American jazz musician, tenor saxophone, flute, and bass clarinet player, was born 29 April 1940 in Covington, Georgia. He died 14 November 1992 in New York City. His unique singing was another highlight. His work with Charles Mingus and Gil Evans, Roy Haynes, and the quartet he co-led along with Don Pullen (bassist Cameron Brown, drummer Dannie Richmond) are his most well-known achievements. George Adams’s musical roots were in blues and American popular music (especially Black). His greatest influences as a saxophonist were Rahsaan Roland, who he played with in Mingus’s band, and the adventurous edginess that John Coltrane, and Albert Ayler. He was a great performer, with a lot of passion and intensity as well as lyricism. He was so strong that he could bend over backwards to play, nearly landing on his back, but he managed to stay upright. His singing ranged from wild, wailing blues and heartfelt, moving ballads. Adams and Pullen had a common musical vision. Their quartet easily straddled the spectrum from rhythm and blues, to the avant-garde. The quartet was also known as the “George Adams Quartet-Don Pullen Quartet”, or the “Don Pullen-George Adams Quartet”. Pullen, who recorded Ode To Life by his African-Brazilian connection, dedicated the album to Adams’ memory, highlighting the beautiful ballad “Ah George. We Hardly Knew Ya”. Blue Note recorded America as one of Adams’s last recordings. The album features classic American songs such as “TENNESSEE WALTZ”, and “YOU ARE MY SOUNDSHINE” along with a few original songs. Adams’s positive outlook on America and the blessings it has given him is evident in this album. It also contains “The Star Spangled Banner”, and “AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL”. George Adams was part of the group that performed Epitaph by Charles Mingus. Text contributed by users is available under Creative Commons By–SA License. It may also be available under GNU FDL.
