George Howard (jazz)
| George Howard | |
|---|---|
 George Howard, 1992. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | September 15, 1956 |
| Origin | Philadelphia |
| Died | March 20, 1998 (aged 41) |
| Genres | Jazz, Smooth Jazz |
| Instruments | Saxophone |
| Years active | 1970s – 1998 |
| Labels |
GRP Records MCA Records Palo Alto Records |
George Howard (September 15, 1956 – March 20, 1998) was an American Jazz-Funk/ Fusion /Smooth Jazz soprano saxophonist.[1]
Biography
Howard was born September 15, 1956 in Philadelphia. In the late 1970s, he began touring with Grover Washington, Jr., who was one of his idols. In the early 1980s, Howard released his first and second studio albums, Asphalt Gardens and Steppin' Out. Both albums were well received and ranked high on the Billboard magazine jazz album charts at number 25 and 9, respectively.
By 1985, Howard's third album, Dancing in the Sun, had scaled the Billboard Jazz Album chart to number 1. Each of his next three albums, Love Will Follow, A Nice Place to Be and Reflections would also reach this height in the Jazz Album chart. After the success of Dancing in the Sun, Howard left the label GRP Records in order to join MCA through the 1988 release of Reflections. His next album Personal was released in 1989.
However, he returned to GRP Records in 1990 and released Love and Understanding in 1991. It was followed by Do I Ever Cross Your Mind? (1992), When Summer Comes (1993), A Home Far Away (1994), and Attitude Adjustment (1996). All of his GRP recordings were quite successful, confirming his place among the most popular contemporary jazz performers of the '90s. His first five years with GRP, plus a selection of his MCA recordings, were summarized on 1997's The Very Best of George Howard and Then Some.
Howard returned to recording with Midnight Mood, which was released in January 1998, his final album before his death two months later. He stayed with GRP until his death of lymphoma on March 20, 1998. His final album, There's a Riot Goin' On was released posthumously (one month after his death) on April 21 by Blue Note Records.
Discography
- 1982 - Asphalt Gardens - Palo Alto Jazz
- 1984 - Steppin' Out - Palo Alto Jazz
- 1985 - Dancing in the Sun - Palo Alto Jazz
- 1986 - Love Will Follow - Palo Alto Jazz
- 1986 - A Nice Place to Be - MCA
- 1988 - Reflections - MCA
- 1989 - Personal - MCA
- 1991 - Love and Understanding - GRP
- 1992 - Do I Ever Cross Your Mind? - GRP
- 1993 - When Summer Comes - GRP
- 1994 - Home Far Away - GRP
- 1996 - Attitude Adjustment - GRP
- 1998 - Midnight Mood - GRP
- 1998 - There's a Riot Goin' On - Blue Note