Biography
Med Flory joined forces with Buddy Clark in 1972 to create a nonet built around five saxophones, usually joined by a trumpeter, whose sole purpose was to render Charlie Parker’s solos in harmonized arrangements. Studio dates for Capitol, MPS, and Columbia differed sharply from the band’s concerts by omitting any individual saxophone features, instead requiring the section to reproduce Bird’s improvisations—including the roller-coaster “Ko Ko”—note for note and with striking exactitude. After Clark departed in 1975, Flory kept the group active on an occasional basis across several decades, at times adding the L.A. Voices. Among the leading players who appeared with the ensemble over the years were Bill Perkins, Warne Marsh, Jay Migliori, Jack Nimitz, Lanny Morgan, trumpeter Conte Candoli, and trombonist Carl Fontana.
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