Draft:Bob Graf

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Bob Graf (April 16, 1927 – August 27, 1981) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist from St. Louis, Missouri. He performed with Count Basie's small group in 1950, recorded with Woody Herman's Third Herd for Capitol Records and MGM Records in 1950–51, and recorded with Chet Baker's big band for Pacific Jazz Records in 1956. He was active in the St. Louis jazz scene across several decades.

Early life

Bob Graf was born on April 16, 1927, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Otto and Emily Graf. He was born and raised in St. Louis, where he developed his career as a tenor saxophonist.[1]

Career

Count Basie and early national work

Graf's early professional opportunities included work through trumpeter Clark Terry. Dennis Owsley's City of Gabriels: The History of Jazz in St. Louis 1895–1973 states that Terry was instrumental in bringing Graf into the Count Basie Septet in 1950, naming him alongside Ernie Wilkins as musicians Terry introduced to Basie's organization.[2]

In an oral history recorded for the Smithsonian Institution's Jazz Oral History Program, Terry recalled recommending Graf to Basie when Basie was seeking a tenor saxophonist. Terry described Graf as "a young caucasian kid named Bob Graf" and recalled Basie's response: "Get the kid." Terry said Graf then joined Basie's newly formed small group for an engagement at the Brass Rail in Chicago.[3][4]

Clarinetist Buddy DeFranco also recalled Graf's role in the Basie group, stating that the original tenor player in Basie's first group was "Bobby Graf from St. Louis" before Wardell Gray joined.[5]

In a 1995 interview published in Boundary 2, pianist John Hicks referred to Graf as a St. Louis tenor saxophonist associated with the Woody Herman tradition and described him as part of the "next generation of the Four Brothers."[6]

Woody Herman and major label recordings

Graf joined Woody Herman's Third Herd in 1950–51. The band recorded in Nashville on June 25, 1950, and Graf recorded eight sides for Capitol Records that month.[7] In January 1951 he recorded four additional sides for MGM Records. Owsley notes that Graf joined Woody Herman's band following his period with the Basie group.[2] Jazz writer Steve Voce identified Graf as the featured tenorist on the Capitol recording "Sonny Speaks," noting that he follows trombonist Bill Harris on the track.[8] On the January 1951 MGM sessions, Graf was teamed with fellow tenor saxophonists Phil Urso and Jack DuLong.[7] A 1957 Down Beat item identified Graf as "Bobby Graf, former Woody Herman tenor man."[9]

Pacific Jazz recording and West Coast work

On October 18, 1956, Graf recorded in Los Angeles with Chet Baker's big band for Pacific Jazz Records, a session that also featured Fred Waters on alto saxophone, Phil Urso on tenor saxophone, and Bill Hood on baritone saxophone.[7] Len Bukowski's liner notes for the Delmark Records release At Westminster describe Graf's playing as displaying "Lester Young's lyricism" and place him stylistically within the West Coast jazz tradition of the period.[10]

Film appearance

In 1958, Graf appeared as a performing musician in the Universal Pictures film The Big Beat.[11]

Delmark Records and the Westminster concert

On January 11, 1958, Graf performed at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, in a concert recorded by Robert Koester and later released by Delmark Records as part of the Underground Heroes series (DD-401), reissued on CD in 1992.[10]

Holy Barbarian and the Fallen Angel

In December 1959, Graf performed at the Holy Barbarian in St. Louis alongside guitarist Grant Green and organist Sam Lazar. City of Gabriels describes the Holy Barbarian as an important interracial venue in the St. Louis jazz scene. The book also identifies Graf as one of the twin tenors who defined the sound of the Fallen Angel club.[2]

A 1963 Down Beat item reported Graf leading a bossa nova quartet at the Fallen Angel in St. Louis, describing him as a "former tenor sax man with Chet Baker and Woody Herman."[12]

Later career

Graf recorded live in St. Louis with vocalist Bev Kelly and the Bob Graf Quartet. The recording appeared on VGM Records in 1981 (VGM 0007), the same year Graf died.[10]

Death

Bob Graf died on August 27, 1981, in St. Louis, Missouri, at the age of 54. He was a member of Local 2-197 of the American Federation of Musicians.[1]

Legacy

Graf is discussed in Dennis Owsley's City of Gabriels: The History of Jazz in St. Louis 1895–1973.[2] In 2026, jazz journalist Marc Myers published a retrospective feature on Graf in JazzWax, describing him as the first tenor saxophonist in the Count Basie Septet in 1950 and documenting his recordings with Woody Herman's Third Herd and Chet Baker's big band.[7]

Discography

  • At Westminster – Delmark Records, DD-401. Recorded January 11, 1958, Fulton, Missouri. Reissued on CD 1992.
  • You Go to My Head (with Bev Kelly and the Bob Graf Quartet) – VGM Records, VGM 0007. Released 1981.
  • Chet Baker Big Band – Pacific Jazz Records. Recorded October 18, 1956, Los Angeles.

References

  1. ^ a b "Obituary for Robert Paul Graf Sr.," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 28, 1981. https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-post-dispatch-obituary-for-rob/42621075/
  2. ^ a b c d Dennis Owsley, City of Gabriels: The History of Jazz in St. Louis 1895–1973, Reedy Press, pp. 67, 100, 109, 122, 123, 124, 129.
  3. ^ Clark Terry, interview, Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program, transcript p. 79. https://amhistory.si.edu/jazz/Terry-Clark/Clark_Terry_Transcript.pdf
  4. ^ Clark Terry, interview, Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program, transcript p. 80.
  5. ^ Buddy DeFranco, interview, Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program, transcript p. 47. https://amhistory.si.edu/jazz/DeFranco-Buddy/Buddy_DeFranco_Transcript.pdf
  6. ^ Jim Merod, ed., "Jazz as a Cultural Archive," Boundary 2, vol. 22, no. 2 (Summer 1995), p. 155. Duke University Press.
  7. ^ a b c d Marc Myers, "Searching for My Father, Bob Graf," JazzWax, May 7, 2026. https://www.jazzwax.com/p/searching-for-my-father-bob-graf
  8. ^ Steve Voce, "Woody Herman," Jazz Profiles (JazzProfiles blog), October 2018. https://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com/2018/10/woody-herman-by-steve-voce-part-5.html
  9. ^ Down Beat, April 18, 1957. https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/DownBeat/50s/57/Down-Beat-1957-04-18.pdf
  10. ^ a b c Len Bukowski, liner notes, At Westminster, Delmark Records, DD-401.
  11. ^ The Big Beat, Universal Pictures, 1958.
  12. ^ Down Beat, May 9, 1963. https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/DownBeat/60s/63/DB%201963-05-09.pdf

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