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Frank Strozier

Frank Strozier (born June 13, 1937) is an alto saxophonist renowned for his playing in the hard bop idiom.

Frank Strozier has long been a top-notch hard bop stylist whose intense sound recalls (but is not derivative of) Jackie McLean. One of many excellent jazzmen who grew up in Memphis, Strozier played with other Memphis musicians even after he moved to Chicago in 1954 (including Harold Mabern, Booker Little, and George Coleman). He recorded with the MJT + 3 from 1959-1960, and led sessions for Vee Jay during the same period. After moving to New York, Strozier was briefly with the Miles Davis Quintet in 1963 (between Hank Mobley and George Coleman), gigged with Roy Haynes, and then relocated to Los Angeles. During his L.A. years, he worked with Chet Baker, Shelly Manne, and most notably the Don Ellis big band (with whom he took a memorable solo on "K.C. Blues" from Ellis' Autumn album). He returned to New York in 1971, working with the Jazz Contemporaries, the New York Jazz Repertory Company, and Horace Parlan, among others, but not gaining the recognition he deserved. Frustrated with his lack of work, Strozier for a time reappeared as a pianist, but little resulted from that. Possibly his best work during that period is with trumpeter Woody Shaw. As a leader, Frank Strozier's Vee Jay recordings (with a great deal of added material) have been reissued on CD; his Jazzland dates from 1961-1962 remain out of print, and he also led sessions for Trident (1972) and SteepleChase (1976-1977).

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136
Album Review

Frank Strozier: Quartets and Sextets

Read "Quartets and Sextets" reviewed by C. Andrew Hovan


Talk about long overdue, the two albums contained on this new two-fer by neglected and forgotten saxophonist Frank Strozier have been highly sought after collectors items on vinyl, often fetching as much as $50 to $75 for mint copies. Now we have both Long Night from 1961 and the following year’s March of The Siamese Children out on one disc and a major portion of Strozier’s scant catalog has now been restored to its proper place in history.

221
Album Review

Frank Strozier: Long Night

Read "Long Night" reviewed by David Rickert


“Don't Follow The Crowd", a song on Frank Strozier's second release for Jazzland, is an apt title for an artist who worked hard to carve out a niche for himself in the jazz world. Unfortunately, Strozier is one of many who never got his due; despite gigs with Miles Davis, Don Ellis, and Chet Baker, Strozier quit playing music in the seventies out of frustration. His two early records for Jazzland have been reissued as a two-fer, and they show ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Long Night

Fantasy Jazz
2002

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Quartets and Sextets

Fantasy Jazz
2002

buy

Cool, Calm And...

Original Jazz Classics
2000

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Fantastic Frank...

KOCH Records
2000

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Fantastic Frank...

Original Jazz Classics
1960

buy

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