Dick Hafer

An excellent veteran tenor saxophonist who was simply longer overlooked and under-featured, Dick Hafer produced a solid impression along with his 1994 Fresh Audio release Prez Impressions (a tribute to Lester Little). He began on clarinet when he was seven, switching to tenor in senior high school. Hafer’s initial major work was with Charlie Barnet’s bebop orchestra of 1949 (getting highlighted on some documented solos the same time he became a member of the music group). He following was with Claude Thornhill (1949-1950), was briefly back again with Barnet, and joined up with Woody Herman (1951-1955), soloing especially on “Outrageous Apple Honey.” Hafer freelanced in NY; used Tex Beneke (1955), Bobby Hackett (1957-1958), Elliott Lawrence (1958-1960), and Benny Goodman (1962); and documented with Charles Mingus (1963) and Johnny Hartman. He shifted to LA in 1974 and proved helpful gradually, but was pretty obscure before Fresh Audio session. From then on, an earlier recording (1991) from your cool-toned tenor premiered on Progressive.