Gregory Tardy

b. c. 1964, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Tardy studied classical clarinet as a child, encouraged by his parents, both of whom were opera singers. His mother, Jo Anne Tardy, after singing classical music became a gospel-influenced jazz singer. After switching to tenor saxophone, Tardy played with funk bands in Milwaukee before his brother urged him to listen to jazz, after which he was especially influenced by John Coltrane's recordings. He studied at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and at the University of New Orleans, along the way encountering Ellis Marsalis who became ...