Onaje Allan Gumbs
Onaje Allan Gumbs | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Allan Bentley Gumbs |
| Born | September 3, 1949 New York City,US |
| Died | April 6, 2020(aged 70) Yonkers, New York,US |
| Genres | Bebop,hard bop,soul jazz,smooth jazz,fusion |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, arranger, bandleader, lyricist |
| Instrument | Piano |
| Years active | 1970s–2020 |
| Labels | 18th and Vine, Ejano |
| Formerly of | Obba Babatundé,Woody Shaw,Nat Adderley,Kenny Burrell,Buster Williams,Stanley Jordan,Angela Bofill,Betty Carter,Grady Tate,Jeffrey Osborne,Deneice Williams,Norman Connors,Sathima Bea Benjamin |
| Website | onajeallangumbs.com |
Onaje Allan Gumbs(bornAllan Bentley Gumbs,September 3, 1949 – April 6, 2020)[1]was a New York–based pianist, composer, and bandleader.[2][3]
Early life and career
[edit]Gumbs was born inHarlem,a neighborhood inNew York City,to parents who had immigrated to the United States from theCaribbean.Gumbs' mother was fromMontserrat,while his father, a New York City police officer, was fromAnguilla.He was the nephew ofHubert Harrison's daughter-in-law.[4]As a child, Gumbs was fascinated by the film and television music ofHenry Mancini.Gumbs graduated from theState University of New York at Fredonia,and during his years there was a member of a student-organized jazz ensemble.[5]
In 1971,Leroy Kirklandintroduced Gumbs to the Detroit guitaristKenny Burrell,to whom Onaje gave a demo tape. The following day, Gumbs received a call to play with Burrell atBaker's Keyboard LoungeinDetroit.This work led to further performances with major jazz musicians such as bassistLarry Ridleyas well asThe Thad Jones/ Mel Lewis Orchestra.During the early 1970s, Gumbs replacedNat Adderley, Jr.in a contemporary jazz ensemble called Natural Essence, which included during these yearsBuddy WilliamsandT. S. Monk(drums and percussion), bassist Alex Blake, and trombonist Earl McIntyre.
Gumbs adopted the name Onaje in the early 1970s; it means "the sensitive one".[6]He met his future wife, Sandra Wright, in 1971 during a short teaching engagement he took inBuffalo, New York.The two wed later in the decade and remained married until Gumbs' death in 2020.[5]
In the late 1970s, Gumbs recorded withWoody Shawand worked as musical director for R&B singerPhyllis Hyman,Angela BofillandJeffrey Osborne.[7][8]Later in his career he worked extensively withRonald Shannon Jackson,and in 2013, following Jackson's death, Gumbs recorded a solo piano album consisting of improvisations on Jackson's compositions. Later in his life, he taught at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in Manhattan and the Litchfield Jazz Camp in Connecticut.[5]DownBeatstated that his "association with theNew School for Jazz and Contemporary Musicin New York and his work with the Litchfield Jazz Camp inNew Milford, Conn.,allowed him to expand his vision and shape young minds. "[6]
Later life
[edit]On January 24, 2010, Gumbs suffered a stroke and was hospitalized for two days. In December of that year, he released an album in Japan entitledJust Like Yesterday.On the album, he was accompanied byOmar Hakim,Victor Bailey,Marcus McLaurine,William S. Patterson and Chuggy Carter. Any visible signs of the stroke had since vanished.
In February 2015, he was hospitalized for two weeks, though he was able to recover and return to composing and performance.
Onaje Allan Gumbs died on April 6, 2020, aged 70.[5][1]
Legacy
[edit]In 2022, De Kruif Place inthe Bronxwas co-named Onaje Allan Gumbs Way.[9][10]
Discography
[edit]As leader
[edit]| Year recorded | Title | Label | Personnel/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Onaje | SteepleChase | Solo piano[11] |
| 1980s | Bloodlife: Solo Piano Improvisations Based on the Melodies of Ronald Shannon Jackson | Ejano Music | Solo piano; released around 2014[6] |
| 1988 | That Special Part of Me | Zebra Records / MCA Records | |
| 1989? | Dare to Dream | Zebra | With Roger Byam (tenor sax), Jef Lee Johnson andKevin Eubanks(guitar), Oscar Carataya (bass), Buddy Williams (drums), Steve Thornton (percussion), Gerri Griffin and Dennis Collins (vocals)[12] |
| 2000 | Return to Form | Half Note | With Rene McLean (alto sax),Marcus McLaurine(bass), Payton Croslley (drums), Gary Fritz (percussion) |
| 2004 | Remember Their Innocence | Ejano Music | WithSadao Watanabe(alto sax) |
| 2006 | Sack Full of Dreams | 18th & Vine | With Mark Shim (tenor sax), Bob DeVos (guitar),Marcus McLaurine(bass), George Gray (drums), Gary Fritz (percussion), Obba Babatunde (vocals) |
| 2010? | Just Like Yesterday | Pony Canyon |
Main source:[13]
As sideman
[edit]WithNat Adderley
- Don't Look Back(SteepleChase, 1976)
- Hummin'(Little David, 1976)
WithT. K. Blue
- Follow the North Star(JaJa, 2008)
WithBetty Carter
- The Betty Carter Album(Bet-Car Productions, 1976)
WithNorman Connors
- Dark of Light
- Love from the Sun
- Saturday Night Special
- You Are My Starship
- Invitation
- Mr. C
- Eternity
WithCarlos Garnett
- Black Love(Muse, 1974)
WithToninho Horta
- Moonstone(Verve Forecast, 1989)
- Foot On The Road(Verve, 1994)
- Decode Yourself(Island, 1985)
WithBennie Maupin
WithCecil McBee
- Mutima(Strata-East, 1974)
With Mark Mosley
- TLC(Mark Mosley, 2012)
WithAvery Sharpe
- Running Man(JKNM, 2011)
- Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman(JKNM, 2013)
WithWoody Shaw
- The Moontrane(Muse, 1974)
- Rosewood(Columbia, 1977)
- Stepping Stones: Live at the Village Vanguard(Columbia, 1978)
- Woody III(Columbia, 1979)
- Prelude(Storyville, 1978)
WithCharles Sullivan
- Genesis(Strata-East, 1974)
WithLenny White
References
[edit]- ^ab"In Memoriam: Onaje Allan Gumbs",DownBeat,April 8, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^Deluke, R. J. (March 20, 2007),"Onaje Allan Gumbs: Music Heard, And Felt",All About Jazz.
- ^Hogan, Ed,"Onaje Allan Gumbs",AllMusic.
- ^Perry, Jeffery B. (February 2014)."Hubert Harrison: The Voice of Harlem Radicalism, 1883-1918".jefferybperry.net.RetrievedFebruary 4,2023.
- ^abcdRussonello, Giovanni (April 13, 2020)."Onaje Allan Gumbs, Ecumenical Pianist, Is Dead at 70".The New York Times.RetrievedApril 13,2020.
- ^abcHarabadian, Eric (September 2014). "Grace and Sensitivity".DownBeat.p. 54.
- ^Scott, Ron (2016-01-15)."Onaje Gumbs, Cassandra's, Winter Marathon Jazzfest".New York Amsterdam News.Retrieved2022-07-12.
- ^"Return To Form: Onaje Allan Gumbs: CD Reviews: One Final Note".www.onefinalnote.com.Retrieved2022-07-12.
- ^"Street Co-Named for Bronx Jazz Great Onaje Allan Gumbs".Downbeat. 12 July 2022.RetrievedSeptember 28,2023.
- ^"Jazz Great and Buddhist Memorialized".World Tribune. 10 July 2022.RetrievedSeptember 28,2023.
- ^Dryden, Ken.Onaje– ReviewatAllMusic.Retrieved November 21, 2016.
- ^Hogan, Ed."Onaje Allan Gumbs: Dare to Dream".AllMusic.RetrievedNovember 27,2018.
- ^Cook, Richard;Morton, Brian(2008).The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings(9th ed.).Penguin.p. 617.ISBN978-0-141-03401-0.
External links
[edit]- Onaje Allan Gumbsdiscography atDiscogs
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- 1949 births
- 2020 deaths
- Jazz fusion pianists
- Post-bop pianists
- Hard bop pianists
- Jazz-funk pianists
- Modal jazz pianists
- American jazz composers
- American male jazz composers
- American jazz pianists
- American male jazz pianists
- 20th-century American classical composers
- Songwriters from New York (state)
- American funk musicians
- SteepleChase Records artists
- Musicians from Queens, New York
- 20th-century American pianists
- Jazz musicians from New York (state)
- 21st-century American pianists
- 20th-century American male musicians
- 21st-century American male musicians
- American people of Montserratian descent
- American people of Anguillan descent
- 20th-century jazz composers
- American male songwriters