Biography

Gary Bartz was born in 1940 in Baltimore, Maryland. He gained his early music education studying at Julliard in the late 1950’s. He would go on to receive further education and experience by playing in the bands of Eric Dolphy, McCoy Tyner, and Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop. He would also gain valuable experience as part of the Miles Davis Electric Band when they played in 1971 at the Isle of Wight festival. Gary Bartz contains a definite Coltrane influence in his playing, but he indeed finds his own voice on the instrument and shows his lyricism on his recordings spanning many genres. Among the collaborators already listed, Bartz has associated with many more including Roy Hargrove, George Cables, Dorothy Ashby, Reggie Workman, Billy Higgins, Woody Shaw, Rashied Ali, and Pharoah Sanders.