Seldon Powell (15 November 1928 – 25 January 1997) was an American soul jazz, swing, and R&B tenor saxophonist and flautist born in Lawrenceville, Virginia.
.jpg)
A veteran tenor saxophonist and flutist, Seldon Powell adjusted and honed his style over the years, being flexible enough to play anything from swing to hard bop and in between. He wasn't the greatest soloist, most ambitious composer, or most spectacular arranger; he was simply a good, consistent player who survived many changes and trends to remain active from the late '40s until the '90s.
Born in Lawrenceville, Virginia Powell’s first musical studies were at Brooklyn and New York Conservatories 1947-49. His first professional performance was in 1949 with the band of Betty Mays, then briefly with Tab Smith before joining Lucky Millinder and recording with him in 1950. During his military service (1951-2) he continued his playing career, playing in bands in France and Germany where he was stationed.
After receiving his discharge, he established himself in New York as a freelance and studio musician. At this time he formed associations with Sy Oliver and Erskine Hawkins, and recorded as a leader and with Neal Hefti (1955), Louie Bellson (1955), Friedrich Gulda (1956), Johnny Richards (1957-8), and the composer Billy Ver Planck (1957-8). He also graduated at the Julliard School in 1957.
In 1958 he traveled to Europe with Benny Goodman’s band and then he played briefly with Woody Herman. In the 1960’s he worked chiefly for ABC TV but he also played and recorded with Buddy Rich (1960), Bellson (1962-4), Clark Terry (1963), and Ahmed Abdul-Malik (1964).
His numerous recordings as a studio musician include many made in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s with soul and soul-jazz musicians, including Groove Holmes (c.1973), and sessions in the big bands that accompanied Gato Barbieri (1974) and Anthony Braxton and Dizzy Gillespie (both 1976). He performed as a principal soloist in Gerry Mulligan’s 16 piece orchestra at the JVC Jazz Festival, New York, in 1987. He recorded as a leader for Roost and Epic.
His last recording session as leader was for his album End Play in June 1993 followed by a session with Joe Wlder during August 1993.
Seldon Powell died 27th January 1997 in Hempstead, New York.
(Edited from the New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, AllMusic & Wikipedia)