Curtis Edward Amy

Curtis Amy (Curtis Edward Amy) is a saxophonist tenor, soprano, viola, a clarinettist and Flûtiste American, born with Houston with the Texas the December 11th 1929.

From mother pianist, it receives an early musical initiation (clarinet at the school, then direction of big bands schoolboys of 1950 & 1952).

In 1955, with Los Angeles. He plays in orchestras of rhythm and blues, records under his name regularly since 1961, and takes part in some recordings in full orchestra (with Gerald Wilson, Jack Wilson, Lou Rawls) more than in combos. He worked as freelance instrumentalist (in particular with Dizzy Gillespie, at Roy Ayers, Johnny Almond and Amos Easton).

He uses especially the tenor, with a sonority slightly “growlée” and “dirty” (voluntarily dirty, impure) with a will expressionnist imitated of Gene Mercies and Sony Stitt, then later, of John Coltrane: typical example of “hairy tenor”.

Since end of the year 60, it seems to have given up the musical career, if one excludes a disc in 1974. It again recorded in 1994 with Steve Huffsteter (trumpet), Bob McChesney (trombone), Donn Wyatt or Frank Strazzeri with the piano, John B. Williams with low, Leon Ndugu Chancler with the battery. He died the June 5th 2002 with Los Angeles.

Personal discography

The blues message (1960) (Pacific Jazz)
This is the blues (1960) (Kimberly)
Groovin' blue (1961) (Pacific Jazz)
Meetin' young stag (1961) (Pacific Jazz)
Way down (1962) (Pacific Jazz)
Katanga! (1963) (Pacific Jazz)
Tippin' one through (1963) (Pacific Jazz)
Sounds off Hollywood (1965) (Palomar)
Mustang (1967) (Liveliness)
Piece for coils (1994) Fresh Sound)

Random links: