Andrew White (September 6, 1942 – November 11, 2020) was an American jazz and R&B multi-instrumentalist (saxophone, oboe and bass guitar), musicologist and publisher.

Biography White was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, completing his public school education there. He returned to Washington, D.C., in September 1960 to attend Howard University. He graduated in June 1964, cum laude, with a Bachelor of Music degree, majoring in music theory, and with a minor in oboe. After his four years at Howard University, he attended the Paris Conservatory of Music, in Paris, France, on a John Hay Whitney Foundation Fellowship for continued study of the oboe.

As a saxophonist, White appeared on the jazz scene in September 1960, concurrent with his graduation from his studies at Howard University, when he appeared with Washington, D.C.'s J.F.K. Quintet (1961–63) which recorded two albums for the Riverside label. He later appeared with Kenny Clarke (1965), Otis Redding (1967), McCoy Tyner (1970), Elvin Jones (1980–81), Beaver Harris (1983), The Julius Hemphill Saxophone Sextet (1987), 'The Six Winds' a Dutch saxophone sextet (1999), and on his own Andrew White's ZORROSAX ALLSTARS, saxophone sextet (2002), and hundreds of personal solo appearances worldwide. These include solo performances at New York City’s Carnegie Hall (1974 and 1975), Lincoln Center (1990 and 1995), Town Hall (1975), The Kennedy Center, in Washington, D.C. (1970 through 2005), Paris, France’s Theatre du Chatelet (1980), La Vila (1995), and a 1994 solo tour of seven French cities.

As composer, publisher, conductor and saxophone soloist, White was presented at the Mass Double Reed Orchestra of 300 Double Reed Instruments at the 32nd Annual Convention of the International Double Reed Society, in June 2003, at the University of North Carolina, at Greensboro, North Carolina.

The ten-year career of White as oboist also included study at Tanglewood, Massachusetts, in the summers of 1963 and 1966, The Dartmouth Community Orchestra, at Dartmouth College, study and performance of contemporary music at The Center Of Creative And Performing Arts, at the State University of New York, at Buffalo, on two Rockefeller Foundation Fellowships, 1965–1967, and his final position as principal oboist with the American Ballet Theatre, from January 1968 through August 1970.

As an electric bassist, White's most viable career spanned the decade 1966-1976. He was primarily the electric bassist with the singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder, from 1968 through August 1970, concurrent with his position as oboist with the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra. He was the principal electric bassist with the popular singing group The 5th Dimension, from 1970 through 1976. Among his most memorable recordings as an electric bassist is with Weather Report's album, Sweetnighter, recorded in January 1973, on Columbia Records.

On May 14, 2006, White was the 2006 Gold Medal Honoree of the French Society of Arts, Sciences, and Letters, in Paris. He shares the award with past honorees including violinist-conductor Lord Yehudi Menuhin, trumpeter, Maurice André, composer Olivier Messiaen, and scientist-Nobel Prize laureate, Albert Schweitzer. White was the only American to receive this award for the year 2006.

Academic As a musicologist, White published many musicological offerings through his music publishing firm, Andrew’s Music, including The Works of John Coltrane, Vols. 1 though 14: 701 transcriptions of John Coltrane’s Improvisations. Andrew White "thoroughly and meticulously transcribed, encyclopeiasized, catalogued, documented, and self-published the most significant linguistic contributor to the jazz language in the history of jazz, John Coltrane," wrote Peter Occiogrosso, in The Soho News, New York (May 15, 1975). White's book on the music of John Coltrane, Trane and Me (1981), was also published in this manner.

On November 15, 2007, White was honored as a saxophonist by Howard University with the Benny Golson Master Award. He was presented in ceremony and concert, featuring the Howard University Jazz Ensemble (Fred Irby, Director), at Howard University’s Andrew Rankin Chapel.

Death White died on November 11, 2020, at an assisted-living facility in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Discography As leader

Title Year Series Label No. Andrew Nathaniel White III 1971 Andrew's Music AM-1 Live at the New Thing in Washington D.C. 1973 Andrew's Music AM-2 Live in Bucharest 1973 Andrew's Music AM-3 Who Got de Funk? 1973 Andrew's Music AM-4 Passion Flower 1974 Andrew's Music AM-5 Songs for a French Lady 1974 Andrew's Music AM-6 Theme 1974 Andrew's Music AM-7 Live at the Foolery in Washington D.C. Vol. One 1974 Live at the Foolery Andrew's Music AM-8 Live at the Foolery in Washington D.C. Vol. Two 1974 Live at the Foolery Andrew's Music AM-9 Live at the Foolery in Washington D.C. Vol. Three 1974 Live at the Foolery Andrew's Music AM-10 Live at the Foolery in Washington D.C. Vol. Four 1974 Live at the Foolery Andrew's Music AM-11 Live at the Foolery in Washington D.C. Vol. Five 1974 Live at the Foolery Andrew's Music AM-12 Live at the Foolery in Washington D.C. Vol. Six 1974 Live at the Foolery Andrew's Music AM-13 Collage 1975 Andrew's Music AM-14 Marathon '75 Vol. 1 1975 Marathon 1975 Andrew's Music AM-15 Marathon '75 Vol. 2 1975 Marathon 1975 Andrew's Music AM-16 Marathon '75 Vol. 3 1975 Marathon 1975 Andrew's Music AM-17 Marathon '75 Vol. 4 1975 Marathon 1975 Andrew's Music AM-18 Marathon '75 Vol. 5 1975 Marathon 1975 Andrew's Music AM-19 Marathon '75 Vol. 6 1975 Marathon 1975 Andrew's Music AM-20 Marathon '75 Vol. 7 1975 Marathon 1975 Andrew's Music AM-21 Marathon '75 Vol. 8 1975 Marathon 1975 Andrew's Music AM-22 Marathon '75 Vol. 9 1975 Marathon 1975 Andrew's Music AM-23 Spotts, Maxine and Brown 1976 De Here We is Again Andrew's Music AM-24 Countdown 1976 De Here We is Again Andrew's Music AM-25 Red Top 1976 De Here We is Again Andrew's Music AM-26 Trinkle, Trinkle 1976 De Here We is Again Andrew's Music AM-27 Ebony Glaze 1976 De Here We is Again Andrew's Music AM-28 Miss Ann 1976 De Here We is Again Andrew's Music AM-29 Seven Giant Steps for Coltrane 1976 De Here We is Again Andrew's Music AM-30 Live in New York Vol. One 1977 Loft Jazz Andrew's Music AM-31 Live in New York Vol. Two 1977 Loft Jazz Andrew's Music AM-32 Bionic Saxophone 1978 Loft Jazz Andrew's Music AM-33 Saxophonitis 1979 Loft Jazz Andrew's Music AM-34 The Coltrane Interviews Volume One 1979 The Coltrane Interviews Andrew's Music AM-35 The Coltrane Interviews Volume Two 1979 The Coltrane Interviews Andrew's Music AM-36 Fonk Update 1979 Weekend at the One Step Andrew's Music AM-37 I Love Japan 1979 Weekend at the One Step Andrew's Music AM-38 Have Band Will Travel 1979 Weekend at the One Step Andrew's Music AM-39 Petite Suite Francaise 1982 Andrew's Music AM-40 Seven More Giant Steps For Coltrane 1982 Andrew's Music AMC-41 Profile 1984 Andrew's Music AM-42 Far Out Flatulence 1988 Andrew's Music AMC-43 Andrew's Easy Listening Music Cassette 1989 Andrew's Music AMC-44 Nouveau Fonk 1999 Gigtime 2000 Andrew's Music AMCD-45 Andrew's Music Theme 1999 Gigtime 2000 Andrew's Music AMCD-46 Everybody Loves the Sugar 1999 Gigtime 2000 Andrew's Music AMCD-47 Keep on Dancin', Baby! 1999 Gigtime 2000 Andrew's Music AMCD-48 Fat Backin’ Vol. 1 2016 Fat Backin’ Andrew's Music AMCD-50 Fat Backin’ Vol. 2 2016 Fat Backin’ Andrew's Music AMCD-51 Fat Backin’ Vol. 3 2016 Fat Backin’ Andrew's Music AMCD-52 Fat Backin’ Vol. 4 2016 Fat Backin’ Andrew's Music AMCD-53 Fat Backin’ Vol. 5 2016 Fat Backin’ Andrew's Music AMCD-54 Fat Backin’ Vol. 6 2016 Fat Backin’ Andrew's Music AMCD-55 Fat Backin’ Vol. 7 2016 Fat Backin’ Andrew's Music AMCD-56 Fat Backin’ Vol. 8 2016 Fat Backin’ Andrew's Music AMCD-57 7 New York Bootlegs 2015 Andrew's Music AMCD-58 Saxophonitis/Bionic Saxophone 2016 Saxophonitis Wondersax Andrew's Music AMCD-59 Passion Flower/Who Got De Funk 2016 Saxophonitis Wondersax Andrew's Music AMCD-60 Fonk Update/Miss Ann 2016 Saxophonitis Wondersax Andrew's Music AMCD-61 I Love Japan/Have Band Will Travel 2016 Saxophonitis Wondersax Andrew's Music AMCD-62 Super Bonus Sampler 2016 Saxophonitis Wondersax Andrew's Music AMCD-63 Giant Steps Live -- All Around The World 2017 Andrew's Music AMCD-64 Mothballs 2019 M M and M Andrew's Music AMCD-65 Magical Genius 2019 M M and M Andrew's Music AMCD-66 Bio-Me 2019 M M and M Andrew's Music AMCD-67 Theme Fantasia 2019 Andrew's Music AMCD-68 Candid Cassettes Vol. 1 1983 Andrew's Music - Candid Cassettes Vol. 2 1983 Andrew's Music -

As sideman With Julius Hemphill Fat Man and the Hard Blues (Black Saint, 1991) Five Chord Stud (Black Saint, 1994) At Dr. King's Table (1997) The Hard Blues (Clean Feed, 2004)

With McCoy Tyner Asante (Blue Note, 1974) Cosmos (Blue Note, 1976)

With Weather Report I Sing the Body Electric (Columbia, 1972) Sweetnighter (Columbia, 1973) Forecast: Tomorrow (Columbia, 2006)

With others The 5th Dimension, Live!! (Bell, 1971) Beaver Harris, Beaver Is My Name (Timeless, 1987) Elvin Jones, Soul Train (Denon, 1980) Lloyd McNeill, Washington Suite (ASHA, 1970) Marion Williams, Standing Here Wondering Which Way to Go (Atlantic, 1971)

References

External links

American International Artists