Onaje Allan Gumbs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Onaje Allan Gumbs | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | September 3, 1949 New York, NY |
| Genre(s) | Bop, Hard bop, Soul jazz, Smooth jazz, Fusion |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, lyricist |
| Instrument(s) | Piano |
| Years active | 1970's-present |
| Label(s) | 18th and Vine, Ejano |
| Associated acts | Obba Babatunde, Woody Shaw, Nat Adderley, Kenny Burrell, Buster Williams, Stanley Jordan, Angela Bofill, Betty Carter, Grady Tate, Jeffrey Osborne, Deneice Williams, Norman Connors, Sathima Bea Benjamin |
| Website | www.onajeallangumbs.com |
Onaje Allan Gumbs (born 1949, New York City), is a New York-based pianist, composer, and bandleader.
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[edit] Early life
Born in Harlem, Onaje grew up in St. Albans, Queens, and started playing piano at age 7. Henry Mancini was one of his earliest and greatest influences from watching the TV shows "Peter Gunn" and "Mr Lucky" at age 8. Later, he studied at the Music and Art High School in Manhattan and was introduced by a classmate, Carl "Skip" Kirkland, to his father Leroy Kirkland, who had played with the Erskine Hawkins band, and who would come to mentor Onaje. During this time, he was playing in a Latin band, a big band and playing piano duets, and was also listening to records made by Motown and Blue Note, developing an interest in R&B that would influence his musical career as strongly as the straight-ahead jazz of Horace Silver, Dizzy Gillespie, Lalo Schifrin, Gil Evans, Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner and John Coltrane. Onaje went on to study music at the State University of New York at Fredonia in upstate New York.
[edit] Professional career
In 1971, Leroy Kirkland introduced Onaje to the renowned Detroit guitarist Kenny Burrell, to whom Onaje gave a demo tape. The following day, Onaje received a call to play with Kenny Burrell at Baker's Keyboard Lounge in Detroit. This work led to further performances with major jazz musicians such as bassist Major Holley as well as the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra.
Additionally, in 1973, Onaje met Norman Connors in Buffalo, New York, who hired Onaje to act as arranger for the album Dark of Light. His sideman worked expanded out into work with musicians such as Buster Williams, Cecil McBee, and Betty Carter.
Towards the late 1970s, Onaje spent two years working in Woody Shaw's band, as pianist, arranger, and occasional composer on albums such as Moontrane and Rosewood. During this time, the group won the Down Beat Reader’s Poll for Best Jazz Group and for Best Jazz Album (Rosewood).
Onaje's work as a sideman and arranger continue to this day, notably with an appearance conductor/arranger for the Grammy Award winning vocalist Cassandra Wilson’s concert, "Travelin' Miles."
[edit] Solo Works
During Onaje's time with Nat Adderley, the producer Nils Winter of SteepleChase records, heard Onaje’s improvisations, and invited the pianist to record a solo piano project. Entitled Onaje, the album features standards such as "Giant Steps," as well as some of Onaje's original compositions.
Onaje's interest in R&B is especially prominent in two of his solo recordings, That Special Part of Me (1988), and Dare to Dream (1991). That Special Part of Me also yielded Onaje's most enduring composition, entitled "Quiet Passion," which has remained on smooth jazz rotations for nearly 20 years.
In 2003, Onaje released a live album through Half Note records entitled Return to Form, recorded at the Blue Note jazz club in New York. He then released in 2004 a critically acclaimed project through his own label, Ejano, entitled Remember Their Innocence.
Most recently, Onaje recorded an album for 18th and Vine records entitled Sack Full of Dreams. While Remember Their Innocence was a studio-intensive project, Sack Full of Dreams was recorded with a live feel in the studio, using few takes. The film and stage actor Obba Babatunde appears as guest vocalist on the title track.
[edit] Awards and Special Works
In 1986 Onaje received the Min-on Art Award "in recognition of his great contribution to the promotion and development of a new musical movement for people with the aim of the creation of Peace."
Panasonic chose his song, "Dare To Dream", with lyrics by Charles Allen, as the theme for their tenth anniversary celebration of Kid Witness News.
Onaje composed, arranged and performed the original score for the Showtime film, Override, directed by actor and producer Danny Glover.
In 2006, Onaje was nominated for an NAACP Image Award in the Outstanding Jazz Artist category.
[edit] Sources
http://www.onajeallangumbs.com http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=24795 http://www.allmusic.com
