Guest ArtistsCharles McPherson, alto saxophone

Charles McPherson was born in Joplin, Missouri, and moved to Detroit at age nine. After growing up in Detroit, he studied with the renowned pianist Barry Harris and started playing jazz professionally at age 19. He moved from Detroit to New York in 1959 and performed with Charles Mingus from 1960 to 1972. While performing with Mingus, he collaborated frequently with Harris, Lonnie Hillyer (trumpet) and George Coleman (tenor sax).

Mr. McPherson has performed at concerts and festivals with his own variety of groups, consisting of quartets, quintets and full orchestras. He was recently featured at Lincoln Center, showcasing his original compositions and arrangements with a seven-piece ensemble. He has toured the U.S., Europe, Japan, Africa and South America with his own group, as well as with jazz greats Barry Harris, Billy Eckstine, Lionel Hampton, Nat Adderly, Jay McShann, Phil Woods, Wynton Marsalis, Tom Harrell, Randy Brecker, James Moody, Dizzy Gillespie and others.

Mr. McPherson has recorded as a guest artist with Charlie Mingus, Barry Harris, Art Farmer, Kenny Drew, Toshiko Akiyoshi, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. He has recorded as leader on the Prestige, Fantasy, Mainstream, Discovery, Xanadu labels, and most recently with Arabesque. His most recent recording is the highly acclaimed Manhattan Nocturne.

Mr. McPherson was also the featured alto saxophonist in the Clint Eastwood film Bird, a biography about Charlie Parker.

Mr. McPherson remains a strong, viable force on the jazz scene today. His playing combines passionate feeling with intricate patterns of improvisation. Throughout his five decades of being an integral performer of the music, Mr. McPherson has not merely remained true to his bebop origins, but has expanded on them. Stanley Crouch says in his recent New York Times article on McPherson, “He is a singular voice who has never sacrificed the fluidity of his melody making and is held in high esteem by musicians both long-seasoned and young.”

Charles McPherson is available internationally for concerts, festivals, and club dates as a soloist or with The Charles McPherson Group. He also offers clinics and master classes.