Gary Bartz

Gary Bartz (born September 26, 1940) is an American jazz saxophonist. He has won two Grammy Awards.

Biography

Bartz was first exposed to jazz as the son of the owners of a jazz nightclub in Baltimore. In 1958 he left Baltimore to study at the Juilliard School. In the early 1960s, he performed with Eric Dolphy and McCoy Tyner in Charles Mingus' Jazz Workshop. He worked as a sideman with Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln before joining Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. and at a series of December dates at The Cellar Door club in Washington, D.C. Portions of these shows were initially released on the 1971 Live-Evil album, He later formed the band Ntu Troop, which combined jazz, funk, and soul.

Bartz was awarded a Grammy for "Best Latin Jazz Performance" for his work on Roy Hargrove's "Habana" at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards, and for "Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group" for For McCoy Tyner's Illuminations at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards.

In 2019, Revive Music and Bartz celebrated the 50th Anniversary of his Another Earth album at Winter Jazzfest in New York City, alongside original member Pharoah Sanders.

He is Professor of Jazz Saxophone at Oberlin College.

Discography As leader/co-leader Recording date Album title Label Year released Notes / Personnel 1967–05, 1967–06 Libra Milestone 1968 Quintet: with Jimmy Owens, Albert Daily, Richard Davis, Billy Higgins 1968–06 Another Earth Milestone 1969 With Charles Tolliver, Pharoah Sanders, Stanley Cowell, Reggie Workman, Freddie Waits 1969 Home! Milestone 1970 Live. NTU Troop: with Woody Shaw, Albert Dailey, Bob Cunningham, Rashied Ali. 1970–11 Harlem Bush Music – Taifa Milestone 1971 NTU Troop: with Nat Bettis, Andy Bey, Harold White. Compilation in 1997. 1971–01- Harlem Bush Music – Uhuru Milestone 1971 NTU Troop: with Nat Bettis, Andy Bey, Ron Carter, Juini Booth. Compilation in 1997. 1972–10 Juju Street Songs Prestige 1972 NTU Troop: with Stafford James, Harvey Mason 1972–10, 1973–06 Follow the Medicine Man Prestige 1973 NTU Troop: with Hector Centeno, Hubert Eaves III, Andy Bey 1973–07 I've Known Rivers and Other Bodies Prestige 1973 NTU Troop: with Stafford James, Howard King 1973–07 Altissimo Philips 1973 With Charlie Mariano, Jackie McLean, Lee Konitz, Joachim Kühn, Han Bennink, Palle Danielsson 1973–11, 1974–02 Singerella: A Ghetto Fairy Tale Prestige 1974 NTU Troop: with Hector Centeno, Howard King, Hubert Eaves III, James Benjamin, Kenneth Nash, Maynard Parker 1975? The Shadow Do! Prestige 1975 With Hubert Eaves III, Michael Henderson, Reggie Lucas, James Mtume, Howard King 1976? Juju Man Catalyst 1976 With Curtis Robertson, Howard King, Charles Mims, Syreeta 1977 Love Song Vee-Jay 1977 With George Cables, Curtis Robinson, Howard King, Rita Greene 1977 Music Is My Sanctuary Capitol 1977 With Syreeta Wright, Mizell Brothers 1978? Love Affair Capitol 1978 With Wah Wah Watson, Dorothy Ashby, Welton Gite, Bill Summers, George Cables, Wade Marcus 1980? Bartz Arista 1980 With Howard King, Hubert Eaves III 1988–04 Monsoon SteepleChase 1988 Quartet: with Butch Lacy, Billy Hart, Clint Houston 1988–11 Reflections of Monk: The Final Frontier SteepleChase 1989 With Bob Butta, Geoff Harper, Billy Hart, Eddie Henderson 1990–03 West 42nd Street Candid 1990 Live. Quintet: with Claudio Roditi, John Hicks, Ray Drummond, Al Foster. 1990–11 There Goes the Neighborhood! Candid 1991 Live. With Kenny Barron, Ray Drummond, Ben Riley. 1991–06 Shadows Timeless 1992 With Benny Green, Christian McBride, Victor Lewis, Willie Williams 1993–06 Alto Memories Verve 1994 Co-led with Sonny Fortune. Also with Kenny Barron, Buster Williams, Jack DeJohnette. 1994–01 Episode One: Children of Harlem Challenge 1994 With Larry Willis, Ben Riley, Buster Williams 1994–09 The Red and Orange Poems Atlantic 1994Dave Holland, Mulgrew Miller, Eddie Henderson 1996? The Blues Chronicles: Tales of Life Atlantic 1996 With Tom Williams, George Colligan, James King, Greg Bandy, Jon Hendricks, Cyrus Chestnut, Russell Malone, Dennis Chambers 1998–05 Live @ the Jazz Standard, Vol. 1: Soulstice OYO Recordings 1999 Live. With Barney McAll, Greg Bandy, Kenny Davis. 1999–10 The Montreal Concert DSM 2001 Live. Co-led with Peter Leitch. 2003–10 Continuum Act One Space Time 2004 With Jean Toussaint, Bill Mobley, Donald Brown, Essiet Essiet, Billy Kilson, Anga Diaz. Includes one live track. 2005? Soprano Stories OYO Recordings 2005 With James King, Greg Bandy, George Cables, John Hicks 2000–05, 2000–11,2008–06, 2008–07 Coltrane Rules: Tao of a Music Warrior OYO Recordings 2011 With Barney McAll, Greg Bandy, James King 2019 Night Dreamer Direct-to-Disc Sessions Night Dreamer 2020 With Maisha 3-7 June 2023 Where Rivers Meet Brownswood Recordings 2026 With Your Brother's Keeper

As sideman With Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers Soul Finger (Limelight, 1965) – Bartz recording debut Hold On, I'm Coming (Limelight, 1966) – on one track left over from Soul Finger sessions

With Donald Byrd Stepping into Tomorrow (Blue Note, 1975) – rec. 1974 Caricatures (Blue Note, 1976)

With George Cables Shared Secrets (MuseFX, 2001) Looking for the Light (MuseFX, 2003)

With Norman Connors Slewfoot (Buddah, 1974) Love from the Sun (Buddah, 1974) Saturday Night Special (Buddah, 1975) Dance of Magic: Live at the Nemu Jazz Inn (Cobblestone, 1975) Romantic Journey (Buddah, 1977) This is Your Life (Arista, 1977) Invitation (Arista, 1979)

With Miles Davis Live-Evil (Columbia, 1971) – rec. 1970 The Cellar Door Sessions (Columbia, 2005)[6CD] – rec. 1970 Bitches Brew Live (Columbia, 2011) – live rec. 1970

Miles Davis at Newport 1955–1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4 (Columbia, 2015) – live rec. 1971

With Roy Hargrove Of Kindred Souls: The Roy Hargrove Quintet Live (Novus, 1993) Roy Hargrove's Crisol, Habana (Verve, 1997) – Latin Jazz Grammy Winner

With Heads of State Search for Peace (Smoke Sessions, 2015) Four in One (Smoke Sessions, 2017)

With Phyllis Hyman Phyllis Hyman (Buddah, 1977) You Know How to Love Me (Arista, 1979) Can't We Fall in Love Again? (Arista, 1981)

With Barney McAll Release the Day (Transparent Music, 2000) Precious Energy (Extra Celestial Arts, 2022) Precious Energy Re-UP (Extra Celestial Arts, 2023)

With Woody Shaw Blackstone Legacy (Contemporary, 1970) For Sure! (Columbia, 1979) United (Columbia, 1981)

With Malachi Thompson Rising Daystar (Delmark, 1999) Blue Jazz (Delmark, 2003)

With McCoy Tyner Expansions (Blue Note, 1970) – rec. 1978 Extensions (Blue Note, 1973) – rec. 1970 Asante (Blue Note, 1974) – rec. 1970 Sama Layuca (Milestone, 1974) Cosmos (Blue Note, 1976) – rec. 1968–1970 Focal Point (Milestone, 1976) Looking Out (Milestone, 1982) Dimensions (Elektra/Musician, 1984) – rec. 1983 McCoy Tyner and the Latin All-Stars (Telarc, 1999) – rec. 1998 Illuminations (Telarc, 2004) – rec. 2003

With others The Rance Allen Group, Say My Friend (1977) Gene Ammons, Goodbye (Prestige, 1974) Roy Ayers, Stoned Soul Picnic (Atlantic, 1968) Cindy Blackman, The Oracle (Muse, 1995) Donald Brown, Sources of Inspiration (Muse, 1989) Kenny Burrell, Ellington Is Forever Volume Two (Fantasy, 1977) Joe Chambers, Urban Grooves (Eighty-eight's, 2002) Ray Drummond, Vignettes (Arabesque, 1996) Antonio Hart, Don't You Know That I Care (1992) Louis Hayes, The Crawl (Candid, 1989) John Lee & Gerry Brown, Infinite Jones (Keytone, 1974) Jackie McLean, Ode to Super (SteepleChase, 1973) Grachan Moncur III, Exploration (Capri, 2004) Alphonse Mouzon, Virtue (MPS, 1977) Rare Silk, New Weave (Polydor, 1984) Max Roach, Members, Don't Git Weary (Atlantic, 1968) Wallace Roney, A Place in Time (HighNote, 2016) Pharoah Sanders, Deaf Dumb Blind (Summun Bukmun Umyun) (Impulse!, 1970) Sphere, Sphere (Verve, 1998) Bob Thiele Collective, Lion Hearted (Red Baron, 1993) Leon Thomas, Precious Energy (Mapleshade, 1990) Charles Tolliver, Charles Tolliver and his All Stars (Black Lion, 1971) Robert Walter, Spirit of '70 (Greyboy, 1996) Chip White, Harlem Sunset (Postcards, 1994) Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammed, The Midnight Hour (Linear Labs, 2018)