Odean Pope
| Odean Pope | |
|---|---|
 Pope, behind Max Roach, in San Francisco, 1981 | |
| Background information | |
| Born |
October 24, 1938 Ninety Six, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Instruments | Tenor saxophone |
| Labels |
|
| Associated acts | Catalyst |
| Website |
www |
Odean Pope (born October 24, 1938) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist.[1]
Biography
Pope was raised in Philadelphia, where he learned from Ray Bryant while young.[2] Early in his career, at Philadelphia’s Uptown Theater, Pope played behind a number of noted rhythm and blues artists including James Brown, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder.[3]
He played briefly in the 1960s with Jimmy McGriff, and late in the 1960s he began working with Max Roach, including on tours of Europe in 1967-68. He was a member of Philadelphia group Catalyst in the early and mid-1970s, and assembled the Saxophone Choir, which consists of nine saxophones and a rhythm section (piano, bass and drums), in 1977. He became a regular member of Roach's quartet in 1979 and has recorded extensively with him, in addition to numerous releases as a leader.
Pope has publicly spoken about his bipolar disorder, which he has had for over 30 years.[4]
Pope was quoted in 2001 as saying, "Every time I pick that horn up there's always something that I discover I can do differently if I really seek. If you were on planet Earth for, like, 2 billion years, I feel as though there's always something new that you can find to do. There's no end."[3]
Discography
As leader
- Almost Like Me (1982)
- The Saxophone Shop (Soul Note, 1985)
- The Ponderer (Soul Note, 1990)
- Out for a Walk (1990)
- Epitome (Soul Note, 1993)
- Ninety Six (1996)
- Collective Voices (1996)
- Ebioto (1999)
- Changes & Changes (1999)
- Philadelphia Spirit in New York, (2001) CIMP
- Nothing Is Wrong (2004)
- Two Dreams (2004)
- Locked & Loaded: Live at the Blue Note (2006) U.S. Jazz #24
- The Misled Children Meet Odean Pope (2008)
- Odean's List (2009) In+Out Records
- Odean's Three (2012) In+Out Records
As sideman
With Max Roach
- Pictures in a Frame (Soul Note, 1979)
- In the Light (Soul Note, 1982)
- It's Christmas Again (Soul Note, 1984)
- Easy Winners (Soul Note, 1985)
- Bright Moments (Soul Note, 1986)
- To the Max! (Enja, 1990–91)
References
- ↑ "Odean Pope Profile". All About Jazz. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ↑ Yanow, Scott. "Odean Pope Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- 1 2 Cahill, Greg (22 February 2001). "The Seeker: Saxman Odean Pope strives for the sacred". Northern California Bohemian. ISSN 1532-0154.
- ↑ John-Hall, Annette (18 March 2011). "Jazz great Pope tells of bipolar struggles". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
External links
- Official website
- Odean Pope discography at Discogs
- Odean Pope at the Internet Movie Database
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