Harold Vick

Born on April 3, 1936 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Harold Vick was a jazz saxophonist and flutist. Gifted a clarinet at the age of 13, he studied the instrument before turning to the tenor saxophone three years later. He began his performing career playing with R&B bands while he studied psychology at Howard University. He released Steppin’ Out, his first album as a leader, in 1963. Three years later, he returned as a leader with two releases in 1966: The Caribbean Suite and Straight Up. Harold Vick recorded two albums in 1967 but only Watch What Happens was released at the time (Commitment would not be released until 1974). Further albums include The Power of Feeling (released as Sir Edward/1973), Don’t Look Back (1974), and After the Dance (1977). During his career, he was an in-demand session musician and worked on albums by McCoy Tyner, Pharoah Sanders, Horace Silver, Grant Green, Jimmy McGriff, Bernard Purdie, and many others. As a live sideman, he played with Gene Ammons, Nat Adderley, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles, King Curtis, Dizzy Gillespie, and more. Harold Vick died of a heart attack on November 13, 1987.

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