John Neely

John Neely ( born January 29, 1930 in Chicago, † October 8, 1994 in Richton Park, Illinois ) was an American jazz musician ( saxophone, clarinet), composer and arranger.

Life and work

Neely played in 1949 with Clifford Jordan and was then a member of the King Fleming Quintet ( with Russell Williams and Lorez Alexandria ), originated with the early 1954 recordings for the Chicago based label Blue Lake. In March 1957, Clifford Jordan and John Gilmore took on Blue Note Records; this was recorded Neelys composition status quo, which was later reinterpreted by Mike Reed. 1960 Neely took with pianist Earl Washington for the label on Formal; in the band also played the drummer Walter Perkins. That same year, Neely was a member of the Lionel Hampton band. The Downbeat wrote on February 2, 1961:

In 1970 a formation to Lee Morgan, Hubert Laws and Harold Mabern Neelys beautiful people.