Biography
Born to a pianist who worked on staff at NBC, Pete Yellin has issued albums under his own name while also serving in Joe Henderson’s early-’70s ensemble. He delivers assured, occasionally exuberant saxophone lines across a wide compass and doubles credibly on flute. Yellin trained on saxophone under Joe Allard and studied flute with Harold Bennett, later earning a Juilliard degree after briefly entertaining dreams of basketball glory. Awarded an athletic scholarship to the University of Denver for his freshman year, he soon abandoned that path to become a full-time musician. Early gigs included stints with Lionel Hampton in the first half of the 1960s, followed by work alongside Buddy Rich and Tito Puente. In 1970 he entered Joe Henderson’s band, remaining through 1973; the following year he launched his own group and appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival in New York. He rejoined Puente in 1974 and spent the 1980s in the horn sections of both Rich and Bob Mintzer. His recordings appeared on the Mainstream label.
Albums
