Greg Osby, recognized as a post-bop saxophonist, came into the world on April 3, 1960, in St. Louis. He performed with multiple R&B, funk, and blues ensembles during his teenage years before enrolling at Howard University. Following graduation from the Berklee School of Music, he made New York City his home and appeared as a sideman with Jack DeJohnette, Andrew Hill, Herbie Hancock, and Muhal Richard Abrams. Throughout the mid-'80s he also belonged to the acclaimed M-Base Collective alongside Steve Coleman, Geri Allen, Gary Thomas, and Cassandra Wilson.
Sound Theatre launched his solo career in 1987. He subsequently cut several albums for the JMT label and drew attention for his contributions to Hill’s 1989 recording Eternal Spirit and the follow-up But Not Farewell. With 1990’s Man-Talk for Moderns, Vol. X he delivered his first headlining date for Blue Note; later projects for the label, among them 1993’s 3-D Lifestyles and 1995’s Black Book, introduced a distinctive fusion of jazz and hip-hop. Art Forum, released in 1996, placed the saxophonist in an acoustic setting. Osby has continued to pursue new directions with each release, preserving the improvisational force of his concerts on 1999’s Banned in New York and reuniting with Hill and fellow elder statesman Jim Hill for the next year’s The Invisible Hand.
Symbols of Light (A Solution) appeared in 2001 as a varied effort that paired him with a string quartet, while the following year’s Inner Circle preserved earlier sessions highlighted by a standout reading of Bjork’s “All Neon Like.” He joined pianist Marc Copland for 2003’s Round and Round, and Blue Note issued St. Louis Shoes that same year. Channel Three, also on Blue Note, followed in 2005 and featured drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts together with bassist Matt Brewer. In 2008 Osby issued 9 Levels, his debut recording on the independently operated Inner Circle Music label.
