John Handy

John Handy, an alto saxophonist celebrated for his skill and exploratory spirit, first took up the instrument in 1949 and has navigated multiple distinct stages across his career. Relocating to New York in 1958 placed him in an intense collaboration with Charles Mingus from 1958 to 1959, generating several fervent recordings that spotlighted his distinctive approach, alongside multiple leader dates for Roulette. From 1959 to 1964 Handy fronted his own groups and appeared with Mingus at the 1964 Monterey Jazz Festival, yet the next year’s edition brought him widespread recognition when his quintet—violinist Michael White and guitarist Jerry Hahn among its members—delivered expansive readings of two lengthy originals. Columbia soon signed him, yielding three superb albums widely viewed as his strongest output between 1966 and 1968. Thereafter he explored world music alongside Ali Akbar Khan, cut the R&B hit “Hard Work” for Impulse in 1976, worked and recorded with Mingus Dynasty, and in the late ’80s directed an ensemble called Class that featured three female violinists who sing. Unrelated to the Dixieland altoist Capt. John Handy, he remains a commanding soloist able to reach notes well above the horn’s conventional range without strain, even as he has largely stayed out of the spotlight while teaching in the San Francisco Bay Area.