Gary Bartz

• Name — Gary Bartz • Born — 26 September 1940 • Birthplace — Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. • Genre — Jazz, jazz fusion, bebop, hard bop, free jazz, spiritual jazz, soul jazz, jazz-funk, acid jazz • Occupation — Musician, composer, bandleader, educator • Instrument — Alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, keyboards, vocals, percussion • Years Active — 1960s–present • Label — Milestone, Prestige, P-Vine, SteepleChase, Candid, Atlantic, Blue Note, Mapleshade

• Illustration — Bartz at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Santa Cruz, California, July 2017 Bartz was first exposed to jazz as the son of the owners of a jazz nightclub in Baltimore. In 1958 he left Baltimore to study at the Juilliard School. In the early 1960s, he performed with Eric Dolphy and McCoy Tyner in Charles Mingus' Jazz Workshop. He worked as a sideman with Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln before joining Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. In 1968, he was a member of McCoy Tyner's band, Expansions. In mid-1970, he joined Miles Davis' band, performing live at the Isle Of Wight festival in August; and at a series of December dates at The Cellar Door club in Washington, D.C. Portions of these shows were initially released on the 1971 Live-Evil album, with the entire six performance/four night run eventually released in full on the 2005 Cellar Door Sessions box set. He later formed the band Ntu Troop, which combined jazz, funk, and soul. Bartz was awarded a Grammy for "Best Latin Jazz Performance" for his work on Roy Hargrove's "Habana" at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards, and for "Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group" for For McCoy Tyner's Illuminations at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards. Bartz was awarded the BNY Mellon Jazz 2015 Living Legacy Award, which was presented at a special ceremony at The Kennedy Center. In 2019, Revive Music and Bartz celebrated the 50th Anniversary of his Another Earth album at Winter Jazzfest in New York City, alongside original member Pharoah Sanders. He is Professor of Jazz Saxophone at Oberlin College.

• Recording date — Album title — Label — Year released — Notes / Personnel • 1967–05, 1967–06 — Libra — Milestone — 1968 — Quintet: with Jimmy Owens, Albert Daily, Richard Davis, Billy Higgins • 1968–06 — Another Earth — Milestone — 1969 — With Charles Tolliver, Pharoah Sanders, Stanley Cowell, Reggie Workman, Freddie Waits • 1969 — Home! — Milestone — 1970 — Live. NTU Troop: with Woody Shaw, Albert Dailey, Bob Cunningham, Rashied Ali. • 1970–11 — Harlem Bush Music – Taifa — Milestone — 1971 — NTU Troop: with Nat Bettis, Andy Bey, Harold White. Compilation in 1997. • 1971–01- — Harlem Bush Music – Uhuru — Milestone — 1971 — NTU Troop: with Nat Bettis, Andy Bey, Ron Carter, Juini Booth. Compilation in 1997. • 1972–10 — Juju Street Songs — Prestige — 1972 — NTU Troop: with Stafford James, Harvey Mason • 1972–10, 1973–06 — Follow the Medicine Man — Prestige — 1973 — NTU Troop: with Hector Centeno, Hubert Eaves III, Andy Bey • 1973–07 — I've Known Rivers and Other Bodies — Prestige — 1973 — NTU Troop: with Stafford James, Howard King • 1973–07 — Altissimo — Philips — 1973 — With Charlie Mariano, Jackie McLean, Lee Konitz, Joachim Kühn, Han Bennink, Palle Danielsson • 1973–11, 1974–02 — Singerella: A Ghetto Fairy Tale — Prestige — 1974 — NTU Troop: with Hector Centeno, Howard King, Hubert Eaves III, James Benjamin, Kenneth Nash, Maynard Parker • 1975? — The Shadow Do! — Prestige — 1975 — With Hubert Eaves III, Michael Henderson, Reggie Lucas, James Mtume, Howard King • 1976? — Juju Man — Catalyst — 1976 — With Curtis Robertson, Howard King, Charles Mims, Syreeta • 1977 — Love Song — Vee-Jay — 1977 — With George Cables, Curtis Robinson, Howard King, Rita Greene • 1977 — Music Is My Sanctuary — Capitol — 1977 — With Syreeta Wright, Mizell Brothers • 1978? — Love Affair — Capitol — 1978 — With Wah Wah Watson, Dorothy Ashby, Welton Gite, Bill Summers, George Cables, Wade Marcus • 1980? — Bartz — Arista — 1980 — With Howard King, Hubert Eaves III • 1988–04 — Monsoon — SteepleChase — 1988 — Quartet: with Butch Lacy, Billy Hart, Clint Houston • 1988–11 — Reflections of Monk: The Final Frontier — SteepleChase — 1989 — With Bob Butta, Geoff Harper, Billy Hart, Eddie Henderson • 1990–03 — West 42nd Street — Candid — 1990 — Live. Quintet: with Claudio Roditi, John Hicks, Ray Drummond, Al Foster. • 1990–11 — There Goes the Neighborhood! — Candid — 1991 — Live. With Kenny Barron, Ray Drummond, Ben Riley. • 1991–06 — Shadows — Timeless — 1992 — With Benny Green, Christian McBride, Victor Lewis, Willie Williams • 1993–06 — Alto Memories — Verve — 1994 — Co-led with Sonny Fortune. Also with Kenny Barron, Buster Williams, Jack DeJohnette. • 1994–01 — Episode One: Children of Harlem — Challenge — 1994 — With Larry Willis, Ben Riley, Buster Williams • 1994–09 — The Red and Orange Poems — Atlantic — 1994 — Dave Holland, Mulgrew Miller, Eddie Henderson • 1996? — The Blues Chronicles: Tales of Life — Atlantic — 1996 — With Tom Williams, George Colligan, James King, Greg Bandy, Jon Hendricks, Cyrus Chestnut, Russell Malone, Dennis Chambers • 1998–05 — Live @ the Jazz Standard, Vol. 1: Soulstice — OYO Recordings — 1999 — Live. With Barney McAll, Greg Bandy, Kenny Davis. • 1999–10 — The Montreal Concert — DSM — 2001 — Live. Co-led with Peter Leitch. • 2003–10 — Continuum Act One — Space Time — 2004 — With Jean Toussaint, Bill Mobley, Donald Brown, Essiet Essiet, Billy Kilson, Anga Diaz. Includes one live track. • 2005? — Soprano Stories — OYO Recordings — 2005 — With James King, Greg Bandy, George Cables, John Hicks • 2000–05, 2000–11, 2008–06, 2008–07 — Coltrane Rules: Tao of a Music Warrior — OYO Recordings — 2011 — With Barney McAll, Greg Bandy, James King • 2019 — Night Dreamer Direct-to-Disc Sessions — Night Dreamer — 2020 — With Maisha • 3-7 June 2023 — Where Rivers Meet — Brownswood Recordings — 2026 — With Your Brother's Keeper

With Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers • Soul Finger (Limelight, 1965) – Bartz recording debut • Hold On, I'm Coming (Limelight, 1966) – on one track left over from Soul Finger sessions With Donald Byrd • Stepping into Tomorrow (Blue Note, 1975) – rec. 1974 • Caricatures (Blue Note, 1976) With George Cables • Shared Secrets (MuseFX, 2001) • Looking for the Light (MuseFX, 2003) With Norman Connors • Slewfoot (Buddah, 1974) • Love from the Sun (Buddah, 1974) • Saturday Night Special (Buddah, 1975) • Dance of Magic: Live at the Nemu Jazz Inn (Cobblestone, 1975) • Romantic Journey (Buddah, 1977) • This is Your Life (Arista, 1977) • Invitation (Arista, 1979) With Miles Davis • Live-Evil (Columbia, 1971) – rec. 1970 • The Cellar Door Sessions (Columbia, 2005)[6CD] – rec. 1970 • Bitches Brew Live (Columbia, 2011) – live rec. 1970 • Miles Davis at Newport 1955–1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4 (Columbia, 2015) – live rec. 1971 With Roy Hargrove • Of Kindred Souls: The Roy Hargrove Quintet Live (Novus, 1993) • Roy Hargrove's Crisol, Habana (Verve, 1997) – Latin Jazz Grammy Winner With Heads of State • Search for Peace (Smoke Sessions, 2015) • Four in One (Smoke Sessions, 2017) With Phyllis Hyman • Phyllis Hyman (Buddah, 1977) • You Know How to Love Me (Arista, 1979) • Can't We Fall in Love Again? (Arista, 1981) With Barney McAll • Release the Day (Transparent Music, 2000) • Precious Energy (Extra Celestial Arts, 2022) • Precious Energy Re-UP (Extra Celestial Arts, 2023) With Woody Shaw • Blackstone Legacy (Contemporary, 1970) • For Sure! (Columbia, 1979) • United (Columbia, 1981) With Malachi Thompson • Rising Daystar (Delmark, 1999) • Blue Jazz (Delmark, 2003) With McCoy Tyner • Expansions (Blue Note, 1970) – rec. 1978 • Extensions (Blue Note, 1973) – rec. 1970 • Asante (Blue Note, 1974) – rec. 1970 • Sama Layuca (Milestone, 1974) • Cosmos (Blue Note, 1976) – rec. 1968–1970 • Focal Point (Milestone, 1976) • Looking Out (Milestone, 1982) • Dimensions (Elektra/Musician, 1984) – rec. 1983 • McCoy Tyner and the Latin All-Stars (Telarc, 1999) – rec. 1998 • Illuminations (Telarc, 2004) – rec. 2003 With others • The Rance Allen Group, Say My Friend (1977) • Gene Ammons, Goodbye (Prestige, 1974) • Roy Ayers, Stoned Soul Picnic (Atlantic, 1968) • Cindy Blackman, The Oracle (Muse, 1995) • Donald Brown, Sources of Inspiration (Muse, 1989) • Kenny Burrell, Ellington Is Forever Volume Two (Fantasy, 1977) • Joe Chambers, Urban Grooves (Eighty-eight's, 2002) • Ray Drummond, Vignettes (Arabesque, 1996) • Antonio Hart, Don't You Know That I Care (1992) • Louis Hayes, The Crawl (Candid, 1989) • John Lee & Gerry Brown, Infinite Jones (Keytone, 1974) • Jackie McLean, Ode to Super (SteepleChase, 1973) • Grachan Moncur III, Exploration (Capri, 2004) • Alphonse Mouzon, Virtue (MPS, 1977) • Rare Silk, New Weave (Polydor, 1984) • Max Roach, Members, Don't Git Weary (Atlantic, 1968) • Wallace Roney, A Place in Time (HighNote, 2016) • Pharoah Sanders, Deaf Dumb Blind (Summun Bukmun Umyun) (Impulse!, 1970) • Sphere, Sphere (Verve, 1998) • Bob Thiele Collective, Lion Hearted (Red Baron, 1993) • Leon Thomas, Precious Energy (Mapleshade, 1990) • Charles Tolliver, Charles Tolliver and his All Stars (Black Lion, 1971) • Robert Walter, Spirit of '70 (Greyboy, 1996) • Chip White, Harlem Sunset (Postcards, 1994) • Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammed, The Midnight Hour (Linear Labs, 2018)