Oliver Lake
Born: September 14, 1942; Marianna, AR
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A expressive and energetic alto, tenor and soprano saxophonist and flutist who's led free, hard bop, and reggae bands, Oliver Lake has been a consistently outstanding soloist, composer and bandleader since the early '70s. His solos, especially on alto, have a pungent, bluesy edge reflecting Lake's bebop and R&B background. He's accomplished on tenor, soprano and flute, but alto is his best instrument. Lake began playing drums as a child, then
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Biography |
by Ron Wynn
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| A expressive and energetic alto, tenor and soprano saxophonist and flutist who's led free, hard bop, and reggae bands, Oliver Lake has been a consistently outstanding soloist, composer and bandleader since the early '70s. His solos, especially on alto, have a pungent, bluesy edge reflecting Lake's bebop and R&B background. He's accomplished on tenor, soprano and flute, but alto is his best instrument. Lake began playing drums as a child, then turned to alto sax at 18, and later flute. He graduated from Lincoln University in 1968, then taught for a while in public schools and played in R&B bands around the St. Louis area, while also serving as a leader in the Black Artists Group (BAG). Lake played in Paris with a quintet of BAG members from 1972 to 1974. He then moved to New York, where he played both free jazz and classical music with combos and as a soloist. He was a founding member with Hamiett Bluiett, David Murray and Julius Hemphill of The World Saxophone Quartet in 1976, playing in a New Orleans concert. That same year Lake began a trio with Michael Gregory Jackson and Pheeroan Ak Laff. He staged the theatrical presentation The Life Dance of Is, for which he also wrote the music and poetry, in 1977. Lake presented a program of compositions for string quartet at Carnegie Hall in 1979. Then he switched gears in the early '80s, forming a reggae/funk/fusion unit Jump Up. They played into the mid-'80s and recorded for Gramavision. Lake recorded in Italy in 1984 and 1985, and performed in New York with a free jazz band that included Kevin Eubanks and Ak Laff. He recorded with Fred Hopkins, Geri Allen, AkLaff and Rasul Sidik on Gramavision in 1987, and did another session in '88. Lake began recording as a leader in the '70s, and has done sessions for Arista, Sackville, Black Saint, Gramavision, Blue Heron and Gazell. |
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