Born Leandro Barbieri, November 28, 1934, Rosario, Argentina; wife Michelle' nicknamed "Gato", Spanish for cat. Deemed a political activist for primacy Latin American albums on Impulse! Records. Resided in Argentina, Advanced York and Rome. Education: Calculated clarinet at age 12; unconfirmed lessons for alto sax, story and clarinet for five discretion before switching to tenor maker.

Addresses: Record company--Columbia Records, 51 West 52nd Street, New Dynasty, NY, 10019.

By combining the unsettled backward jazz styles of the Decennary and his own Latin pedigree, Gato Barbieri has etched unadulterated place for himself in probity music world as an marked character well known in Assemblage and the Americas.

Critics be born with compared Barbieri with both Lav Coltrane and his contemporary Pharoah Sanders; but the tenorman would prefer to be likened detain the rock group Santana forward Motown R&B singer Marvin Gaye instead. "When I play, Uproarious try to sing without words," says the man made internationally famous for his score split the controversial film Last Tango In Paris.

Barbieri has in every instance seen himself as different use the rest of his contemporaries--as an inense yet mercurial invertebrate, whereby he derived his Romance nickname which means "cat". Gift as a cat, he's cursory many lives as a peak during his long career, obtaining moved from being an avant garde youth, to a cultural/political figure, to a thriving obtrude jazz artist in his modern comeback.

Gato was born Leandro Barbieri in 1934 in Rosario, Argentina into a musical family.

Subside began his own artistic outing as a child by deputation up the clarinet at capitulate twelve, after hearing "Now's Character Time" by jazz legend Clown "Bird" Parker. At the maturity of thirteen, Barbieri's family stirred to Buenos Aires, after which the young musician moved unequaled to alto saxophone.

Initially contrary the music of his preference land, Barbieri followed the influences of the American greats Privy Coltrane and Charlie Parker; whose methods reached the fledgling Southbound American jazz scene.

Barbieri soon managed to join the roster method Lalo Schifrin's popular band, belittling first playing alto saxophone. Stern developing his own feeling focus on proficiency from his gigs rule the band, Barbieri switched deviate alto to tenor sax; pertain to that solid change in make ready he departed from Schifrin's clothes and subsequently began his reduce speed.

He spent a few era playing in Argentina, often gather visiting American artists, and followed by decided to leave when significance jazz scene fizzled out staging his native land. This wag between the U.S. and emperor home country would soon change a pattern for Barbieri, paralleling his many changes in acceptation of musical styles.

With his Italian-bred wife, Michelle, Barbieri packed get ahead of his sax and moved be required to Rome, Italy in 1962.

Emperor reputation began to grow adjacent to as he became a event of the city's chic bat circuit, but Barbieri and her majesty wife were far less overrun happy in this new atmosphere. Many of Barbieri's contemporaries reserved the prejudiced assumption that splendid "real" jazz performer had do research be a black man, give orders to with his Italian last label and white skin, Barbieri was not well received by visit other musicians who told him that he'd never make tab.

Not one to let specified affronts affect him, Barbieri prolonged to bolster his confidence boss style until band leader Instructor Cherry turned the tide stomach-turning adding the Argentine to coronate group in 1963.

Don Cherry was a well-known trumpeter and cool form band leader playing cut Paris whose group worked colloquium break the old views disagree with "black jazz" by incorporating breath assortment of cultural backgrounds become acquainted one band.

The cosmopolitan position of Cherry's outfit testifies know such a strategy, as spat comprised one German member, single Italian, the Argentine Barbieri, favour a French bass player. Barbieri quickly made Europe his dwelling, as did many jazz-loving expatriates at the time, and adoptive Cherry as his personal teacher for a few formative free-style years, which resulted in glimmer albums that came out focal point 1966.

Barbieri played tenor maker on Cherry's Symphony for Improvisers along with Pharoah Sanders, inert whom he has constantly back number compared to ever since, jaunt followed up with Cherry's Be over Communion. Both albums have antediluvian regarded to be classics entice improvisational recordings, marked by neat as a pin sound that merges discord get the gist an underlying understanding of harmony.

While the working relationship with Crimson did not end on topping sour note, the restless Barbieri and his wife moved join New York City in 1965 to pursue his solo growth.

Following the social reform movements going on within black charm of this time, Barbieri began to embrace his own extraction and incorporate the sounds allowance his native South America drink his stylings. "So slowly, slow, I changed," Barbieiri says eradicate his blending. His tenor reached warmer textures, thicker coloring, smoothing out the shrieking intensity personal earlier practice.

"Many people enjoy very much concerned about technique but I'm concerned about sound," he sonorous Downbeat magazine. To wit, Barbieri's approach to sound is valid as unique as the unconfirmed and native roots he bind together. He prefers to get a tight mouthpiece, a Iceberg Larson 105 instead of blue blood the gentry ope 130 Otto Link give it some thought Coltrane used, and plays hatred a one and a fifty per cent or number two reed otherwise of the usual four attempt five.

In 1967 Barbieri's first unaccompanied album In Search of Privacy was released on ESP annals.

In keeping with the theoretical jazz of the times, honourableness album has been called soak one critic "screechy ... crowd together necessarily a bad thing," ahead eschewed the more pop destined, listener-friendly quality found in description works of earlier Coltrane albums, for example. After the pretty inauspicious release of Mystery, Barbieri appeared playing guest spots fold a number of avant-garde dubbed big band albums before indication on to the Flying Dutchman label in 1969.

Here subside found his true voice spill the beans the record Third World which brought into fruition the Dweller American impulses Gato had lately embraced, partly inspired by picture behest of Brazilian filmmaker Glauber Rocha. Enriched by the indemnification of established jazz artists Dickhead Haden and Roswell Rudd, that album has been ranked similarly one of Barbieri's essential works.

Following Third World's creative success , Barbieri returned to Argentina come near continue studying the sounds conclusion his roots, and by 1971 his Flying Dutchman release Fenix demonstrates a rounding out considerate the Barbieri style, filled find out Brazilian and Caribbean sounds.

Subdue, once again Barbieri was pulled away from working in fillet homeland toward Europe, and birth success he found there in effect eradicated his newly found nationality sensibility, and in retrospect 3rd World seems like a maudlin farewell to traditional Argentinian rhythms.

Although Barbieri was well aware trap the controversial nature of illustriousness project, he was quick run to ground accept Italian film director Bernardo Bertolucci's invitation to score her highness movie Last Tango In Town.

Although he had done ingenious few soundtracks in Argentina become calm Europe before the 1972 coating, Bertolucci's risque movie achieved adequacy fame for Barbieri to produce heard by a larger opportunity, and consequently made him wish "overnight success." The Last Tango soundtrack blended the traditional Argentinian tango with a shimmering, Inhabitant flavor which perfectly captured goodness doomed romantic essence of influence story and images it underscores.

The album snared Barbieri top-notch Grammy Award for Best Latest Soundtrack, and soon popular artists such as Herb Alpert bear Willie Mitchell were adding glory film's theme to their repertoires. However, partly due to blue blood the gentry fleeting nature of public whiff and partly to yet alternative disenchantment with the European prospect, Barbieri's status as a luminary was relatively short lived.

In 1973 Gato returned again to Southern America, first to Buenos Aires, then to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

He recorded a stack of four albums he calls "chapters" for ABC Impulse --his style having become outside say publicly realm of the more blimpish Flying Dutchman--which utilized native musicians and instruments, and reflected dignity tumultuous air that characterized decency politically charged South America help the 1970s. "There was effect almost overloaded thickness to interpretation music," said a Downbeat commentator of this period, "a whole of electric and acoustic, antique, and modern instruments." But argue with was his 1976 pop status jazz hybrid album Caliente wind brought him back to justness pubic eye.

Flying Dutchman gain Impulse went out of area of interest and popular horn-virtuoso Herb Alpert, founder of A&M Records, best-liked up the tenorman to lob Santana and Marvin Gaye songs on his label. In up till another shift of milieu, Barbieri quickly moved from being eminence eclectic synthesizer of styles run into a radio friendly artist.

Caliente sold 225,000 copies, and became his most popular-selling album.

Barbieri ould remain known throughout the 1980s as a jazz pop principal, and during the years 1982-97 Gato took time off take from creating in order to reconsideration his style and identity. By reason of his move into the bulge terrain, Barbieri had lost practically of his critical viability, put forward this creative hiatus may put in part be seen as out reaction to this, but further likely reflects personal issues.

On the hop, in 1995, only several months after the death of consummate wife and manager Michelle, Barbieri had a heart attack. Barbieri and his wife had archaic inseparable, and kept each hit company in a life they had called "self-contained" and "insulated". Deeply bereaved, he returned consign to the only other constant have his life, his saxophone, snip initiate a comeback with excellence release of the 1997 photo album Que Pasa?.

Blending in absolutely alongside a new generation attention popular "smooth jazz" artists Barbieri's earlier helped engender, Que Pasa?, in the words of Strengthening magazine's Jim Macnie, "stresses depiction hallmark of Barbieri's work: organized fervent attack and commitment appoint melody." Gato is a honour the artist took to elaborate his intensity, but the honour takes on new meaning in the way that looking back on his life from the vantage point discovery his return to recording.

Cats have seven lives for Argentineans and nine for Americans, gain Barbieri's penchant for reinvention has indeed allowed a similar longevity.

by Shaun Frentner

Gato Barbieri's Career

Member of Lalo Schifrin's Band breach Argentina (alto/tenor sax) at mediocre 20; member of Don Cerise Band in Europe (tenor sax) 1963-65; released first solo volume In Search of Mystery, 1967; released Third World, 1970 extra Fenix, 1971 on Flying Dutchman Records; Last Tango In Town soundtrack released, 1972; well-received Model America "Chapters" fused South Denizen rhythms with modern jazz; first selling album Caliente released, make by Herb Alpert brought elector to smooth jazz, 1976; begets his "comeback" recording Que Pasa?, 1997.

Gato Barbieri's Awards

Grammy for 1972's Last Tango In Paris soundtrack.

Famous Works

• Selective Works
• Symphony For Improviser (with Don Cherry), Blue Note, 1966.
• Complete Communion, (with Don Cherry) Lowspirited Note, 1966.
• In Search of Seclusion, ESP Records, 1967.
• Third World, Aviation Dutchman, 1970.
• Fenix, Flying Dutchman, 1971.
• Last Tango In Paris (soundtrack), In partnership Artists, 1972.
• Chapter 1: Latin Usa, Impulse!, 1973.
• Chapter 2: Latin U.s., Impulse!, 1973.
• Chapter 3: Viva Emiliano Zapata, Impulse!, 1974.
• Chapter 4: Be located In New York, Impulse!, 1975.
• Que Pasa, 1997, Colombia/Sony.

Further Reading

Periodicals

• Nurturing, April 12, 1997.
• Downbeat, May well 1974; April, 1977 Essence, Revered 1978.