Greg Tardy @ Saxquest - May 25, 2017

As the saxophonist who cut his teeth with legends like Elvin Jones and Andrew Hill, Greg represents a direct link to the masters who came before. While deeply rooted in the tradition, he continues to push the musical jazz envelope, just as his mentors did in their day.
Music is an expression of the soul and I always try to speak through my horn - Greg Tardy
In 1992, Tardy recorded his first solo project, Crazy Love. 1992 is also the year that he was picked up by Elvin Jones Jazz Machine, a relationship that lasted several years. During the time with the legendary Elvin Jones, Tardy felt that it was finally time to move to the Big Apple. In New York, he went on to perform and record with an extremely large array of prominent artists including: Tom Harrell, Dave Douglas, Wynton Marsalis, Jay McShann, Steve Coleman, Betty Carter, James Moody, Bill Frisell, Rashied Ali , John Patitucci, and many more. In 1999, Tardy began to play in various bands led by the great Andrew Hill; a relationship that has lasted many years and produced several highly acclaimed recordings. He has also performed and/or recorded alongside many other notable saxophonists, such as Joe Lovano, Mark Turner, Chris Potter, Dewey Redman, Ravi Coltrane, and many others. In more recent years, Tardy has gone full circle, bringing his clarinet out of retirement, using it on recordings by Tom Harrell, Ohad Talmor/Steve Swallow, Stefan Harris, and Andrew Hill.
“In my band, I try to explore new things, although I usually keep the tradition in the back of my head, as well. I really respect the tradition…but I try not to let it stop me from going for stuff that I hear. I also respect what’s going on now, in jazz-and it influences me.” In March 1998, Tardy’s first major label project as a leader was released for Impulse Records, Serendipity. He received great critical acclaim for this record and was nominated as Best Debut Artist for the New York Jazz Awards. In the fall he toured Europe on the Rising Stars Tour and when he returned he began to plan his next record. A casualty of the merger of Verve and GRP, he decided to record for a smaller label, J Curve Records. His third album, The Hidden Light, was released in April 2000 to rave reviews. In 2001, Tardy explored freer elements of jazz on a CD entitled, Abundance. Recorded on the Palmetto label, this CD also received much critical acclaim. Four years later, Tardy began recording for the Steeplechase label. His releases to date are: The Truth, Steps of Faith, He Knows My Name, The Strongest Love, Monuments, and Standards & More. His next release, Hope, is due out in January 2014. Tardy continues to perform internationally as well as teach at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.