Hamiet Bluiett
The finest baritone saxophonist of the 1970s and beyond, Hamiet Bluiett has demonstrated a huge, impressive sound, superb technique, and a mastery of his horn in every register. In his solos, he can provide an array of tonal colors and harmonic options. A first-rate free player who's as proficient on standards as in blues, Bluiett has played in many excellent groups, has led his own bands, and has been featured on numerous magnificent recordings.
Bluiett took music lessons from his aunt, who was a choral director, and started on clarinet at age nine. In late adolescence, he attended Southern University, where he studied clarinet and flute. Following a stint in the navy, Bluiett moved to St. Louis in the mid- '60s. He played with Lester and Joseph Bowie, Charles Bobo Shaw, Julius Hemphill and Oliver Lake. He also founded the BAG (Black Artists Group), the St. Louis equivalent of Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).
He moved to New York in 1969, and joined Sam Rivers' large ensemble and Olatunji. Bluiett worked with various bands before joining Charles Mingus' quintet in 1972, with whom he remained, off and on, until 1974. While his tenure was relatively short, Bluiett helped Mingus crystalize some of the finest music of his last years. After Mingus, Bluiett performed and recorded with Abdullah Ibrahim, Hemphill and others.
Bluiett, Hemphill, Lake and David Murray formed a quartet in 1976 for a New Orleans concert
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October 05, 2018
February 27, 2014
Jazz This Week: Marissa Mulder, Jazz St. Louis Benefit Gala, Hamiet...
September 16, 2013
Jazz Musician of the Day: Hamiet Bluiett
September 16, 2012
Jazz Musician of the Day: Hamiet Bluiett
June 25, 2012
STLJN Audio Archive: Hamiet Bluiett - Endangered Species
June 24, 2012
STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: A Hamiet Bluiett Sampler
June 22, 2012
Jazz This Week: Charlie Hunter, Hamiet Bluiett, "Cool Like That: A...
September 29, 2011
Bluiett, Bistro Among Riverfront Times "Best of St Louis" Winners for...
September 26, 2011
STLJN Audio Archive: Hamiet Bluiett - S.O.S.
September 16, 2011
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