Join the Arkadia Records
EMail List E-Mail Address:
In
his teens, Julian Priester played with blues and R&B artists such as
Muddy Waters, Dinah Washington, and Bo Diddley,
and had the opportunity to jam with jazz players like Max Roach,
trumpeter Clifford Brown, and saxophonist Sonny Stitt.
In the early 1950s Priester was a member of Sun Ra's big band,
recording several albums with the group before leaving Chicago in 1956
to tour with Lionel Hampton. By the late 50s he settled in New
York and joined the band of drummer Max Roach and also recorded
two albums as a leader, Keep Swingin' and Spiritsville
for Riverside, both of which came out in 1960.
In 1961 Priester left the Max Roach band, and during the decade
appeared as a sideman on albums by Freddie Hubbard, Stanley
Turrentine, Blue Mitchell, Art Blakey, Joe
Henderson, McCoy Tyner, and Sam Rivers. He also took
part in John Coltrane's Africa/Brass ensemble,
which played with Coltrane's quartet on the album by the same name
recorded in 1961. In 1969 he accepted an offer to play with Duke
Ellington's big band, and he stayed with that ensemble for six months
before leaving in 1970 to join pianist Herbie Hancock's fusion
sextet.
In the 1980s he became a member of the Dave Holland quintet and
also returned to Sun Ra's band; the 1990s saw the addition of
Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra to his schedule. In
addition to teaching and touring, Priester continues to record albums
under his own name. He released Hints on Light and Shadow
(with Sam Rivers and Tucker Martine) in 1997.
Because most of his career was spent touring and recording with
artists more significant than himself Priester has not received the
attention he perhaps deserves. His musical experience spans to the
borders of jazz and beyond, encompassing R&B, bebop, hard bop, and
progressive and free jazz.
In
his teens, Julian Priester played with blues and R&B artists such as
Muddy Waters, Dinah Washington, and Bo Diddley,
and had the opportunity to jam with jazz players like Max Roach,
trumpeter Clifford Brown, and saxophonist Sonny Stitt.