Harold Vick (April 3, 1936 – November 13, 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 roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
saxophonist and flautist.
Biography
Harold Vick was born on April 3, 1936, in
Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Rocky Mount is a city in Nash and Edgecombe counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The city's population was 54,341 as of the 2020 census, making it the 20th-most populous city in North Carolina. The city is east of Raleigh, the st ...
. At the age of 13, he was given a clarinet by his uncle,
Prince Robinson,
[Barry Kernfeld (ed.)(2002): ''The New Grove dictionary of Jazz''. London: Macmillan Publishers Limited. 2nd ed, Vol 3, p. 843.] a clarinet and tenor saxophone player who had been a member of
McKinney's Cotton Pickers
McKinney's Cotton Pickers were an American jazz band, founded in Detroit, Michigan, United States in 1926, and led by Bill McKinney (drummer), Bill McKinney, who expanded his Synco Septet to ten players. Cuba Austin took over for McKinney on drum ...
.
[Sarah Bryan, Beverly Patterson (2013). ''African American Music Trails of Eastern North Carolina''. Chapel Hill, NC: UNC Press Books, p. 112.] Three years later he took up the tenor saxophone, and soon began playing in
R&B bands.
He continued to perform, still largely with R&B bands, while studying psychology at
Howard University
Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...
.
Recordings as leader
''
Steppin' Out!'', Vick's first album as a leader, was recorded for
Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by History of the Jews in Germany, German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it deriv ...
in 1963.
After a 1965 performance at
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...
with
Donald Byrd
Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter, composer and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few h ...
, Vick secured a contract for further albums as leader,
and from 1966 to 1974, he had further recording sessions for the
RCA
RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...
,
Muse
In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...
, and
Strata-East labels.
Work as sideman
Vick worked as a sideman with
Jack McDuff
Eugene McDuffy (September 17, 1926 – January 23, 2001), known professionally as "Brother" Jack McDuff or "Captain" Jack McDuff, was an American jazz organist and organ trio bandleader. He was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz ...
from 1960 to 1964, and also with other organists such as
Jimmy McGriff
James Harrell McGriff (April 3, 1936 – May 24, 2008) was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader.
Biography Early years and influences
Born in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, McGriff started playing pia ...
,
Big John Patton, and
Larry Young. For the rest of the 1960s, he played on and off with
Walter Bishop Jr., and also worked with
Philly Joe Jones
Joseph Rudolph "Philly Joe" Jones (July 15, 1923 – August 30, 1985) was an American Jazz drumming, jazz drummer.
Biography Early career
As a child, Jones appeared as a featured tap dancer on ''The Kiddie Show'' on the Philadelphia radio stat ...
,
Howard McGhee
Howard McGhee (March 6, 1918 – July 17, 1987) was one of the first American bebop jazz trumpeters, with Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro and Idrees Sulieman. He was known for his fast fingering and high notes. He had an influence on younger bebo ...
, Donald Byrd, and
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...
. He also appeared with
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...
at the 1968
Newport Jazz Festival
The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hire ...
.
Vick then worked for around 5 years with
soul
The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
artists, from 1969 to 1970 with
King Curtis
Curtis Montgomery (February 7, 1934 – August 13, 1971), known professionally as King Curtis, was an American saxophonist who played rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock and roll. A bandleader, band member, and session musician, he was also a musi ...
, and from 1970 to 1974 with
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...
. He played in
Jack DeJohnette
Jack DeJohnette (born August 9, 1942) is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer.
Known for his extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians including Charles Lloyd (jazz musician), Charles Lloyd, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, B ...
's
jazz-rock
Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music Music genre, genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, a ...
band
Compost
Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by Decomposition, decomposing plant and food waste, recycling organic materials, and man ...
from 1971 to 1973,
recording with them in 1972.
After a heart attack in the mid-1970s, Vick largely returned to
soul jazz
Soul jazz or funky jazz is a subgenre of jazz that incorporates strong influences from hard bop, blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues. Soul jazz is often characterized by organ trios featuring the Hammond organ and small combos including sa ...
, working with
Shirley Scott
Shirley Scott (March 14, 1934 – March 10, 2002) was an American jazz organist. Her music was noted for its mixture of bebop, blues, and gospel elements. She was known by the nickname "Queen of the Organ".
Life and career
Scott was born in P ...
from 1974 to 1976 and with Jimmy McGriff from 1980 to 1981. At the same time he continued to work as a freelance jazz musician and session musician.
As late as 1987 he performed on two
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...
tribute albums by
Abbey Lincoln
Anna Marie Wooldridge (August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010), known professionally as Abbey Lincoln, was an American jazz vocalist and songwriter. She was a civil rights activist beginning in the 1960s. Lincoln made a career out of delivering dee ...
.
He also played with
Nat Adderley
Nathaniel Carlyle Adderley (November 25, 1931 – January 2, 2000) 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. It ...
,
Mercer Ellington
Mercer Kennedy Ellington (March 11, 1919 – February 8, 1996) was an American musician, composer, and arranger. His father was Duke Ellington, whose band Mercer led for 20 years after his father's death.
Biography Early life and education
Elli ...
,
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan (, March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer and pianist. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "List of nicknames of jazz musicians, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, ...
,
Billy Taylor
Billy Taylor (July 24, 1921 – December 28, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator. He was the Robert L. Jones Distinguished Professor of Music at East Carolina University in Greenville, and from 1994 was the a ...
,
Horace Silver
Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer in the 1950s.
After playing tenor saxophone and piano at sch ...
, and
Gene Ammons
Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as "The Boss", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and R ...
.
Film and theatre
During the 1960s, Vick worked as a member of the house band at the
Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater (formerly the Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre; also Apollo Theatre or 125th Street Apollo Theatre) is a multi-use Theater (structure), theater at 253 125th Street (Manhattan), West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of U ...
, and in 1969 he toured Europe with the
Negro Ensemble Company
The Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) is a New York City-based theater company and workshop established in 1967 by producer-actor Robert Hooks, playwright Douglas Turner Ward, and theater manager Gerald S. Krone, with funding from the Ford Foundatio ...
.
He also played for a number of stage productions during the 1980s.
He appeared in the films ''
Stardust Memories
''Stardust Memories'' is a 1980 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen, who stars alongside Charlotte Rampling, Jessica Harper, Marie-Christine Barrault, and Tony Roberts. Sharon Stone has a brief role, in her film de ...
'' (1981) and ''
The Cotton Club'' (1984), in which he played a musician. He was also cast for the
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary ...
film ''
School Daze
''School Daze'' is a 1988 American musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Spike Lee and starring Lee along with Laurence Fishburne (credited as Larry Fishburne), Giancarlo Esposito, and Tisha Campbell. Released on February 12, 19 ...
'' (1988), and undertook work for the soundtracks for a number of other films.
Death
Vick died at his Manhattan home of another heart attack
on November 13, 1987.
He was memorialized in the tune "Did You See Harold Vick?", which
Sonny Rollins
Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American retired jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians.
In a seven-decade career, Rollins recorded over sixt ...
wrote and featured on his album ''
This Is What I Do'' (2000).
[Graybow, Steve (2000)]
Jazz Blue Notes
''Billboard'' November 11, 2000, p. 43
Discography
As leader
*1963: ''
Steppin' Out!'' (
Blue Note
Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue no ...
)
*1966: ''
The Caribbean Suite'' (
RCA Victor
RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...
)
*1966: ''
Straight Up
Various unique terms are used in bartending.
Definitions and usage
Straight, up, and straight up
In bartending, the terms "straight up" and "up" ordinarily refer to an alcoholic drink that is shaken or stirred with ice and then strained and ...
'' (RCA Victor)
*1967: ''
Commitment'' (
Muse
In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...
), released 1974
*1967: ''
Watch What Happens'' (RCA Victor)
*1973: ''
The Power of Feeling'' (
Encounter Records, released under the name "Sir Edward")
*1974: ''
Don't Look Back'' (
Strata-East)
*1977: ''
After the Dance'' (
Wolf
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, includin ...
)
As sideman
With
Walter Bishop Jr.
*''
Coral Keys'' (Black Jazz, 1971)
With
Compost
Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by Decomposition, decomposing plant and food waste, recycling organic materials, and man ...
*''
Compost
Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by Decomposition, decomposing plant and food waste, recycling organic materials, and man ...
'' (Columbia, 1972)
*''Life Is Round'' (Columbia, 1973)
With
Joe Chambers
Joe Chambers (born June 25, 1942) is an American jazz drummer, pianist, vibraphonist and composer. In the 1960s and 1970s, Chambers gigged with many high-profile artists such as Eric Dolphy, Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter, and Chick Corea an ...
*''
The Almoravid'' (Muse, 1974)
With
Grant Green
Grant Green (June 6, 1935 – January 31, 1979) was an American jazz guitarist and composer.
Green has been called one of the "most sampled guitarists."
Biography
Grant Green was born on June 6, 1935, in St. Louis, Missouri, to John and ...
*''
His Majesty King Funk'' (Verve, 1965)
*''
The Final Comedown
''The Final Comedown'' is a 1972 blaxploitation drama film written, produced and directed by Oscar Williams and starring Billy Dee Williams and D'Urville Martin. The film is an examination of racism in the United States and depicts a shootout b ...
'' (Blue Note, 1971)
With
Richard "Groove" Holmes
*''
Soul Mist!'' (Prestige, 1966
el. 1970
With
Sam Jones
*''
Something New'' (Interplay, 1979)
With
Mike Longo
Michael Josef Longo (March 19, 1937 – March 22, 2020) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and author.
Early life
Longo was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to parents who had a musical background. His father played bass, his mother played organ at c ...
*''
Talk with the Spirits'' (Pablo, 1976)
With
Les McCann
Leslie Coleman McCann (September 23, 1935 – December 29, 2023) was an American jazz pianist and vocalist. He is known for his innovations in soul jazz and his Swiss Movement, 1969 recording of the protest song "Compared to What". His music ha ...
*''
Another Beginning'' (Atlantic, 1974)
With
Jack McDuff
Eugene McDuffy (September 17, 1926 – January 23, 2001), known professionally as "Brother" Jack McDuff or "Captain" Jack McDuff, was an American jazz organist and organ trio bandleader. He was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz ...
*''
Goodnight, It's Time to Go'' (Prestige, 1961)
*''
On With It!'' (Prestige, 1961
971
Year 971 ( CMLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* Battle of Dorostolon: A Byzantine expeditionary army (possibly 30–40,000 men) attacks the Bulgarian frontier, perso ...
*''
Brother Jack Meets the Boss'' (Prestige, 1962) - with
Gene Ammons
Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as "The Boss", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and R ...
*''
Soul Summit Vol. 2'' (Prestige, 1962) - with Gene Ammons
*''
Somethin' Slick!'' (Prestige, 1963)
*''
Crash!'' (Prestige, 1963) - with
Kenny Burrell
Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige Records, Prestige, Blue Note, Verve Records, Verve, CTI Records, CTI, Muse Records, Muse, and Concord Records, Conco ...
*''
Brother Jack at the Jazz Workshop Live!'' (Prestige, 1963)
*''
Soul Circle'' (Prestige, 1964-66
el. 1968
*''
Steppin' Out'' (Prestige, 1961-66
el. 1969
*''
The Fourth Dimension'' (Cadet, 1974)
*''Live It Up'' (Sugar Hill, 1984)
With
Jimmy McGriff
James Harrell McGriff (April 3, 1936 – May 24, 2008) was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader.
Biography Early years and influences
Born in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, McGriff started playing pia ...
* ''
City Lights
''City Lights'' is a 1931 American synchronized sound film, sound romance film, romantic comedy drama, comedy-drama film written, produced, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a ...
'' (JAM, 1981)
*''
Movin' Upside the Blues'' (JAM, 1982)
With
Bob Moses
*''Home in Motion'' (Ra-Kalam, 2012)
With
Jimmy Owens
*''
Headin' Home
''Headin' Home'' is a 1920 American silent film, silent biopic sports film directed by Lawrence C. Windom. It attempts to create a mythology surrounding the life of baseball player Babe Ruth.
The screenplay was written by Arthur "Bugs" Baer f ...
'' (A&M/Horizon, 1978)
With
John Patton
*''
Along Came John
''Along Came John'' is the debut album by American organist John Patton, recorded in 1963 and released on the Blue Note label. '' (Blue Note, 1963)
*''
Oh Baby!'' (Blue Note, 1965)
With
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 ...
*''
Prairie Dog
Prairie dogs (genus ''Cynomys'') are herbivorous burrowing Marmotini, ground squirrels native to the grasslands of North America. There are five recognized species of prairie dog: black-tailed prairie dog, black-tailed, white-tailed prairie dog ...
'' (Atlantic, 1966)
With
Houston Person
Houston Person (born November 10, 1934) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and record producer. Although he has performed in the hard bop and swing music, swing genres, he is most experienced in and best known for his work in soul jazz. He re ...
*''
Houston Express'' (Prestige, 1971)
With
Bu Pleasant
*''Ms. Bu'' (Muse, 1973)
With
Bernard Purdie
Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie (born June 11, 1939) is an American drummer, and an influential R&B, soul, funk and jazz musician. He is known for his precise time-keeping and his signature use of Tuplet, triplets against a half-time backbeat: the P ...
*''
Soul Is... Pretty Purdie'' (Flying Dutchman, 1972)
With
Pharoah Sanders
Pharoah Sanders (born Ferrell Lee Sanders; October 13, 1940 – September 24, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. Known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of "sheets of sound", San ...
*''
Live at the East'' (Impulse!, 1972)
With
Shirley Scott
Shirley Scott (March 14, 1934 – March 10, 2002) was an American jazz organist. Her music was noted for its mixture of bebop, blues, and gospel elements. She was known by the nickname "Queen of the Organ".
Life and career
Scott was born in P ...
*''
One for Me'' (Strata-East, 1974)
With
Horace Silver
Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer in the 1950s.
After playing tenor saxophone and piano at sch ...
*''
Total Response'' (Blue Note, 1971)
*''
All'' (Blue Note, 1972)
*''
The United States of Mind'' (Blue Note, 2004; compilation of both above albums)
With
Charles Tolliver
*''
Impact
Impact may refer to:
* Impact (mechanics), a large force or mechanical shock over a short period of time
* Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US
Science and technology
* Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event
* Imp ...
'' (Strata-East, 1975)
With
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 ...
*''
Cosmos
The cosmos (, ; ) is an alternative name for the universe or its nature or order. Usage of the word ''cosmos'' implies viewing the universe as a complex and orderly system or entity.
The cosmos is studied in cosmologya broad discipline covering ...
'' (Blue Note, tracks with Vick recorded 1969
el. 1977
With
Johnny Hammond
*''
Wild Horses Rock Steady'' (Kudu, 1971)
*''Gambler's Life'' (Salvation, 1974)
With
Larry Willis
*''
Inner Crisis'' (Groove Merchant, 1973)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vick, Harold
American jazz saxophonists
American male saxophonists
American jazz flautists
Hard bop saxophonists
Soul-jazz saxophonists
Hard bop flautists
Soul-jazz flautists
1936 births
1987 deaths
People from Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Strata-East Records artists
Blue Note Records artists
Muse Records artists
20th-century American saxophonists
Jazz musicians from North Carolina
20th-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians
Compost (band) members
20th-century American flautists