Edward Fabian "Ed" Xiques, Jr. (born October 9, 1939 – December 4, 2020) 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 roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

saxophonist.

Early life and education

Xiques was born on

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

and raised in

Pelham Manor, New York Pelham Manor is an affluent village located in Westchester County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the village had a total population of 5,752. It is located in the town of Pelham. History The Bolton Priory, Edgewood House, an ...

. When he was nine years old, his father gave him a soprano saxophone, which he carried to school every day, wrapped in a blanket. Xiques received his bachelor's degree in music education from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

in 1962, where he played with

Jaki Byard John Arthur "Jaki" Byard (; June 15, 1922 – February 11, 1999) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger. Mainly a pianist, he also played tenor and alto saxophones, among several other instruments. He was known for h ...

and

Herb Pomeroy Irving Herbert Pomeroy III (April 15, 1930 – August 11, 2007) was an American jazz trumpeter, teacher, and the founder of the MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble. Early life Pomeroy was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, United States. He began playing ...

Career

After graduating from college, Xiques taught in New York schools for much of the 1960s, and played on the side with

Buddy Morrow Buddy Morrow (born Muni Zudekoff; February 8, 1919 – September 27, 2010), also known as Moe Zudekoff, was an American trombonist and bandleader. Career On a scholarship at age 16, Morrow studied trombone with Ernest Horatio Clarke (1865–194 ...

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and

Larry Elgart Lawrence Joseph Elgart (March 20, 1922 – August 29, 2017) was an American jazz bandleader. With his brother Les, he recorded " Bandstand Boogie", the theme to the long-running dance show ''American Bandstand''. Biography Elgart was born i ...

Duke Pearson Columbus Calvin "Duke" Pearson Jr. (August 17, 1932 – August 4, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer. ''Allmusic'' describes him as having a "big part in shaping the Blue Note label's hard bop direction in the 1960s as a record pro ...

, and

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 ...

. He worked full-time as a musician from 1968, playing extensively with the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra in the 1970s as well as with

Ten Wheel Drive Ten Wheel Drive was an American rock band which existed from 1968 to 1974. History In 1968, after the break-up of the all-female rock band Goldie and the Gingerbreads, Genya Ravan was looking for a new band, as were two New Jersey musicians and ...

, Frank Foster,

Bill Watrous William Russell Watrous III (June 8, 1939 – July 2, 2018) was an American jazz trombonist. He is perhaps best known for his rendition of Sammy Nestico's arrangement of the Johnny Mandel ballad "A Time for Love", which he recorded on a 1993 alb ...

' Manhattan Wildlife Refuge and

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet from 1960 to 1965, and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Masters, NEA J ...

. In the 1980s, he worked frequently with

Toshiko Akiyoshi is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. Akiyoshi received fourteen Grammy Award nominations and was the first woman to win Best Arranger and Composer awards in ''Down Beat'' magazine's annual Readers' Poll. In 1984, sh ...

and

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...

, and later was a member of the

Westchester Jazz Orchestra The Westchester Jazz Orchestra is a 16 piece concert jazz orchestra based in Westchester, New York currently conducted by jazz pianist and composer Mike Holober. The orchestra has been critically acclaimed by ''The New York Times'', ''Down Beat ...

, the

New York Jazz Repertory Company The New York Jazz Repertory Company was a jazz big band ensemble founded in 1974 by George Wein. Wein organized the group to play at the Newport Jazz Festival, which they did for several years. The group had a shifting lineup and had several musi ...

, Diana Moser's Composers Big Band, and the groups of

Mario Bauza Mario (; ) is a character created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the star of the '' Mario'' franchise, a recurring character in the '' Donkey Kong'' franchise, and the mascot of the Japanese video game company Nintend ...

and

Maria Schneider Maria Schneider may refer to: * Maria Schneider (politician) (born 1923), East German politician * Maria Schneider (actress) (1952–2011), French actress * Maria Schneider (musician) (born 1960), American musician and composer * Maria Schneider (ca ...

. From the late 1990s until his retirement in 2018, he taught music at

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...

Personal life

Xiques most recently lived in

Truth or Consequences, New Mexico Truth or Consequences (founded as Hot Springs) is a city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Sierra County. In 2020, the population was 6,052. It has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names for having chosen t ...

. He died December 4, 2020, in

Las Cruces, New Mexico Las Cruces (; ; lit. 'the crosses') is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico and the county seat, seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, Doña Ana County. As of the 2020 United States ce ...

Discography

* ''Spacewalk'' (Edex Records, 1994) * ''Little Bear'' (Edex Records, 1988). * '' Keep the Dream Alive'' (Prestige, 1978)

References

;Footnotes ;General references *

Barry Kernfeld Barry Dean Kernfeld (born August 11, 1950) is an American musicologist and jazz saxophonist who has researched and published extensively about the history of jazz and the biographies of its musicians. Education In 1968, Kernfeld enrolled at ...

, "Ed Xiques". '' The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz''. 2nd edition. {{DEFAULTSORT:Xiques, Ed 2020 deaths 1939 births American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists Jazz musicians from New York City Vassar College faculty 20th-century American saxophonists 21st-century American saxophonists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians Jazz baritone saxophonists American male jazz musicians Westchester Jazz Orchestra members People from Pelham Manor, New York Boston University alumni People from Truth or Consequences, New Mexico People from Las Cruces, New Mexico Musicians from New Mexico Jazz musicians from New Mexico