Sax titan Craig Handy returns home to Berkeley for an evening of original music and jazz classics with his all-star quartet. Craig Handy has been a major force on the jazz scene in New York and internationally for decades, performing with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Elvin Jones, Wynton Marsalis, Cedar Walton, and Freddie Hubbard. This hometown appearance features some of the great musicians of today including bassist Tarus Mateen, drummer Charles Haynes, and pianist Joe Warner.
Band Members and Instrumentation:
Craig Handy – Saxophone
Joe Warner – Piano
Tarus Mateen – Bass
Charles Haynes – Drums
Group Bio:
Born in Oakland, CA, saxophonist Craig Handy attended Berkeley High School’s reputable Jazz Program, and North Texas State University, where he won the coveted Charlie Parker Scholarship.
Handy moved to New York in 1986 and began several associations with formidable artists including Art Blakey, Roy Haynes, Abdullah Ibrahim, the Mingus Dynasty Band, Betty Carter, and Dee Dee Bridgewater.
In 1992 he lead his first of two recordings on Arabesque Records, “Split Second Timing”, which featured Ed Simon, Ray Drummond, Ralph Peterson, Jr., and Robin Eubanks. Two years later he followed up with “Introducing Three For All + One”, with Charles Fambrough and Ralph Peterson, Jr. In 1995, he continued playing with the new critically acclaimed band “Chartbusters”, featuring Donald Harrison, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and Idris Muhammad, and recorded two releases on the NYC and Prestige labels.
Handy toured with Herbie Hancock throughout 1996 to mid-1999, and led two more recording projects on the Sirroco label – 1999’s “Reflections in Change’ and 2000’s “Flow”. By this time he had amassed performing and recording credits with Cedar Walton, Elvin Jones, Joe Henderson, George Adams, Freddie Hubbard, and Wynton Marsalis.
Social Media Links
https://www.instagram.com/craighandy/
Proof of vaccination is no longer required for Covid-19. Masking is optional and masks are available upon request. The California Jazz Conservatory kindly requests that anyone feeling unwell refrain from attending in-person events of any kind.
This concert is sponsored by JAMBAR