Gabe Baltazar

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Gabe Baltazar, jazz alto saxophonist of Philippine descent. Considered one of the last great alumni from the Stan Kenton Orchestra, he moved to the U.S. mainland from Hawaii in the mid-'50s, recording with Paul Togawa in 1957 and spending a brief unrecorded period in 1960 with the Lighthouse All-Stars. He gained recognition for his years with Kenton (1960-1965) during which he recorded a number of well-regarded solos. Baltazar worked with Terry Gibbs (1965) and recorded with Gil Fuller and Oliver Nelson before returning to Hawaii in 1969. In the 1990s, he visited California fairly often and recorded as a leader for the Fresh Sound and V.S.O.P. labels.