Charles McPherson
Background information
Born	(1939-07-24) July 24, 1939 (age 84) Joplin, Missouri, U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instrument(s)	Alto saxophone
Years active	1960–present
Labels	Prestige, Mainstream, Xanadu, Arabesque

Charles McPherson (born July 24, 1939)^[1] is an American jazz alto saxophonist born in Joplin, Missouri, United States, and raised in Detroit, Michigan, who worked intermittently with Charles Mingus from 1960 to 1974, and as a performer leading his own groups.^[1]

McPherson also was commissioned to help record ensemble renditions of pieces from Charlie Parker, on the 1988 soundtrack for the film Bird.^[1]

In 2020, the JazzTimes magazine readers’ poll named McPherson Artist of the Year, and also selected his album Jazz Dance Suites as Best New Release.^[2]

Discography

As leader

• Bebop Revisited! (Prestige, 1965)
• Con Alma! (Prestige, 1965)
• The Quintet/Live! (Prestige, 1967)
• From This Moment On! (Prestige, 1968)
• Horizons (Prestige, 1969)
• McPherson's Mood (Prestige, 1969)
• Charles McPherson (Mainstream, 1971)
• Siku Ya Bibi (Day of the Lady) (Mainstream, 1972)
• Today's Man (Mainstream, 1973)
• Beautiful! (Xanadu, 1975)
• Live in Tokyo (Xanadu, 1976)
• New Horizons (Xanadu, 1978)
• Free Bop! (Xanadu, 1979)
• The Prophet (Discovery, 1983)
• Follow the Bouncing Ball (Discovery, 1989)
• Illusions in Blue (Chazz Jazz, 1990)
• First Flight Out (Arabesque, 1994)
• Come Play With Me (Arabesque, 1995)
• Live at Vartan Jazz (Vartan, 1997)
• Manhattan Nocturne (Arabesque, 1998)^[3]
• But Beautiful (Venus, 2004)
• Charles McPherson with Strings (Clarion, 2005)
• The Journey (Capri Records, 2015)
• Jazz Dance Suites (Chazz Mack, 2020)

As sideman

With Barry Harris

• Newer Than New (Riverside, 1961)
• Bull's Eye! (Prestige, 1968)
• Stay Right with It (Milestone, 1978)
• Tokyo 1976 (Xanadu, 1980)

With Charles Mingus

• Mingus (Candid, 1961)
• Mingus at Monterey (Jazz Workshop, 1965)
• Music Written for Monterey 1965 (Jazz Workshop, 1966)
• My Favorite Quintet (Fantasy, 1964)
• Let My Children Hear Music (Columbia, 1972)
• Charles Mingus and Friends in Concert (Columbia, 1973)
• Mingus at Carnegie Hall (Atlantic, 1974)
• The Complete Town Hall Concert (United Artists, 1983)
• The Complete Candid Recordings of Charles Mingus (Mosaic, 1985)
• Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife (Columbia, 1988)
• Charles Mingus Sextet Paris, TNP October 28th 1970 (Ulysse Musique, 1988)
• Live in Chateauvallon, 1972 (France's Concert, 1989)
• Charles Mingus in Paris: The Complete America Session (Sunnyside, 2007)
• Pithycanthropus Erectus (America, 1971)
• Reincarnation of a Lovebird (Prestige, 1974)
• Something Like a Bird (Atlantic, 1980)

With others

• Pepper Adams, Pepper Adams Plays the Compositions of Charlie Mingus (Workshop Jazz, 1964)
• Toshiko Akiyoshi, Just Be Bop (Discomate [Japan], 1980)
• Ray Appleton, Killer Ray Rides Again (Sharp Nine, 1996)
• Jeannie & Jimmy Cheatham, Sweet Baby Blues (Concord Jazz, 1985)
• Kenny Drew, For Sure! (Xanadu, 1981)
• Clint Eastwood, Eastwood After Hours: Live at Carnegie Hall (Warner Bros., 1997)
• Art Farmer, The Many Faces of Art Farmer (Scepter, 1964)
• Lionel Hampton, At Newport '78 (Timeless, 1980)
• Eddie Jefferson, Come Along with Me (Prestige, 1969)
• Eddie Jefferson, There I Go Again (Prestige, 1980)
• LaMont Johnson, New York Exile (Masterscores, 1980)
• Bobby Jones, Arrival of Bobby Jones (Cobblestone, 1972)
• Sam Jones, Cello Again (Xanadu, 1976)
• Dave Pike, Bluebird (Timeless, 1989)
• Jimmy Raney, The Complete Jimmy Raney in Tokyo (Xanadu, 1988)
• Red Rodney, Bird Lives! (Muse, 1974)
• Sonny Stitt & Don Patterson, Sonny Stitt/Don Patterson Vol. 2 (Prestige, 1998)
• Charles Tolliver, Impact (Strata-East, 1976)
• Charlie Parker, Bird (CBS, 1988)
• Don Patterson, Boppin' & Burnin' (Prestige, 1968)
• Don Patterson, Funk You! (Prestige, 1968)
• Larry Vuckovich, City Sounds, Village Voices (Palo Alto, 1982)
• Larry Vuckovich, Blues for Red (Hothouse, 1985)
• Dee Dee Bridgewater, Prelude to a Kiss: The Duke Ellington Album (Phillips, 1996)