Andy McGhee (November 3, 1927 – October 12, 2017) was a tenor saxophonist and educator.

Career

McGhee graduated from

New England Conservatory The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. The conservatory is located on Huntington Avenue along Avenue of the Arts (Boston), the Avenue of the Arts near Boston Symphony Ha ...

in 1949 and worked for a short time with trumpeter

Roy Eldridge David Roy Eldridge (January 30, 1911 – February 26, 1989), nicknamed "Little Jazz", was an American jazz trumpeter. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, his virtuosic solos exhibiting a departure from ...

and starting in 1953, with local Boston musician Fat Man Robinson, an alto saxophonist and vocalist who performed in the "

jump blues Jump blues is an uptempo style of blues, jazz, and boogie woogie usually played by small groups and featuring horn instruments. It was popular in the 1940s and was a precursor of rhythm and blues and rock and roll. Appreciation of jump blues wa ...

" style of

Louis Jordan Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the King ...

and

Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (born Edward L. Vinson Jr.; December 18, 1917 – July 2, 1988) was an American jump blues, jazz, bebop and R&B alto saxophonist and blues shouter. He was nicknamed "Cleanhead" after an incident in which his hair was ...

. Robinson's quintet and septet lineups included Oscar Dunham on trumpet, Sam Rivers on tenor saxophone, Bill Tanner on bass, and Charlie Cox on piano. Briefly in 1952, trombonist J.C. Higginbotham was a member. The group recorded for the

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

, Regent, and Motif record labels and performed at the Knickerbocker Cafe, the Hi-Hat, and Wally's Paradise, among other venues in Boston. McGhee was quoted as saying, "Fat Man worked all the time. I was with him for four or five years with no time off at all." After marrying in 1950, he served in the Army in Korea and at

Fort Dix, New Jersey Fort Dix, the common name for the Army Support Activity (ASA) located at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst, is a United States Army post. It is located south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. Fort Dix is under the jurisdiction of the Air For ...

where he played in an Army band and gave lessons to other musicians. From 1957–1963 he worked in

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, and bandleader. He worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, an ...

's band, touring the United States, Europe, and the Far East. His composition "McGhee" can be found on ''The Many Sides of Lionel Hampton''. McGhee worked with

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roo ...

from 1963 to 1966. McGhee joined the faculty of

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

in 1966. Among his students were saxophonists Bill Pierce,

Javon Jackson Javon Anthony Jackson (born June 16, 1965) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist, bandleader, and educator. He first became known as a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers from 1987 until Blakey's death in 1990. and went on to release 22 recor ...

Donald Harrison Donald Harrison Jr. (born June 23, 1960) is an American jazz saxophonist and the Big Chief of The Congo Square Nation Afro-New Orleans Cultural Group from New Orleans, Louisiana. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Berklee College of M ...

Antonio Hart Antonio Hart (born September 30, 1968) is an American jazz alto saxophonist. He attended the Baltimore School for the Arts, studied with Andy McGhee at Berklee College of Music, and has a master's degree from Queens College, City University of ...

Sam Newsome Sam Newsome (born April 28, 1965) is an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and educator. His music combines straight-ahead jazz, world music (drawing influences from North Africa and East Asia) and experimental jazz, which uses extended techniqu ...

, Richie Cole,

Greg Osby Greg Osby (born August 3, 1960) is an American saxophonist and composer. Biography Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Osby studied at Howard University, then at the Berklee College of Music. He moved to New York City in 1982, where he played with Jak ...

, and

Ralph Moore Ralph Moore (born 24 December 1956) is an English jazz saxophonist. Early life Moore was born in Brixton, London, England. His mother was the dancer Josie Woods, and his father was in the US military. He spent his childhood in Brixton, and aft ...

. While devoting his time to teaching, McGhee wrote the instruction books ''Improvisation for Saxophone: The Scale/Mode Approach, Improvisation for Flute: The Scale/Mode Approach'' and ''Modal Studies for Saxophone''. On March 15, 1978, he performed with Lionel Hampton and the Lionel Hampton Alumni Band as part of the Boston Globe Jazz Festival. The band included

Bob Wilber Robert Sage Wilber (March 15, 1928 – August 4, 2019) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, and band leader. Although his scope covers a wide range of jazz, Wilber was a dedicated advocate of classic styles, working throughout his caree ...

, clarinet,

Ernie Wilkins Ernest Brooks Wilkins Jr. (July 20, 1922 – June 5, 1999) was an American jazz saxophonist, conductor and arranger who spent several years with Count Basie. He also wrote for Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, and Dizzy Gillespie. He was musical direct ...

, saxophones,

Teddy Wilson Theodore Shaw Wilson (November 24, 1912 – July 31, 1986) was an American jazz pianist. Described by critic Scott Yanow as "the definitive Swing music, swing pianist", Wilson's piano style was gentle, elegant, and virtuosic. His style was high ...

, piano,

Alan Dawson Alan Dawson (July 14, 1929 – February 23, 1996) was an American jazz drummer and percussion teacher based in Boston. Biography Dawson was born in Marietta, Pennsylvania and raised in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Serving in the U.S. Army durin ...

and Terri Lynne Carrington, drums and Hampton on vibraphone. The performance marked the 50th anniversary of the start of Lionel Hampton's career as a professional musician. In the early 1990s, McGhee toured with Lionel Hampton as member of the Golden Men of Jazz tour. The band featured

Harry "Sweets" Edison Harry "Sweets" Edison (October 10, 1915 – July 27, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and a member of the Count Basie Orchestra. His most important contribution was as a Hollywood studio musician, whose muted trumpet can be heard backi ...

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American Swing music, swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948� ...

Benny Bailey Ernest Harold "Benny" Bailey (August 13, 1925 – April 14, 2005) was an American jazz trumpeter. Biography A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Bailey briefly studied flute and piano before turning to trumpet. He attended the Cleveland Conserva ...

Al Grey Al Grey (June 6, 1925 – March 24, 2000) was an American jazz trombonist who was a member of the Count Basie orchestra. He was known for his plunger mute technique and wrote an instructional book in 1987 called ''Plunger Techniques''. Car ...

, and

Benny Golson Benny Golson (January 25, 1929 – September 21, 2024) was an American bebop and hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He came to prominence with the big bands of Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie, more as a writer than a p ...

. The Golden Men of Jazz played concerts throughout Europe and on returning to the United States played for President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

in Washington, D.C. In May 2006, McGhee was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from

Discography

As leader

* ''Could it Be'' (Mags, 1992)

As sideman

With

* ''Hamp's Big Band'' (Audio Fidelity, 1959) * ''Golden Vibes'' (Columbia, 1959) * ''The Many Sides of Hamp'' (Glad-Hamp, 1961) * ''The Exciting Hamp in Europe'' (Glad-Hamp, 1962) * ''Live!'' (Glad-Hamp 1979) With

* ''My Kind of Broadway'' (Columbia, 1964) * ''The Swinging Herman Herd-Recorded Live'' (Philips, 1964) * ''Woody's Winners'' (Columbia, 1965) * ''Woody's Big Band Goodies'' (Philips, 1965) * ''The Jazz Swinger'' (Columbia, 1966) * ''Woody Live East and West'' (Columbia, 1967) * ''Live in Antibes 1965'' (France's Concert, 1988)

Publications

* Improvisation for Saxophone: the scale/mode approach,

Berklee Berklee College of Music () is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level ...

Press Publications, 1974 (May 21, 2009), ISBN: 0-7935-5426-8 * Improvisation for Flute: the scale/mode approach, Berklee Press Publications, 1974 (May 21, 2009), ISBN: 1-4234-6740-X * Modal Studies for Saxophone: A Scale/Mode Approach, Berklee Press Publications, 1981, ASIN: B000F3PTOO

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McGhee, Andy 1927 births 2017 deaths American jazz tenor saxophonists American male saxophonists American music educators American male jazz musicians 20th-century American saxophonists People from Wilmington, North Carolina