Biography
For much of his adulthood, avant-garde saxophonist, pianist, and composer Giuseppi Logan remained an enigmatic presence. A self-taught musician, he first took up piano and drums at age 12 before turning to reeds. By 15 he was working professional gigs, the most conventional of which came with Earl Bostic, and he enrolled at the New England Conservatory. In 1964 he relocated to New York and immersed himself in the free jazz community. Logan, who performed on alto, bass clarinet, flute, tenor, piano, and Pakistani oboe, collaborated with Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders, and Bill Dixon before assembling his own quartet. That group, featuring a young Don Pullen alongside Eddie Gómez and Milford Graves, performed at the 1964 October Revolution in Jazz. He subsequently led another quartet that included pianist Dave Burrell and drummer Warren Smith. Logan also played in Byard Lancaster’s band and toured with Patty Waters. He cut two striking leader sessions for ESP, The Giuseppi Logan Quartet and More, and appeared as a sideman on recordings by Waters and Roswell Rudd. In the early 1970s Logan all but vanished from view. Struggles with substance abuse led him to abandon music; for more than two decades he lived homeless, in mental institutions, and in shelters. Early in the twenty-first century he achieved sobriety, secured low-wage employment, and began setting aside money for a new saxophone and stable housing. After receiving a lightly used trombone from a niece, he exchanged his savings and the horn for an alto saxophone and resumed practicing. He was rediscovered while performing a luminous version of “Begin the Beguine” during his daily routine of busking for tips in the northwest corner of Tompkins Square Park. Label head Josh Rosenthal of Tompkins Square Recordings quickly arranged a studio session with a working band that comprised Burrell, Smith, bassist Francois Grillot, and trumpeter/bass clarinetist Matt Lavelle. In September 2009 Logan recorded The Giuseppi Logan Quintet, issued in February 2010; he returned to performing concerts in and around New York City while maintaining his regular appearances in the park. Giuseppi Logan died on April 17, 2020, at age 84 from complications of the COVID-19 virus.
Albums
