Biography
Frank Strozier, an alto saxophonist of considerable skill who never achieved widespread fame, has consistently ranked among the finest hard bop players, delivering an intense tone that echoes Jackie McLean without copying it. Among the many strong jazz musicians who emerged from Memphis, he maintained connections with fellow Memphis natives after relocating to Chicago in 1954, among them Harold Mabern, Booker Little, and George Coleman. Between 1959 and 1960 he recorded with the MJT + 3 and also led dates for Vee Jay. After settling in New York he spent a short stretch in 1963 with the Miles Davis Quintet, occupying the interval between Hank Mobley and George Coleman, performed with Roy Haynes, and later moved to Los Angeles. While on the West Coast he collaborated with Chet Baker and Shelly Manne, most prominently joining the Don Ellis big band, where he delivered a notable solo on “K.C. Blues” from the album Autumn. Strozier came back to New York in 1971 and performed with the Jazz Contemporaries, the New York Jazz Repertory Company, Horace Parlan, and additional groups, yet continued to receive less attention than his work warranted. Discouraged by scarce opportunities, he briefly resurfaced playing piano, though the move produced few tangible results. Under his own name, the Vee Jay sessions, expanded with previously unissued material, later appeared on CD; the Jazzland recordings made in 1961–1962 have stayed unavailable, while further dates surfaced on Trident in 1972 and SteepleChase in 1976–1977.
Albums
