Made-in-Chicago ‘tough tenor’ Posted on July 27th
Chicago has produced more than its share of colossal tenor saxophonists, from past icons such as Eddie Harris and Gene Ammons to current masters such as Von Freeman and Fred Anderson.
Among them, Johnny Griffin stood out for the brilliance of his technique, the enormous scale of his sound and the explosive energy of his improvisations.
Mr. Griffin, 80, who for many listeners epitomized Chicago’s larger-than-life “tough tenor” sound, died Friday, July 25, near Poitiers, France, where he lived with his wife, Miriam, said his sister, Lita McClinton. He had suffered a stroke a few years ago, but continued to play and was scheduled to perform in Europe this weekend.
Though somewhat overlooked in the United States since he moved to Europe in 1963, Mr. Griffin began to play regularly again in Chicago, New York and other American jazz centers in the late 1970s, consistently startling listeners with the prowess of his work.
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