Onaje Allan Gumbs
Onaje Allan Gumbs ( born September 3, 1949 in New York City ) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist and arranger.
Life and work
Gumbs studied piano at age seven and received a classical music training in Music and Art High School ( where he also played trombone in high school band). He studied at the State University of New York at Fredonia and at Indiana University with David Baker. He had his first professional engagement at Andrew Langston Latin Jazz Quintet. 1971 recommended him to his mentor Leroy Kirkland to the guitarist Kenny Burrell; In 1973, he led to concerts with black music with the Buffalo Phil Harmony. In 1974, the New York Jazz Repertory Company in a concert honoring Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall Gumbs ' arrangement of the song Stella by Starlight on. In the same year, he contributed to Woody Shaw album Moon Trane. Later he worked with Nat Adderley and his quintet. Thus, the producer of Steeplechase Nils Winther noticed him and invited him to record the solo album Onaje.
1976 Gumbs got the arrangement of the piece Betcha By Golly Wow for the singer Phyllis Hyman, which was to be its signature tune. 1978 won Woody Shaw's group, the Gumbs belonged, the Reader's Choice Award from Down Beat best jazz group and for the best jazz album of the year. In 1985 he took part in Stanley Jordan's album Magic Touch. In 1986 he was awarded for his contribution to the promotion of a music movement for peace with the Min-On Art Award. In 1988 his album That Special Part Of Me, followed in 1991 Dare to Dream. In the same year he participated also to Will Downing album Dream Fullfilled. 2006 was the CD Sack Full Of Dreams with George Gray, Marcus McLaurine, Gary Fritz, Mark Shim, Bob Devos and Obba Babatundé.
In addition, Gumbs has worked with numerous other jazz, rhythm and blues and pop musicians such as Norman Connors (1973 /4), Angela Bofill, Betty Carter, Dakota Staton, Jean Carn, Cassandra Wilson, Marlena Shaw, Sadao Watanabe, Stanley Jordan, Denise Williams, Vanessa Rubin, Jeffrey Osborne, Eddie Murphy, Rebbie Jackson and Gerald Albright along. In the late 1990s he was a member of the band of Talib Kibwe, on the album Another Blue ( 1998) he worked as a keyboard player; He also plays again with Roland Shannon Jackson Trio ( Puttin On Dog ). In 2000, he played with guitarist Kenny Burrell on the Concord album Lucky So and So; In 2001 he accompanied the singer Carmen Lundy ( This Is Carmen Lundy, 2001).
Disco Graphical Notes
- That Special Part Of Me 1988
- Dare to Dream, 1991
- Onaje, 1995
- Return To form, 2003
- Remember Their Innocence, 2005
- Sack Full Of Dreams, 2006