Joe Ford (musician)

Joe Ford ( born May 8, 1947 in Buffalo ) is an American jazz saxophonist, flutist and composer.

Life and work

Ford graduated from Central State University, Ohio. As a co-leader with tenor saxophonist Paul Gresham and drummer Nasar Abadey He formed Birthright, originated with the two albums Free Spirits and Breath of Life. To be on the invitation, a member of the McCoy Tyner Quartet, Ford moved to New York City, where he has since worked.

From the mid- 1970s he took part in Tyner albums Focal Point (1976 ), Uptown / Downtown (1988) and The Turning Point ( 1990) with. He also worked with Ed Cherry, Freddy Cole, Charles Fambrough, Jerry Gonzalez ( Earthdance, 1990), Abdullah Ibrahim, Steve Berrios, Saheb Sarbib, Todd Barkan, Malachi Thompson (The Jaz Life, 1991) and Larry Willis. In 1993, he put under his own name before his debut album Today 's Night, in which participated alongside Jeff Tain Watts Fambrough and Kenny Kirkland. In his play on the alto and soprano saxophone, he is mainly influenced by Jackie McLean, John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter. Ford composed the soundtrack to the crime series New York Undercover.