Odean Pope | |
|---|---|
 Odean Pope (1980) | |
| Background information | |
| Born | October 24, 1938 Ninety Six, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Tenor saxophone |
| Labels | Moers, CIMP, Soul Note, Porter, In+Out |
| Website | www |
Odean Pope (born October 24, 1938) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist.[1]
Pope was raised in Philadelphia, where he learned from Ray Bryant while young.[2] Early in his career, at Philadelphia's Uptown Theater, Pope played behind a number of noted rhythm and blues artists including James Brown, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder.[3]
He played briefly in the 1960s with Jimmy McGriff, and late in the 1960s he began working with Max Roach, including on tours of Europe in 1967-68. He was a member of Philadelphia group Catalyst in the early and mid-1970s, and assembled the Saxophone Choir, which consists of nine saxophones and a rhythm section (piano, bass and drums), in 1977. He became a regular member of Roach's quartet in 1979 and recorded extensively with him, in addition to numerous releases as a leader.
Pope has publicly spoken about his bipolar disorder, which he has had for over 30 years.[4]
Pope was quoted in 2001 as saying, "Every time I pick that horn up there's always something that I discover I can do differently if I really seek. If you were on planet Earth for, like, 2 billion years, I feel as though there's always something new that you can find to do. There's no end."[3]
With Max Roach
With Catalyst
With others
