Craig Handy

"What distinguishes Handy's work is that, unlike dozen of his
contemporaries he wastes no notes. He reveals in every solo an
elegantly intelligent structure. And Handy always finds lyricism in the
eye of a hurricane." (Thomas Conrad - CD Review)

Biography

From the time he arrived in New York at age 23 in 1986, saxophonist Craig Handy was acknoledged as a musician with big, burly tenor sound, sharp wit, and above all, individuality. Over the next few years he would breath life into those accolades through a number of important associations: holding his own on the front line of legendary bebop drummer Roy Haynes' band, working with South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, and weaving sensuous obbligati behind Betty Carter on the kind of tunes most young artist are presumed not to understand. Handy has also contributed a Mingus-like brash and confidence tone to the Mingus Dynasty $BK
(Ban association which led to another imporatnt connection. !I was playing with Mingus Dynasty at the Bottom Line when I first met Bill Cosby," Handy recounts. "He came up and introduced himself and said that he was going to call me. I thought $BAZ(Beah, right.$BC(B Cosby did call Handy, and invited him to be the featuerd artist on the recording of the theme for the "Cosby Show" for the 1989-90 season. Handy would also go on to score, produce and perform the music for the 1994-95 season of "The Cosby Mysteries". It wasn$BCU(B long after the lesson of his New York apprenticeship that Handy made his recording debut as a leader. In 1992 the Arabesque label released "Split Second Timing," an album named after something Handy heard onstage nightly during his tenure in Art Blakey's band in 1989. "Blakey used to sasy the music came from the creator to the artist, direct to you the audience with split-second timing." Recalled Handy. Two years later in 1994, also for Arabesque, Handy recorded "Introducing Three For All + One." Featuring the saxophonist primarily in trio with bassist Charles Fambrough and drummer Ralph Peterson, "Three For All" was acclaimed by CD Review as "one of the leanest, meanest groups playing jazz." Born in Oakland, California on September 25, 1962, Handy played guitar, trombone, and piano before he fell in love with the saxophone after hearing Dexter Gordon on the radio. "I was captivated by the deepness and the richness, the robustness of Gordon's tone," says Handy. "The directness of his ideas also impressed me." AMore recently, Handy appeared on two recordings for the "Chartbusters," a band comprised of Handy, alto saxophonist Donald Harrison, organist Dr. Lonnie Smith and drummer Idris Muhammad. Released in 1995 on the NYC label, the group's first disc, the critically acclaimed "Chartbusters! Volume 1," paid homage to the Blue Note records of the late 0s and 0s. "Mating Cal," the groups second album which was co-produced by Handy, has been released by Prestige. In the fall of 1996, Handy can be seen on the big screen in the Robert Altman film titled "Kansan City," portraying a character based on the late Coleman Hawkins. Also in 1996, Handy can be seen touring with one of the most prominent voices in modern jazz pianist Herbie Hancock. Handy will undoubtedly fulfill many more dreams, as he strives to contribute his own perfect choruses to jazz history.