Bud Shank: Difference between revisions

| name = Bud Shank

| image = Bud_Shank.jpg

| caption = Bud Shank in 2006

| death_placegenre = [[Tucson, ArizonaJazz]], United States

| genre occupation = [[Jazz]]Musician

| years_activelabel = 1946–2009 =

'''Clifford Everett''' "'''Bud'''" '''Shank, Jr.''' (May 27, 1926 – April 2, 2009)<ref name="AMG">{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bud-shank-mn0000636382/biography|title=Bud Shank &#124; Biography & History|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=August 1, 2021}}</ref> was an American alto saxophonist and flautist. He rose to prominence in the early 1950s playing lead alto and flute in [[Stan Kenton]]'s Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra and throughout the decade worked in various small jazz combos. He spent the 1960s as a first-call studio musician in Hollywood. In the 1970s and 1980s, he performed regularly with [[The L.A. Four (band)|the L. A. Four]]. Shank ultimately abandoned the flute to focus exclusively on playing jazz on the alto saxophone. He also recorded on tenor and baritone sax. His most famous recording is probably the version of "[[Harlem Nocturne]]" used as the theme song in [[Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer (1984 TV series)|''Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer'']].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thescl.com/articles/memoirs-of-a-famous-composer/|title=Memoirs of a Famous Composer|date=October 29, 2009|website=Thescl.com|access-date=August 1, 2021}}</ref> He is also well known for the soundtrack recordings with his group to the surfing films of [[Bruce Brown (director)|Bruce Brown]] in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and for the [[alto flute]] solo on the song "[[California Dreamin']]" recorded by [[The Mamas & the Papas]] in 1965.

Bud Shank was born in [[Dayton, Ohio|Dayton]], OhioUnited States.<ref name="AMG"/> He began withplaying the [[clarinet]] in [[Vandalia, Ohio]], but had switched to saxophone before attending the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|University of North Carolina]].<ref name="AMG"/> While at UNC, Shank was initiated into the [[Pi Kappa Alpha]] Fraternityfraternity. In 1946, he worked with [[Charlie Barnet]] before moving on to Kenton and the [[West coast jazz]] scene.<ref name="AMG"/> He also had a strong interest in what might now be termed [[world music]], playing Brazilian-influenced jazz with Laurindo Almeida in 1953–541953 and 1954.<ref name="AMG"/> In 1958, he isbecame the first American jazz musician to record in Italy, with an Italian jazz orchestra conducted by [[Ezio Leoni]] (aka Len Mercer), paving the way for [[Chet Baker]] and others who would follow Shank’sShank's tracks recording in Milan with Maestro Leoni. In 1958 and 1960, Shank provided the soundtracks for two [[Bruce Brown (director)|Bruce Brown]] surf movies: ''Slippery When Wet'' and ''Barefoot Adventure''. His world music collaborations continued in 1962, fusing jazz with Indian traditions in collaboration with Indian composer and sitar player [[Ravi Shankar]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://wwwnews.npr.org/programs/jazzprofiles/archive/shank.html |title=Jazz Profiles: Bud Shank |last=Talbot |first=Bruce |work=[[NPR]] |accessdateaccess-date=October 11, 2012}}</ref>

In 1974, Shank joined with [[Ray Brown (musician)|Ray Brown]], [[Shelly Manne]] (replaced by [[Jeff Hamilton (drummer)|Jeff Hamilton]] after 1977), and [[Laurindo Almeida]] to form the group [[The L.A. Four (band)|the L.A. Four]], who recorded and toured extensively through 1982.<ref name="AMG"/> Shank helped to popularize both Latin-flavored and chamber jazz music, and as a musician's musician also performed with orchestras as diverse as the [[Royal Philharmonic Orchestra|Royal Philharmonic]], the New American Orchestra, the [[Gerald Wilson]] Big Band, [[Stan Kenton]]'s Neophonic Orchestra, and [[Duke Ellington]].<ref>Cotterrell, Roger, ‘Bud Shank: A New Image’ [[Jazz Forum]] 106 (May 1987), 23-27.</ref>

In 2005, he formed the Bud Shank Big Band in Los Angeles to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Stan Kenton's Neophonic Orchestra.<ref name="AMG"/>

A documentary film about Bud Shank, ''Bud Shank: "Against the Tide" (Portrait of a Jazz Legend)'', was produced and directed by Graham Carter of Jazzed Media and released by Jazzed Media as a DVD (with a companion CD) in 2008. To date the documentaryThe film has been awarded 4four indie film awards including an Aurora Awards Gold.

Shank died on April 2, 2009, of a [[pulmonary embolism]] at his home in [[Tucson, Arizona]], one day after returning from [[San Diego, California]], where he was recording a new album.<ref name=LATObit>{{cite news |title=Bud Shank dies at 82; alto saxophonist was immersed in West Coast jazz scene |first=Jon |last=Thurber |date=April 6, 2009 |accessdateaccess-date=April 6, 2009 |worknewspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-bud-shank6-2009apr06,0,5379847.story }}</ref><ref name=NYTObit>{{cite news |title=Bud Shank, Jazz Saxophonist, Is Dead at 82 |first=Bruce |last=Weber |date=April 7, 2009 |accessdateaccess-date=April 7, 2009 |worknewspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/arts/music/07shank.html}}</ref><ref>{{Find a Grave|35541722|name=Bud Shank}}</ref>

[[Category:20th-century American musicianssaxophonists]]

[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]

[[Category:MaleAmerican male jazz musicians]]