 | Charles Greenlee with Archie Shepp - Steam
Tags: Archie, Charles, Greenlee, jazz, Shepp
Description:
Charles Greenlee with Archie Shepp featuring Joe Lee Wilson on vocals.
Taken from the album I Know About The Life - The Musical Genius Of Charles "Majeed" Greenlee.
"In his long career, this trombonist staked out perimeters in both the politically charged free jazz of the '60s and '70s with the likes of Archie Shepp and the commercial showbiz stylings of conventional bandleader Maynard Ferguson. Charles Greenlee converted to the Muslim religion in the '40s, changing his name to Harneefan Majeed, yet there do not seem to be any recording credits that utilize the trombonist's full Muslim name, later dropped along with the religion itself. Much more common is the insertion of his Muslim first name in the middle of his original name as a kind of nickname, Charles "Majeed" Greenlee, as well as the half-and-half combination of Majeed Greenlee.He started playing music in an American Legion drum and bugle ensemble and studied the triumvirate of mellophone, drums, and baritone horn while still a child. Coming out of the local band scene in Detroit, Greenlee began gigging with various bandleaders during the '40s, including the vibrant Lucky Millinder and the creative Benny Carter. During the second half of the '40s he became heavily associated with bebop maestro Dizzy Gillespie, joining the latter's band in 1946 and then returning for a two-year stretch beginning in 1949. The trombonist also led his own groups during this period, utilizing excellent players including saxophonist Frank Foster and pianist Tommy Flanagan. Hard bop was the style Greenlee was immersed in during the outset of his Muslim years, one of his best foils the superior tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons. From 1951 through 1957 he basically dropped out of the music scene, returning in the groups of Yusef Lateef in 1957 and Maynard Ferguson in 1959, respectively. From the Ammons and Lateef associations it was a small stretch and a few loud squeaks to the realm of the aforementioned Shepp as well as the marvelous Rahsaan Roland Kirk, both of whom tended to keep a trombonist in their front lines. As the music got wilder, Greenlee was often one of the characters adding bits of melodic grounding to the on-stage play, at times allowing listeners moments of relief just by keeping his solos simple and to the point. His recorded compositions include the suite in three parts entitled "Zaid." An important part of this artist's legacy is having appeared on two of the best big-band recordings in the history of avant-garde jazz, John Coltrane's Africa Brass and Sam Rivers' Crystals."
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:hnftxqq5ld6e~T1
More Greenlee:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DniiZV75N30
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdH26c8eYVI
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