Curtis Amy
Encyclopedia
Curtis Amy was an American
West Coast jazz
musician known for his work on tenor saxophone
. He also explored many mediums, including soul jazz
and hard bop
.
. He learned how to play clarinet
before joining the Army, and during his time in service, picked up the tenor saxophone. After his discharge, he attended and graduated from Kentucky State College. He worked as an educator in Tennessee while playing in midwestern jazz
clubs. In the mid-1950s he relocated to Los Angeles
and signed with Pacific Jazz Records
, often playing with organist Paul Bryant. In the mid-60s he spent three years as musical director of Ray Charles
' orchestra, together with his wife, Merry Clayton
and Steve Huffsteter.
As well as leading his own bands and recording albums under his own name, Amy also did session work and played the solos on several recordings, including The Doors
song "Touch Me"
, Carole King
's Tapestry, and Lou Rawls
' first albums, Black and Blue and Tobacco Road, coinciding with Dexter Gordon
in the Onzy Matthews big band, as well as working with Marvin Gaye
, Tammy Terrell and Smokey Robinson
.
Up until his death he was married to singer and recording artist Merry Clayton
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
West Coast jazz
West coast jazz
West Coast jazz refers to various styles of jazz music that developed around Los Angeles and San Francisco during the 1950s. West Coast jazz is often seen as a sub-genre of cool jazz, which featured a less frenetic, calmer style than bebop or hard bop. The music tended to be more heavily arranged,...
musician known for his work on tenor saxophone
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
. He also explored many mediums, including soul jazz
Soul jazz
Soul jazz is a development of jazz incorporating strong influences from blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues in music for small groups, often an organ trio featuring a Hammond organ.- Overview :Soul jazz is often associated with hard bop. Mark C...
and hard bop
Hard bop
Hard bop is a style of jazz that is an extension of bebop music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz which incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano...
.
Biography
Amy was born in Houston, TexasHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. He learned how to play clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
before joining the Army, and during his time in service, picked up the tenor saxophone. After his discharge, he attended and graduated from Kentucky State College. He worked as an educator in Tennessee while playing in midwestern jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
clubs. In the mid-1950s he relocated to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and signed with Pacific Jazz Records
Pacific Jazz Records
Pacific Jazz Records was a Los Angeles-based record label best known for releasing cool jazz or West coast jazz. It was founded by Richard Bock and drummer Roy Harte in 1952....
, often playing with organist Paul Bryant. In the mid-60s he spent three years as musical director of Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
' orchestra, together with his wife, Merry Clayton
Merry Clayton
Merry Clayton is an American soul and gospel singer , and an actress...
and Steve Huffsteter.
As well as leading his own bands and recording albums under his own name, Amy also did session work and played the solos on several recordings, including The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
song "Touch Me"
Touch Me (The Doors song)
"Touch Me" is a song by The Doors from their album The Soft Parade. Written by Robby Krieger, its riff was influenced by The Four Seasons' "C'mon Marianne." It is notable for its extensive usage of brass and string instruments to accent Jim Morrison's vocals...
, Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
's Tapestry, and Lou Rawls
Lou Rawls
Louis Allen "Lou" Rawls was an American soul, jazz, and blues singer. He was known for his smooth vocal style: Frank Sinatra once said that Rawls had "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game"...
' first albums, Black and Blue and Tobacco Road, coinciding with Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and an Academy Award-nominated actor . He is regarded as one of the first and most important musicians to adapt the bebop musical language of people like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell to the tenor saxophone...
in the Onzy Matthews big band, as well as working with Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, Tammy Terrell and Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
.
Up until his death he was married to singer and recording artist Merry Clayton
Merry Clayton
Merry Clayton is an American soul and gospel singer , and an actress...
.
Discography
- 1960: The Blues Message aka This Is The Blues (Kimberly) - with Paul Bryant
- 1961: Groovin' Blue (Pacific Jazz) - with Frank Butler
- 1961: Meetin' Here (Pacific Jazz) - with Bryant
- 1962: Way Down (Pacific Jazz) - with Victor FeldmanVictor FeldmanVictor Stanley Feldman was a British jazz musician, best known as a pianist.-Early history:...
- 1962: Tippin' on Through - Recorded "Live" at The Lighthouse (Pacific Jazz )
- 1963: Katanga! (Pacific Jazz) - with Dupree BoltonDuPree BoltonDupree Bolton was a bop jazz trumpeter from Oklahoma City, OK, probably best known for his obscure recordings with Harold Land and Curtis Amy.- Discography :*1959: The Fox - Harold Land...
and guitarist Ray Crawford, pianist Jack WilsonJack Wilson (jazz pianist)Jack Wilson was an American jazz pianist and composer.-Early life:Wilson was born in Chicago on August 3, 1936, moving to Fort Wayne, Indiana at age seven. From 1949-54, he studied piano with Carl Atkinson at the Fort Wayne College of Music...
, bassist Victor GaskinVictor GaskinRoderick Victor Gaskin, born The Bronx, New York, November 23, 1934 is a jazz bassist.Gaskin moved to Los Angeles in 1962 and started playing with Paul Horn and Red Mitchell before going on to become one of many bass players for the Jazz Crusaders...
, and drummer Doug Sides - 1965: The Sounds of Broadway / the Sounds of Hollywood (Palomar)
- 1966: Mustang (Verve)
- 1971: Tapestry - Carole KingCarole KingCarole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
- 1994: Peace for love (Fresh Sound)