Biography
Med Flory balanced a lucrative path in music with equally fruitful work as a screenwriter and performer in television and motion pictures. His approach to alto saxophone and clarinet drew from the foundational bebop idiom, above all the example of Charlie Parker, yet he avoided direct imitation while letting his tone, phrasing, and overall conception reveal deep admiration for that source. In the 1950s he performed on clarinet and alto alongside Claude Thornhill and later switched to tenor for Woody Herman. After assembling his own ensemble in New York during 1954, he relocated to the West Coast two years afterward and assembled a large group that appeared at the first Monterey Jazz Festival in 1958. Throughout the closing years of the decade and into the early 1960s he worked with both the nonet and full orchestra led by Terry Gibbs, documenting those associations on record while also joining Art Pepper and Herman (now on baritone) for additional sessions. Acting opportunities expanded during the 1960s, leading to numerous television and film roles; Flory simultaneously contributed screenplays and curtailed his performance schedule. On the dates with Pepper the saxophone section interpreted written versions of Parker solos, a project Flory and Joe Maini advanced by transcribing the improvisations until Maini’s death in 1964 halted the effort. Renewed interest from Buddy Clark prompted Flory to resume the transcriptions and, with Clark, to establish a dedicated ensemble for the repertoire. Supersax commenced operations in 1972 and received a Grammy for its first album the following year. After Clark’s departure in 1975, Flory assumed sole leadership and sustained the group through the 1980s while continuing to pursue writing and acting assignments. As a leader he recorded for Jubilee and World Pacific; with Supersax he appeared on releases from Capitol, MPS, and Columbia. He passed away in March 2014 at age 87.