Pianist Onaje Allan Gumbs has been successful in a wide array of musical styles for more than thirty years, from arranging and performing pop and R&B tunes for Phyllis Hyman, Norman Connors and Noel Pointer, to blowing on top-notch straight-ahead stuff with Woody Shaw and Betty Carter, among others. And things in between. But it is songs like Lament" and the title cut to the new CD that exemplify a big part of what is behind the work of the masterful, if relatively unsung, musician. Dare to Dream (MCA, 1991), an early Gumbs album, and Remember Their Innocence, a 2005 Ejano release dedicated to the children of the globe caught in an uncertain world, portray in their wording that they speak about things beyond music. Owner of the feeling" is one of the Nigerian translations of Onaje." It suits his music, no matter what genre, and his warm spirit.
Veteran AAJ contributor R.J. DeLuke spoke with Gumbs recently about the pianist's long and varied career, focusing on his recent release, Sack Full of Dreams.
Check out Onaje Allan Gumbs: Music Heard, and Felt at AAJ today!
For more information contact All About Jazz.