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Jazz Articles about Onaje Allan Gumbs
Buster Williams: Pinnacle
by C. Andrew Hovan
As if producer and archival sleuth Zev Feldman weren’t already busy enough unearthing lost jazz treasures, he has recently launched a new imprint, Time Traveler. A devoted collector in his own right, Feldman has turned his attention—at least initially—to the storied catalog of Muse Records. Founded in 1972 by Joe Fields, with significant contributions from Don Schlitten, Muse weathered the shifting tides of the industry for a quarter century. While portions of the catalog have resurfaced on CD over the ...
Continue ReadingBuster Williams: Pinnacle
by Andrew Schinder
Bass legend Buster Williams has built a long, prolific career traversing the innerwebs of diverse jazz styles and sub-genres, developing into a beloved sideman and one of the finest rhythmists of jazz's modern period. Williams' bass can elevate any material, and he has contributed to some of the most treasured recordings in the jazz canon, in particular supporting Kenny Barron, Woody Shaw and, of course, Herbie Hancock. But Williams has an exceptional discography of his own, if a bit overshadowed by ...
Continue ReadingOnaje Allan Gumbs: Dare To Dream
by La-Faithia White
Onaje Allan Gumbs is a New York based pianist, composer, lyricist, and bandleader. Gumbs' professional career began in 1971 when Leroy Kirkland introduced him to Kenny Burrell, by sharing a demo tape. The next day Gumbs received a phone call to play with Burrell at Baker's Keyboard Lounge in Detroit. Onaje, (Gumbs) talks about the beginnings of his musical career, and the various artists, some who became friends, that he has collaborated with throughout those years. These artists have inspired ...
Continue ReadingOnaje Allan Gumbs: Bloodlife: Solo Piano Improvisations Based on the Melodies of Ronald Shannon Jackson
by John Kelman
Best known for his mainstream work with Woody Shaw on classic albums like The Moontrane (Muse, 1975) and Stepping Stones (Columbia, 1978), it may come as a surprise to learn that pianist Onaje Allan Gumbs was not just a friend and mentor to Ronald Shannon Jackson, but that he also played on the drummer's Decode Yourself (Island, 1985)--an album that, like much of Jackson's Decoding Society work, took Ornette Coleman's harmolodic Prime Time group as a starting point for his ...
Continue ReadingOnaje Allan Gumbs: Sack Full of Dreams
by John Kelman
The term “journeyman musician" is an often misunderstood and unjustly maligned one. Rather than its “jack of all trades, master of none" connotation, in the sphere of music it more often refers to artists who seamlessly straddle multiple genres while retaining their individual voices no matter what the style. Pianist Onaje Allan Gumbs may well be the definitive journeyman musician, having worked with everyone from Woody Shaw to Gerald Albright and Ronald Shannon Jackson. His own records have been equally ...
Continue ReadingOnaje Allan Gumbs: Music Heard, and Felt
by R.J. DeLuke
“I recently did it on a gig and one of the patrons told me, in her words, she was 'messed up.' It affected her. I gave a little intro into where the song is coming from. The band got into it. I finished the tune. Went through a whole bunch of other songs. When I got off the stage, she grabbed my hand and said, 'Onaje, I just want you to know I'm kind of messed up by that song.' ...
Continue ReadingOnaje Allan Gumbs: Music, The Rhythm of Life
by AAJ Staff
By Onaje Allan Gumbs This music we call “jazz" has represented the essence of who we are and who we can become. Music has always been the soundtrack to my life; from the time I was three, I could sing all of the lyrics to the old Eddie Fisher song “Oh My Papa" before I could even say a full sentence. And since becoming a professional musician, I have come to realize the positive effect that my ...
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