Frank Lowe

The Last Post
Frank Lowe
Tenor Saxophone
June 24, 1943; Memphis, TN - September 19, 2003; New York, NY
"Powerful, Undersung Free Jazz Tenorman"
by Todd S. Jenkins [edited for this web page by A. Griffen]
Copyright © 2003 Todd S. Jenkins
Woefully undersung until recently, Frank Lowe was a ferociously energetic tenor saxophonist ... principally remembered for his work with [Alice Coltrane, Sun Ra, Rashied Ali, Don Cherry, and his own prolific output of albums issued under his own name]. in the past few years he had seen a strong return to the limelight, abruptly ended when he lost his long battle with lung cancer.
At the age of twelve Lowe took up the saxophone. He studied under Packy Axton, an owner of soul label Stax Records who hired Lowe to work [in the record shop in front of the Stax studio. Lowe had all kinds of records available to listen to, and also got to check out house rhythm section, Booker T. and the MGs on a daily basis]. After [briefly attending] the University of Kansas, Lowe went to San Francisco and immersed himself in the Bay Area's free jazz movement. [Multi-instrumentalist] Donald Rafael Garrett and [saxophonist] Sonny Simmons ... tutored Lowe and encouraged him to head for New York. A meeting with Ornette Coleman cinched the deal, and soon Lowe was hunting for work in the Big Apple.
One of Lowe's first employers in New York was Sun Ra, in whose Arkestra Lowe [worked] for two years. An opportunity to record with Alice Coltrane, the widow of [one of his heroes], led to a fruitful relationship with drummer Rashied Ali. Lowe and Ali recorded the masterpiece Duo Exchange in 1973 for Ali's Survival Records label, announcing to the world that a bold new voice on tenor sax was emerging. In that same year Lowe recorded his debut as a leader, Black Beings, for the ESP label. The record featured [a young William Parker], and Joseph Jarman of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, another prime influence on the young saxophonist.
During the 1970s Lowe cut several more albums ... Check out his expansive discography here: http://www.mindspring.com/~scala/lowe.htm
Trumpeter Don Cherry was a fast friend, utilizing Lowe's expansive knowledge of jazz forms on some fine albums and the soundtrack to "The Holy Mountain". Lowe also produced and performed in his own film, "Street Music". His ambitions and love of all musical forms led Lowe to experiment with everything from orchestras to flat-out weirdness, the latter exemplified by Don't Punk Out (1980, QED) with guitarist Eugene Chadbourne.
In the late 70s Lowe began collaborating with violinist Billy Bang, often in the Jazz Doctors. After his solid 1984 album Decision in Paradise (Soul Note), [featruing Don Cherry, Grachan Moncur III, Geri Allen, Charnett Moffett, and Charles Moffett], Lowe took time off from the recording studio to gig and work out some health issues that had begun to plague him. He returned in mighty fashion in 1991 with Saxemble, a saxophone quartet featuring [Carlos Ward, Michael Marcus, and] the young lion, James Carter. The group released Inappropriate Choices (1991, ITM) and was later expanded to a sax sextet plus drummer Cindy Blackman.
[Later Lowe made three recordings for CIMP]. Despite his battle with lung cancer, Lowe was in ... strong form on those dates and began to reclaim his audience after too long away from the spotlight. His last recording was 2002's Lowe-Down and Blue (CIMP) with guitarist Bern Nix, bassist Dominic Duval, and his longtime friend, drummer Michael Carvin.
On September 19, 2003, Frank Lowe succumbed to the lung cancer that had plagued him for several years. He leaves behind a variegated body of recordings and memorable performances that will no doubt continue to inspire adventurous jazzmen for years to come.
(Todd S. Jenkins is a member of the JJA, author of Free Jazz and Free Improvisation: An Encyclopedia (Greenwood Press, 2004) and I Know What I Know: The Music of Charles Mingus (Praeger, 2006), and a contributor to Down Beat, All About Jazz, American Songwriter and Route 66 Magazine.)