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Gabe Baltazar – born in Hilo, Hawaii on November 1, 1929 – was an alto saxophonist, clarinetist, and flautist. The son of musician Gabriel Baltazar, Sr., he began studying reed instruments at a young age while his brother Nathan learned to play the trumpet. Initially focusing on the clarinet, he switched to the alto saxophone. During World War II, there were several big bands stationed in Hawaii. Influenced by jazz icons like Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Benny Carter, Johnny Hodges, Coleman Hawkins, he began playing professionally at the age of 14. After graduating from McKinley High School in 1948, Gabe Baltazar then traveled to the mainland and studied at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan for several months. Traveling to New York that year, he met Charlie Parker, his biggest musical inspiration. In 1950, he was drafted into the US Army during the Korean War and was stationed at Fort Belvoir in Washington D.C. until he was discharged in 1954. Gabe Baltazar then relocated to Los Angeles, California to continue his musical studies and record with Paul Togawa and Russ Morgan. After a brief stint in the Lighthouse All Stars (1959-1960), he was noticed by Stan Kenton who offered him the opportunity to replace Lennie Neuhaus in his orchestra, as solo alto saxophonist (1960-1965). One of the most important jazz formations at the time, he recorded 17 albums with the Stan Kenton Orchestra, two of which won Grammy Awards. The orchestra also accompanied high profile artists such as Nat ‘King’ Cole and Ann Richards. Gabe Baltazar left the orchestra in 1965 and recorded with many other jazz artists including Terry Gibbs, Oliver Nelson, Shelly Manne, Victor Feldman, Gil Fuller, James Moody, Onzy Matthews, and Don Ellis. In 1969, he moved back to Hawaii and led the Royal Hawaiian Band in Honolulu until 1985. During this period, he opened a jazz club, performed with Elvis Presley during the classic Aloha from Hawaii performance in 1973 and released his first album, Stan Kenton Presents Gabe Baltazar (1979). His next album as a leader was 1992’s Back in Action, which was credited to the Gabe Baltazar Quartet. That same year, he released the album Birdology, which was followed in 1997 by the album Gabe. In 1999, he joined trombonist Eddie Bert to form a quintet which released the album Live at Capozzoli's. Gabe Baltazar died on June 12, 2022, at the age of 92.
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