Gary Bartz

Gary Bartz was born on September 26, 1940 in Baltimore, where his parents owned a jazz nightclub. The alto saxophonist’s work demonstrated a command of both post-bop vocabulary and fusion innovation across more than 330 releases, from early recordings with Art Blakey to his 1970s creative peak with the NTU Troop. In 1958 Bartz left Baltimore to study at the Juilliard School, joining the Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop from 1962 to 1964 before replacing John Gilmore in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in 1965.

The saxophonist’s work with Miles Davis established his reputation in fusion circles. In 1970, Davis asked Bartz to join his band and perform at the historic Isle of Wight Festival, documented on the album “Live-Evil” (1971). The Prestige recordings showcased Bartz’s range: “The Shadow Do” (1975) and “Music Is My Sanctuary” (1977) incorporated funk elements over electric textures, while collaborations like “Ode To Super” (1973) with Jackie McLean on SteepleChase maintained hard bop precision. Bartz’s Milestone releases included “Another Earth” (1969) and the NTU Troop albums, which blended African music concepts with contemporary jazz-funk.

Beyond performing, since 2001, Bartz has been a professor of saxophone and jazz performance at Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio. The discography spans labels including Prestige, Blue Note, Milestone, and Catalyst, documenting a progression from modal post-bop through jazz-funk into recent collaborations with Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge.