Podcast 975: A Conversation with Charles McPherson, Part Two

Podcast 975 continues my conversation with the great Charles McPherson. A giant of the saxophone, Charles is a product of the rich jazz city of Detroit, where he was mentored by the late Barry Harris. His closest childhood friend was the future trumpeter Lonnie Hillyer; the two later played together with the iconic Charles Mingus, with whom McPherson would tour and record for more than a decade. McPherson and Hillyer lived just blocks from the famed Blue Bird Inn, a renowned jazz club where the house band included Harris, Pepper Adams, Paul Chambers, and Elvin Jones.

His new album Reverence pays a tribute to the late Barry Harris, as well as showcasing his top notch band featuring Terell Stafford on trumpet. We discuss the band and the tunes that make up Reverence, as well as The Lost Album at Ronnie Scott's, a previously unreleased album showcasing McPherson, Charles Mingus, a very young Jon Faddis, Bobby Jones, John Foster and Roy Brooks. That recording form shows in August 1972 at the famed London jazz club, illustrates McPherson's approach to playing his saxophone.