Anthology

The Band:
Ted Nash – Alto Sax
Ron Horton – Trumpet
Paul Sikivie – Bass
Ulysses Owens – Drums

TED NASH is best known as a jazz composer and saxophonist. Born into a musical family, his father was trombonist Dick Nash, Ted started playing the piano at 7, and by the time he was 12, he was onto the clarinet and alto sax.

In high school, Nash studied improvisation with Charlie Shoemake. At 16, Nash was playing with the legendary Lionel Hampton. That gig landed him the opportunity to play with the Quincy Jones Band, and from there, he toured Europe, and appeared on three records by age 17.

Before long, Nash packed up and moved to New York City. It was there that he recorded his first album as a band leader, Conception. He also began his ten year association with the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra.

Nash was also an avid composer starting from the age of 15. In 1994, Nash received a commission from the Davos Musik Festival in Switzerland. This opportunity led to the formation of the group Double Quartet, and also his recording Rhyme and Reason. Jazz Times magazine voted the album the best release of 1999.

One of Nash’s most highly regarded associations is with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. In February 2010, his commission, “Portrait in Seven Shades” was released. Nash earned a Grammy nomination for Best Arranger for the piece.

Odeon is Nash’s eclectic group that has garnered much attention in the jazz world. In addition to leading his own groups and ensembles, Nash also is very instrumental in working with the Jazz Composers Collective.