2 MFs by Gary Bartz

The winter of 1986 found me performing in residence at The Closet. A small
typical venue that served as a ‘jazz club’ in downtown Baltimore, Maryland. It was really more of a cultural center, because artists and lovers of music would meet there every week. I was in residence there for 2 and a half years. My band was one of my best. It usually consisted of Bob Butta- piano, Steve Williams-Drums (when he wasn’t performing with Shirley Horn), and Geoff Harper- Bass.

Many weeks I would have a guest artist perform with us. For the last
two weeks of 1986, my guest was my good friend Woody Shaw. Woody
came directly to Baltimore after coming back from a two month tour of
Japan. He was in excellent musical form as you will hear. Woody and I were
in many bands together including Max Roach and Art Blakey. Also, I was in his band and he was a member of my band at different times through the years. He was one of my closest ‘Musical Friends’.

Another one of my close musical friends was Freddie Hubbard. We met shortly
after having arrived in New York City. Freddie arrived in August 1958 and I moved to New York September 1958. We became friends almost immediately. We performed together in many different situations.

Freddie used to stop by The Closet whenever he was in Baltimore. Sometimes
he would sit-in and sometimes he would listen. Freddie happened to be in Baltimore at Ethel’s Place at the end of December when Woody was my guest at The Closet. Freddie would stop by after he finished his performance and we would hang.
He took a copy of the music you hear on this recording and he would comment
on it through the years. When I decided to release this recording he said he would love to write the notes for the cd. Unfortunately, he passed away before he finished them. I never saw what he was writing, but I know there was something about this recording that struck him as it does me whenever I listen to it. I hope you will feel the same way.

Much music power to the following: Bob Butta, Steve Williams, Geoff Harper, Henry Baker, Henry Baker Jr. Freddie Hubbard, Micky Fields, everyone whoever visited The Closet including Dizzy Gillespie, Walter Davis Jr. John Lee, Junior Cook, Grachan Moncur, Bill Hardman, Larry Willis, Nasar Abadey, George Gray, Billy Murphy, George Colligan,

Music power,
Gary Bartz

Recorded at The Closet 000 Franklin Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland

Gary Bartz- Alto Saxophone
Woody Shaw- Trumpet
Bob Butta-Piano
Steve Williams-Drums
Geoff Harper-Bass

The Closet-Henry Baker & Henry Baker Jr.

Recorded by Bob Butta
December 1986

An American jazz saxophonist recording since the early 1960s. Jazz critic Stanley Crouch called Bartz "one of the very best who has ever picked up the instrument".