Frank Lowe

Avant-garde tenor saxophonist Frank Lowe evolved over time from an unrestrained, free-blowing energy participant into a flexible, multi-hued improviser who non-etheless remained underground for some of his profession. Given birth to in Memphis in 1943, Lowe started playing tenor at age group 12, studied in the SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA Conservatory, and relocated to NY in the middle-’60s on the elevation of the brand new Thing. He gigged with Sunlight Ra from 1966-1968, and documented in the first ’70s with Alice Coltrane, Noah Howard, and drummer Rashied Ali (both produced a duet record, Duo Exchange, in 1973). Being a head, Lowe debuted in 1973 using the traditional ESP-label blowout Dark Beings, which also highlighted Joseph Jarman; the follow-up Clean made an appearance on Arista/Independence. During this time period, Lowe used Don Cherry, showing up on landmark world-fusion initiatives like Relativity Suite and Dark brown Rice. Immediately after documenting The Flam for Dark Saint in 1975, Lowe transferred to Paris for approximately per year, and would go back to European countries often. Lowe’s recordings begun to develop even more eclectic in the past due ’70s and early ’80s: Don’t Punk Out was a duo with guitarist Eugene Chadbourne; Lowe and Behold highlighted an 11-piece orchestra; and Skizoke was a amazingly simple, straight-ahead outing. Lowe also started an extended association with violinist Billy Bang in the past due ’70s, often collaborating within the Jazz Doctors. Following the early ’80s, Lowe didn’t record very much for some time, coming back on 1991’s Inappropriate Options having a four-reed ensemble dubbed the Saxemple. The group quickly extended to six reeds and was renamed SaxEmble because of its eponymous 1995 debut recording. Meanwhile, Lowe documented some immensely satisfying albums for CIMP, including 1995’s Body and Spirit and 1997’s Eyesight Blue; he also documented with Joe McPhee in 1996. In 2000, Lowedelivered Brief Takes, some duets with bassist Bernard Santacruz, for the French Bleu Regard label. Lowe battled with cancer for quite some time, but still were able to record, showing up on Billy Bang’s Vietnam: the Aftermath (2001) and Jane Cortez’s Edges of Disorderly Period (2003), in addition to another day as innovator for CIMP, Lowe-Down & Blue (2003). The CIMP recording would end up being his last, Frank Lowe passed on silently at his house in NY on Sept 19, 2003 at age 60.