Although he was a talented alto saxophonist, he never made it big. Frank Strozier is a great hard-bop stylist who has a sound that recalls Jackie McLean’s. Strozier was one of the many great jazzmen who grew-up in Memphis. He played with other Memphis musicians, including Booker Little, Harold Mabern and George Coleman, even after he moved from Memphis to Chicago in 1954. From 1959-1960, he recorded with the MJT 3 and also led sessions for Vee Jay. Strozier moved to New York in 1963. He was briefly with Miles Davis Quintet (between Hank Mobley u0026 George Coleman), and gigged with Roy Haynes before moving to Los Angeles. He worked with Shelly Manne and Chet Baker during his time in Los Angeles. “Blues” is from Ellis’ Autumn album. In 1971, he returned to New York and worked with the Jazz Contemporaries, New York Jazz Repertory Company and Horace Parlan. However, he didn’t get the recognition he deserved. Frustrated by his lack of work, Strozier briefly returned to New York as a pianist but little else. Frank Strozier’s Vee Jay recordings, which include a lot of additional material, have been reissued on CD. His Jazzland dates (1961-1962) are still out of print. He also led sessions for Trident (1972-1977) and SteepleChase (1976-1977). Allmusic
