Gary Meek

Gary Meek was born in 1961 in Encino, California. His father played piano recreationally. Meek attended El Camino Real High School, where he was active in the music department on clarinet, saxophones and keyboard. After high school he attended Los Angeles Pierce College and subsequently enrolled in the Dick Grove School of Music Professional Instrumental Program.

Meek began his career in the early 1980s playing woodwinds in the big bands of the Los Angeles Jazz Workshop, and keyboards and woodwinds for local club dates, weddings and private parties.{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-09-03-va-31146-story.html|title=Change of Focus|work=Los Angeles Times|last1=Stewart|first1=Zan|date=3 September 1993 |access-date=9 April 2016}} In the mid-'80s he toured with Dionne Warwick, playing keyboards.

In 1987, Meek began a two-decade association with Brazilian jazz artists Airto Moreira and Flora Purim. In 1990, joined by Jose Neto, they formed Fourth World. This band toured the U.S.,{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-10-01-vl-418-story.html|title=The Royal Couple of Latin Jazz|work=Los Angeles Times|last1=Woodard|first1=Josef|date=October 1992 |access-date=3 May 2016}} Europe,{{cite web|url=http://www.northseajazz.com/en/program/1993/friday-9-july/9537-airto-moreira-flora-purims-fourth-world|title=Airto Moreira & Flora Purim's Fourth World|website=northseajazz.com|publisher=North Sea Jazz Festival|access-date=3 May 2016}} Asia,{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BHqYxVK980|title=Fourth World Live in Tokyo|website=YouTube|date=6 September 2008 |publisher=NHK Television|access-date=7 May 2016}} South Africa and Eastern Europe for five years,{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1994/music/news/playboy-jazz-festival-features-debuts-vets-118715|title=Playboy Jazz Festival features debuts, vets|website=Variety|publisher=Variety Media LLC|last1=Ginell|first1=Richard|date=March 1994 |access-date=3 May 2016}} releasing a live album in 1992, Live at Ronnie Scott's. Three years later, Meek joined Herb Alpert's world tour in support of Alpert's Second Wind album.{{cite web|url=http://www.allaboutjazz.com/second-wind-herb-alpert-almo-review-by-aaj-staff.php|title=Herb Alpert: Second Wind|website=All About Jazz|date=January 1997 |access-date=9 April 2016}} The following year, Meek toured the U.S. and Europe playing saxes, flute and keyboards for Al Jarreau.

Meek's first album as a leader and saxophonist, 1991's Gary Meek, comprises 11 songs all written or cowritten by Meek. He has released four other solo projects to date, including Time One,{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/time-one-mw0000184857|title=AllMusic Review - "Time One"|website=AllMusic|publisher=All Media Netword|last1=Widran|first1=Jonathan|access-date=9 April 2016}} Live at Ronnie Scott's, Good Friends, and Step 7.{{cite web|url=http://jazztimes.com/articles/14148-gary-meek|title=Gary Meek - Step 7|website=JazzTimes|publisher=Jazz Times Inc.|last1=Tauss|first1=Lucy|access-date=9 April 2016}}

Through the 1990s and early 2000s, Meek began several enduring collaborations, some with artists who contributed session work for his solo efforts.{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-09-03-va-31146-story.html|title=Change of Focus : When he started to relate to his listeners more, West Hills' Gary Meek said he began to get more acceptance.|last=Stewart|first=Zan|date=1993-09-03|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035|access-date=2016-05-11}} After keyboardist Jeff Lorber appeared on Gary Meek, Meek played for several Lorber albums, including the Billboard Top 5 West Side Stories in 1994. Meek's first studio work for bassist Brian Bromberg, on 1997's You Know That Feeling, led to several tours and albums including Downright Upright, nominated for the "Best Contemporary Jazz Album" Grammy in 2007.{{cite web|url=http://jazztimes.com/articles/18721-downright-upright-brian-bromberg|title=Brian Bromberg: Downright Upright|website=JazzTImes|publisher=JazzTImes Inc.|last1=Milkowski|first1=Bill|access-date=3 May 2016}}

In 2000, Meek played saxophone for Green Day's album Warning, which reached No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard 200{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/2000-10-21|title=Billboard 200, Oct. 21, 2000|website=billboard.com|publisher=Billboard|access-date=6 May 2016}} and was certified gold by the RIAA.{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum|title=Gold and Platinum|website=RIAA.com|publisher=Recording Industry Association of America|access-date=6 May 2016}}

In 2003, Meek played woodwinds for the album Playful Heart{{cite web|url=http://jazztimes.com/articles/14577-playful-heart-oscar-castro-neves|title=Oscar Castro-Neves: Playful Heart|website=JazzTimes|publisher=JazzTimes Inc.|last1=Quinones|first1=Javier|access-date=3 May 2016}} by guitarist and bossa nova pioneer Oscar Castro-Neves.{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-oscar-castro-neves-20130930-story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007113351/http://articles.latimes.com/2013/sep/29/local/la-me-oscar-castro-neves-20130930|url-status=live|archive-date=October 7, 2013|title=Oscar Castro-Neves dies at 73|website=Los Angeles Times|last1=Chawkins|first1=Steve|date=30 September 2013 |access-date=3 May 2016}} The release, named one of that year's best albums by Downbeat, included an arrangement of "Four Brothers" that Castro-Neves wrote to feature Meek on all the woodwind parts.{{cite web|url=http://www.oscarcastroneves.com/albums.html|title=Albums|website=OscarCastroNeves|publisher=Oscar Castro- Neves|access-date=3 May 2016}} Meek was later featured on Castro-Neves' 2006 album All One.

File:DaveWecklAcousticBand.jpg

In 2002, Meek collaborated for the first time with drummer Dave Weckl for the Dave Weckl Band album, "Live (and Very Plugged In)"{{cite web|url=http://www.daveweckl.com/dwb.htm|title=Dave Weckl Band|website=daveweckl.com|publisher=Dave Weckl Music|access-date=9 April 2016}} and a subsequent world tour. He also played with Weckl for 2005's Multiplicity,{{cite web|url=http://jazztimes.com/articles/16235-multiplicity-the-dave-weckl-band|title=The Dave Weckl Band: Multiplicity|website=JazzTimes|publisher=JazzTimes Inc.|last1=Wynn|first1=Ron|access-date=3 May 2016}} and with Weckl and keyboardist Jay Oliver for Convergence in 2012.

In 2015, the Dave Weckl Acoustic Band{{cite web|url=http://www.daveweckl.com/otsm.htm|title=Dave Weckl Acoustic Band|website=daveweckl.com|publisher=Dave Weckl Music|access-date=9 April 2016}} released its debut album, Of the Same Mind, and subsequently touring in Europe,{{cite web|url=http://www.culturewhisper.com/r/article/preview/3765|title=The Dave Weckl Acoustic Band, Ronnie Scott's|website=CultureWhisper|publisher=Culture Whisper Ltd.|access-date=9 April 2016}} Asia and the U.S.{{cite web|url=http://www.nycjazzrecord.com/issues/tnycjr201604.pdf|title=Interview - Dave Weckl|website=nycjazzrecord.com|publisher=The New York City Jazz Record|last1=Micallef|first1=Ken|access-date=9 April 2016}} The band included Weckl, Meek, keyboardist Makoto Ozone and bassist Tom Kennedy.{{cite web|url=https://www.kuumbwajazz.org/20212-2|title=Dave Weckl Acoustic Band - Monday, February 1, 2016|website=Kuumbwa Jazz|access-date=9 April 2016}}

In 2017 Meek recorded Originals which was listed in Downbeat magazine's "Best Jazz Albums of 2018".{{cn|date=March 2024}}

Meek lives with his wife, Maureen, in the Monterey, California area, where he is a traveling clinician for the Monterey Jazz Festival.{{cite web|url=http://www.montereyjazzfestival.org/jazz-education/monterey-jazz-schools-artists|title=Jazz In the Schools Artists|website=Monterey Jazz Festival|access-date=3 May 2016}} He also teaches privately, sharing methods passed on to him by Phil Sobel, his teacher of more than 25 years.{{Cite web|url=http://saxstation.com/the-lindeman-method.htm|title=The Lindeman Method - SaxStation|date=2013-10-09|website=SaxStation|language=en-US|access-date=2016-05-11}} Meek collaborates globally through Internet recording sessions, and travels to Los Angeles for session work. He plays Cannonball saxophones{{cite web|url=http://cannonballmusic.com/gmeek.php|title=Cannonball Artists - Gary Meek|website=Cannonball Music|publisher=Cannonball Musical Instruments|access-date=9 April 2016}} and D'Addario reeds and mouthpieces.

Gary Meek:

• 1991 – Gary Meek (Lipstick)
• 1995 – Time One (B&W)
• 1995 – Live at Ronnie Scott's (B&W)
• 1997 – Good Friends (MELT 2000)
• 2002 – Step 7 (A440 Music Group)
• 2017 – Originals

Flora Purim:

• 1988 – The Midnight Sun (Virgin)
• 1994 – The Flight (B&W)
• 2001 – Perpetual Emotion (Narada; also coproduced)
• 2003 – Speak No Evil (Narada; also coproduced)

Airto Moreira:

• 1989 – Struck by Lightning (Virgin/Venture)
• 1993 – Airto and the Gods of Jazz: Killer Bees (B&W)

Airto Moreira and Flora Purim:

• 1988 – The Colors of Life (In+Out)

Fourth World:

• 1992 – Fourth World Recorded Live at Ronnie Scott's Club (Ronnie Scott's Jazz House)
• 1994 – Fourth World (B&W)

Jeff Lorber:

• 1993 – Worth Waiting For (Verve Forecast)
• 1994 – West Side Stories (Verve Forecast)
• 1996 – State of Grace (Verve Forecast)
• 2001 – Kickin' It (Samson)
• 2002 – The Very Best of Jeff Lorber (Verve/GRP)
• 2003 – Philly Style (Narada Jazz)
• 2005 – Flipside (Narada Jazz)
• 2008 – Heard That (Peak)
• 2015 – Step It Up (Heads Up)

Brian Bromberg:

• 1998 – You Know That Feeling (Zebra)
• 2005 – Choices (Artistry)
• 2006 – Jaco (Artistry)
• 2007 – Downright Upright (Artistry)
• 2008 – In the Spirit of Jobim (Artistry)
• 2009 – It Is What It Is (Mack Avenue/Artistry)

Green Day:

• 2000 – Warning (Reprise)

Dave Weckl Band:

• 2003 – Live (and Very Plugged In) (Concord)
• 2005 – Multiplicity (Stretch)

Dave Weckl and Jay Oliver:

• 2014 – Convergence (independent)

Dave Weckl Acoustic Band:

• 2015 – Of the Same Mind (independent)

{{Reflist}}

• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BHqYxVK980 "Fourth World Live in Tokyo - Time One"]. YouTube. NHK Television. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjTRfTu87vM "Dave Weckl Acoustic Band - Raw Footage - Europe '15"]. YouTube. Dave Weckl. Retrieved 10 May 2016.

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Category:1961 births

Category:American keyboardists

Category:American male saxophonists

Category:Living people

Category:El Camino Real High School alumni

Category:21st-century American saxophonists

Category:21st-century American male musicians

Category:Windows (band) members