George Rufus Adams (April 29, 1940 – November 14, 1992) was an American jazz musician who played tenor saxophone, flute and bass clarinet. He is best known for his work with Charles Mingus, Gil Evans, Roy Haynes and in the quartet he co-led with pianist Don Pullen, featuring bassist Cameron Brown and drummer Dannie Richmond. He was also known for his idiosyncratic singing.
Biography
George Adams was born in Covington, Georgia, on April 29, 1940. He first started playing piano at the age of eleven and switched to tenor saxophone in high school.
Playing style
thumb|George Adams in Half Moon Bay, California, with the George Adams-Don Pullen Quartet, including Cameron Brown and Dannie Richmond, 3/13/88
Adams and Don Pullen shared a musical vision and their quartet straddled the range from R&B to the avant-garde. (The quartet was sometimes known as the "George Adams–Don Pullen Quartet", and sometimes as the "Don Pullen–George Adams Quartet".) After Adams' death, Pullen dedicated to his memory the 1993 CD Ode To Life, recorded by his African-Brazilian Connection, and in particular the ballad "Ah George, We Hardly Knew Ya".
One of Adams' last recordings was America on the Blue Note label. This album consists of classic American songs like "Tennessee Waltz", "You Are My Sunshine" and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" as well as a few original songs that articulate Adams' positive view of his country and the gifts it had given him. It also includes "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "America the Beautiful".
Adams was a member of the band that played Epitaph by Charles Mingus.
Discography
As leader
- Jazz a Confronto 22 (Horo, 1975)
- Suite for Swingers (Horo, 1976)
- Paradise Space Shuttle (Timeless Muse, 1979)
- Sound Suggestions (ECM, 1979)
- Hand to Hand – with Dannie Richmond (Soul Note, 1980)
- Melodic Excursions – with Don Pullen (Timeless, 1982)
- Gentlemen's Agreement – with Dannie Richmond (Soul Note, 1983)
- More Sightings – with Hannibal Peterson (Enja, 1984)
- Nightingale (Blue Note, 1989)
- America (Blue Note, 1989)
- Old Feeling (Something Else, 1991)
As the George Adams-Don Pullen Quartet
- All That Funk (Palcoscenico, 1979)
- More Funk (Palcoscenico, 1979)
- Don't Lose Control (Soul Note, 1979)
- Earth Beams (Timeless, 1981)
- Life Line (Timeless, 1981)
- City Gates (Timeless, 1983)
- Live at the Village Vanguard (Soul Note, 1983)
- Live at the Village Vanguard Vol. 2 (Soul Note, 1983)
- Decisions (Timeless, 1984)
- Live at Montmartre – with John Scofield (Timeless, 1985)
- Breakthrough (Blue Note, 1986)
- Song Everlasting (Blue Note, 1987)
With Phalanx
- 1986 Got Something Good for You (Moers Music)
- 1987 Original Phalanx (DIW)
- 1988 In Touch (DIW)
As sideman
With Gil Evans
- There Comes a Time (RCA, 1975)
- Priestess (Antilles, 1977)
- Gil Evans Live at the Royal Festival Hall London 1978 (RCA, 1979)
- 1981 Lunar Eclypse (live in Europe 1981)
- Live at Sweet Basil (Gramavision, 1984 [1986])
- Live at Sweet Basil Vol. 2 (Gramavision, 1984 [1987])
- 1987 Live at Umbria Jazz: Volume 1 and 2
With Craig Harris
- Black Bone (Soul Note, 1983)
- 4 Play (JMT, 1991)
With Roy Haynes
- Hip Ensemble (Mainstream, 1971)
- Senyah (Mainstream, 1972)
With Cecil McBee
- Mutima (Strata-East, 1974)
With Charles Mingus
- Mingus Moves (Atlantic, 1973)
- Mingus at Carnegie Hall (Atlantic, 1974)
- Changes One (Atlantic, 1974)
- Changes Two (Atlantic, 1974)
With New York Unit
- Oleo (CBS/Sony, 1989)
- Blue Bossa (Paddle Wheel, 1990)
- Tribute to George Adams (Paddle Wheel, 1991)
With Don Pullen
- Jazz a Confronto 21 (Horo, 1975)
- Tomorrow's Promises (Atlantic, 1977)
With James Blood Ulmer
- Revealing (In + Out, 1977)
With McCoy Tyner
- The Greeting (Milestone, 1978)
- Horizon (Milestone, 1979)
- Things Ain't What They Used to Be (Blue Note, 1989)
With Ravi Shankar
- Jazzmine (Polydor, 1980)