Cecil Payne
Cecil Payne (December 14, 1922 – November 27, 2007) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist born in Brooklyn, New York. Payne also played the alto saxophone and flute. He played with other prominent jazz musicians, in particular Dizzy Gillespie and Randy Weston, in addition to his solo work as bandleader.
Cecil Payne | |
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Payne at the Kitano Hotel Jazz Club, NYC on June 11, 2005 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Cecil Payne |
Born | December 14, 1922 |
Origin | Brooklyn, New York, United States |
Died | November 27, 2007 84) | (aged
Genres | Bebop Hard bop |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instruments | Baritone saxophone Alto saxophone Flute |
Labels | Delmark |
Associated acts | Dizzy Gillespie, Randy Weston |
Biography
Payne received his first saxophone at the age of 13, asking his father for one after hearing "Honeysuckle Rose" performed by Count Basie with Lester Young soloing. Payne took lessons from a local alto sax player, Pete Brown. He studied at Boys High School, Bedford-Stuyvesant.[1]
Payne began his professional recording career with J. J. Johnson on the Savoy label in 1946. During that year he also began playing with Roy Eldridge, through whom he met Dizzy Gillespie. His earlier recordings would largely fall under the swing category, until Gillespie hired him. Payne stayed on board until 1949, heard performing solos on "Ow!" and "Stay On It". In the early 1950s he found himself working with Tadd Dameron, and worked with Illinois Jacquet from 1952 to 1954. He then started freelance work in New York City and frequently performed during this period with Randy Weston, whom Payne worked with until 1960.[2] Payne was still recording regularly for Delmark Records in the 1990s, when he was in his seventies, and indeed on into the new millennium.
Payne was a cousin of trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, whom he recorded with briefly.[3] Aside from his career in music, Payne helped run his father's real estate company during the 1950s.[4] Payne once said that his parents urged him to consider dentistry as a career. He countered their suggestion by pointing out that no one would ever entrust his or her teeth to a "Dr. Payne".[5]
He died in Stratford, New Jersey of prostate cancer at the age of 84.[6]
Discography
As leader
- Block Buster Boogie and Angel Child (Decca, 1949)
- Hippy Dippy and No Chops (Decca, 1949)
- Patterns of Jazz (Savoy, 1957)
- Cecil Payne Performing Charlie Parker Music (Charlie Parker, 1961)
- The Connection (Charlie Parker, 1962)
- Brookfield Andante (Spotlite, 1966)
- Zodiac (Strata-East, 1968 [1973])
- Brooklyn Brothers (Muse, 1973) with Duke Jordan
- Bird Gets The Worm (Muse, 1976)
- Bright Moments (Spotlight, 1979)
- Cerupa (Delmark, 1993) with Eric Alexander, Harold Mabern and special guest Freddie Hubbard
- Scotch and Milk (Delmark, 1997)
- Payne's Window (Delmark, 1998)
- The Brooklyn Four Plus One (Progressive, 1999)
- Chic Boom: Live at the Jazz Showcase (Delmark, 2000) with tenor player Eric Alexander.
As sideman
With Cannonball Adderley
- Julian "Cannonball" Adderley" (EmArcy 1955)
With Gene Ammons
- Sock! (Prestige, 1955 [1965])
With Count Basie
- High Voltage (MPS, 1970)
With Nick Brignola
- Burn Brigade (Bee Hive, 1979)
With Kenny Burrell
- Kenny Burrell (Prestige, 1957)
With Jimmy Cleveland
- Introducing Jimmy Cleveland and His All Stars (EmArcy, 1955)
With Ray Charles
With Kenny Clarke and Ernie Wilkins
- Kenny Clarke & Ernie Wilkins (Savoy, 1955)
With John Coltrane
- Baritones and French Horns (Prestige, 1957)
- Dakar (Prestige, 1963)
With Tadd Dameron
- Cool Boppin´ (Fresh Sound, 1949)
- Fontainebleau (Prestige 1956)
With Kenny Dorham
- Afro-Cuban (Blue Note, 1955)
- Blue Spring (Riverside, 1959) - with Cannonball Adderley
With Matthew Gee
- Jazz by Gee (Riverside, 1956)
With Dizzy Gillespie
- The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (Bluebird, 1937-1949 [1995])
- Dizzy Gillespie and His Big Band recorded 1948 (GNP-23, 1957)
- Pleyel 48 (Vogue, 1948)
- The Dizzy Gillespie Reunion Big Band (MPS, 1968)
With Benny Golson
- Stockholm Sojourn (Prestige, 1974)
With Al Grey
- Struttin' and Shoutin' (Columbia, 1976 [1983])
With Gigi Gryce
- Doin' the Gigi (Uptown, 2011)
With Johnny Hammond
- The Prophet (Kudu, 1972)
With Ernie Henry
- Last Chorus (Riverside, 1956–57)
With Illinois Jacquet
- Groovin' with Jacquet (Clef, 1951-53 [1956])
- The Soul Explosion (Prestige, 1969)
With J. J. Johnson
- Jazz Quintets (Savoy, 1947–49)
With Philly Joe Jones Dameronia
- To Tadd with Love (Uptown, 1982)
- Look Stop Listen (Uptown, 1983)
With Quincy Jones
- Golden Boy (Mercury, 1964)
With Duke Jordan
- Duke Jordan Trio and Quintet (Signal, 1955)
With James Moody
- The Blues and Other Colors (Milestone, 1969)
With Archie Shepp
- Kwanza (Impulse!, 1974)
With Jimmy Smith
- Six Views of the Blues (Recorded July 16, 1958, released on Blue Note, 1999)
With Sonny Stitt
With Idrees Sulieman
- Roots (New Jazz, 1957) with the Prestige All Stars
With Clark Terry:
- Clark Terry (EmArcy, 1955)
With Leon Thomas
- Blues and the Soulful Truth (Flying Dutchman, 1972)
With Randy Weston
- With These Hands... (Riverside, 1956)
- Jazz à la Bohemia (Riverside, 1956)
- The Modern Art of Jazz by Randy Weston (Dawn, 1956)
- Uhuru Afrika (Roulette, 1960)
- Monterey '66 (Verve, 1966 [1994])
With Ernie Wilkins
- Septet (Savoy, 1955)
External links
References
- Randy Weston and Willard Jenkins, "African Rhythms: The Autobiography of Randy Weston," Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2010, 25.
- Gitler, Ira (2001). The Masters of Bebop: A Listener's Guide. Da Capo Press. pp. 40, 41. ISBN 0-306-81009-3.
- Yanow, Scott (2001). Trumpet Kings: The Players Who Shaped the Sound. Backbeat Books. p. 49. ISBN 0-87930-608-4.
- "Ibid"; Gitler, Ira
- Cecil Payne at the Up Over Jazz Cafe, Brooklyn, N.Y. 2000.
- https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/arts/music/06payne.html
- "Ray Charles - The Very Best Of Ray Charles". Discogs.