, and Miles Davis. As a leader, he has released more than 45 albums and appeared on over 200 recordings as a sideman, while continuing to collaborate with today’s innovators, including Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge’s Jazz Is Dead project and the jazz‑funk band Maisha.
Bartz attended Juilliard in 1958 and went on to join the Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop (1962–64), meeting Eric Dolphy and Rahsaan Roland Kirk, before becoming a key member of the Max Roach/Abbey Lincoln ensemble.
In 1965, Bartz joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, making his recording debut on Soul Finger. He later joined Miles Davis’s band performing at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970 and featured on Davis’s Live/Evil recording. Bartz also formed his influential NTU Troop, blending jazz, soul, funk, African traditions, hard bop and avant-garde and recorded one of Bartz’s first classics, I’ve Known Rivers and Other Bodies, based on the poetry of Langston Hughes.
His honors include two GRAMMY® Awards and the 2015 BNY Mellon Jazz Living Legacy Award.
Gary Bartz – Alto Sax; Joe Block – Piano; Paul Bollenback – Guitar; Matt Pavolka – Bass; Ele Howell – Drums
