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Click here for Spanish bio. Saxophonist, composer, producer, and educator Greg Osby has made an indelible mark on contemporary jazz, as a leader of his own ensembles and as a guest artist with other acclaimed jazz groups for the past 20 years. His recorded works and live performances have earned numerous awards and critical acclaim. St. Louis, 1975: Greg begins his professional music career after three years of private studies on clarinet, flute, and alto saxophone. Even as a child, Greg felt drawn to the performing arts. By his secondary school years, he was heavily involved in local blues and Jazz groups. In 1978, Osby furthered his musical education at Howard University in Washington, D.C, where he majored in Jazz studies. He continued his education in Boston, studying composition and arranging at the renowned Berklee College of Music from 1980 to 1983. Moving to New York, 1983: Osby quickly established himself as a notable and in-demand sideman for artists as varied as Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, Jack DeJohnette, Andrew Hill, Muhal Richard Abrams, Jim Hall, and Jaki Byard. He played extensively with many ethnic and new music ensembles, in the New York area as well as throughout Europe and Japan. An obscure German label, creative free rein, a lengthy tenure: In 1987, Osby signed his first recording deal with the German label, JMT (Jazz Music Today). There, he felt able to musically document life as he saw it; he recorded four CD titles for JMT. Then Osby signed with Blue Note Records in 1990, and recorded fifteen CDs there as a leader. New mission. New alliance: Osby established Inner Circle Music in 2007, stemming from a desire to be totally self reliant, autonomous and rid of the bindings of corporate decision making and hierarchy. From the pulse of the streets and the language of a generation, Osby has sketched numerous musical essays using the improvisational nature of Jazz as the connecting thread.
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