Artist description Although he is most familiar to U.S. audiences as the tenor player for legendary drummer, Max Roach, Odean Pope has quietly been recording some of the most adventurous and unique music in jazz. He is a highly individual artist, acclaimed throughout the world for his intense performances and brilliant composing. He has worked with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Gladys Night and the Pips, the Temptations, Patti LaBelle, Dizzy Gillespie, Chet Baker and Jimmy McGriff among many others.

Music Style JAZZ

Musical Influences JOHN COLTRANE, SONNY ROLLINS, MAX ROACH

Similar Artists JOHN COLTRANE, SONNY ROLLINS, MAX ROACH

Artist History Tenor saxophonist and composer Odean Pope is an exceptionally compelling and original musician. As listeners heard when he performed at the Sydney Jazz Festival In 1998, with the great drummer Max Roach, he possesses a very powerful sound, and a quite awesome control of his instrument, including the use of multiphonic and circular breathing techniques. As The Age review noted, "Pope was the revelation of the night. His brawny tone ran the gamut from booming low notes to armor-piercing screams, and his attack never flinched in the face of Roach's most ferocious barrages." Odean was born in the town in the town of Ninety Six, South Carolina, but grew up in Philadelphia. Philadelphia had a thriving jazz scene in the post war era and produced such notable jazz artists as John Coltrane, Lee Morgan, Clifford Brown, Benny Golson, McCoy Tyner, the Heath Brothers, Ray Bryant, Kenny Barron, Bill Barron, Archie Shepp, Jymie Merritt, Jimmy Garrison and Philly Joe Jones. Odean played his share of R&B gigs (at the Uptown Theater, he played in the house band behind such. names as James Brown and Marvin Gaye). He studied with Ray Bryant, and was especially influenced by the pianist Hasaan lbn Ali (a brilliant but obscure figure who made just one record, 'The Max Roach Trio Featuring The Legendary Hasaan'. He was clearly aware of and deeply impressed by the music of John Coltrane. But unlike so many other tenor saxophonists, he managed to absorb Coltrane's message while developing a recognizable sound of his own. As Odean told Down Beat in 1983 'At a-very-early age, I sort of cancelled saxophone players out .... I found out that you never get any recognition if you played too much like someone else. I started to listen to piano players. I wondered what it would be like if I could play my horn like Hasaan or Art Tatum or Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton or Bill Evans. Dynamically, harmonically and melodically, I think I got a tremendous amount of knowledge from that experience.' Apart from touring Europe with Max Roach in 1967- 68. Odean was content for many years to work in Philadelphia. playing and teaching. Odean joined the cooperative group, Catalyst, in 1971. They made four albums before disbanding in 1974. Odean formed The Saxophone Choir in 1977. The concept was inspired by his early experiences in the Baptist church. 'I was brought up in the church.' Odean recalls, 'and they used to have choirs that I would sing in. Deep down, I always asked myself how it would sound to have nine saxophones do the same thing. As he points out, Saxophones are the instruments closest to the human voice.' The Saxophone Choir has performed in the USA and Vieu, Germany and at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland. Odean says--'l have but one goal for the Saxophone Choir: it should sound like one instrument.' In 1979. Max Roach again invited Odean to join his quartet. He still tours regularly with Roach. and has made seven recordings with him including 'Chattahoochee Red' (Columbia) and ‘Scott Free' (Soul Note) and ‘To The Max !’ (Mesa), and has contributed several pieces to the band’s book.

Instruments Saxophone

Albums Odean Pope Collections Volume One

Press Reviews With an Odean Pope trio recording, you're pretty much assured of getting a full plate of the real thing in modern jazz; Pope's powerful, rambling, swinging, ribald, occasionally multiphonic and overblown tenor sax, Tyrone Brown's deep, resonant, ultra-clear bass and Craig McIver's fluid, probing witty drum work. On this very consistent recording it all comes together for the threesome during seven of Pope's and one of Brown's originals. As an offshoot of the Coltrane-Shepp-Rivers branch of creative saxophonistics, Pope's ideas stream and steam. The intro number "Prince La Sha" is a tribute to another member of that strain, Prince Lasha. Stop-start segments, strong lyrical lines, forward moving bass and drums with substantive solos, and that implosive feeling of free bop pervades the very first piece, and sets you up for the rest. At their most obtuse is the zig zag melody and dark bass of the latin-to-swing "Speaking to The Clouds" (not listed on the back cover.) A zen like head noddin' blues "Good Question Too" goes on and on, 10 minutes plus including solos. Pope can be favorably compared to Roscoe Mitchell (check out Mitchell's "Hey, Donald" Delmark CD) for the easy swinger "Me & You, " while the band is broken up into individual solo components for "You Remind Me." A freer title track has the band taffy pulling in different and similar directions. The only confusing aspect is the track run down and Pope's brief comments (inside booklet) don't correspond. They're seemingly switched for "Cis" (for his wife) and Brown's "Tribute To Duke & Mingus; " the former a modified calypso, the latter a mid-tempo blues figure with what sounds like a paraphrased "I Remember Clifford, " followed by a tuneful sax-bass unison that does echo Ellington and Charles Mingus, least we hope so. This is a fine veteran trio that has broken ground before with this format, also in the case of Pope & Brown during their tenure with the Max Roach ensemble. "Ebioto" is confirmation that they can continue to give many more years as great improvisors, and purveyors of solid modern jazz with an edge. Recommended. — Michael G. Nastos Odean made his first recording as a leader in 1982-- 'Almost Like Me' for the Moers Music label. That was followed by another trio record for Moers, 'Out For A Walk', while his Saxophone Choir made 'Saxophone Shop', 'The Ponderer', and 'Epitome' for Soul Note. His most recent trio albums are 'Ninety Six' for the Enja label, and 'Collective Voices' for CIMP. Last year Odean toured Europe, co-leading a band with fellow saxophonist David Murray. Other notable artists he has played with through the years include Sam Rivers, Archie Shepp, Lee Morgan. John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones. Chet Baker. Clark Terry, Jimmy Garrison and Jimmy Smith. Odean is active in music education both within the Philadelphia community and at various colleges in the USA. He received a Pew Fellowship in the Arts Award in 1991-92, and a Rockefeller Award in 1992. Odean's current Trio bandmates, both from Philadelphia, are the formidable bassist Tyrone Brown - whose association with Odean dates back to Catalyst and who is also a long-term member of the Max Roach Quartet - and young drummer Craig McIver, who joined the Trio in 1993. "The music (on the Ponderer) is dense but luxuriant, and it moves quickly. Thoroughly propulsive." Jim Macnie, Boston Pboenix "Odean Pope's Saxophone Choir hit the groove." John Diliberto, Down Beat "The Ponderer wallops you, then surprises you with its subtlety before you can recover." Village Voice "Max Roach’s longtime saxman Odean Popes Philly proud saxophone ensemble was one of the most explosive units of the 1994 Montreal Jazz Festival. Willard Jenkins, Jazz-Times "Tenor man Odean Pope builds a richly arranged environment deserving of the choral moniker on Epitome, the Choir’s third CD for Soul Note. An elegant feel is established right away. Pope’s own deep, throaty tenor is the horn highlight. John Corbett, Down Beat

Location PHILADELPHIA, PA - USA

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).