Onaje Allan Gumbs

Early life and career Gumbs was born in Harlem, New York, to parents who immigrated on the United States through the Caribbean. Gambs'mother was from Montserrat and the father, a NYPD officer, was from Anguilla.) During a driving trip, Gumbs was partial to Henry Mancini's music from films and television. Gumbs graduated through the State University of New York at Fredonia and throughout his studies was a member of a jazz ensemble organized from the students. In 1971, Leroy Kirkland introduced Gumbs to Detroit guitarist Kenny Burrell, to whom Onage gave a demo tape. The very next day, Gumbs received a telephone call to relax and play with Burrell in the Baker's Keyboard Lounge in Detroit. The work led to increase performances with major jazz musicians just like bassist Larry Ridley together with the Tad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra. Was developed 1970s, Gumbs replaced Nat Adderley Jr. in the current jazz ensemble Natural Essence, including Buddy Williams and T.S. Monk (drums and percussion), bassist Alex Blake and trombonist Earl McIntyre. Gumbs adopted the name Onaje noisy . 1970s; it indicates sensitive. He met his future wife, https://www.onajeallangumbs.com/ (reviews over at Onajeallangumbs) Sandra Wright, in 1971 in a short teaching job in Buffalo, New York. They married later that decade and remained married until Gumbs'death in 2020. Inside late 1970s, Gumbs signed with Woody Shaw and served as music director for R&B singer Phyllis Hyman. Later in their career, he worked extensively with Ronald Shannon Jackson, and 2013, after Jackson's death, Gumbs recorded a solo piano album composed of improvisations on Jackson's compositions. He later taught for the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in Manhattan and with the Litchfield Jazz Camp in Connecticut. "His collaboration with all the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York and the work while using Litchfield Jazz Camp in New Milford, Connecticut have allowed him to broaden his vision and shape young minds."

Later life On January 24, 2010, Gumbs suffered a stroke and was hospitalized for a few days. In December of that year, he released an album in Japan titled Just Like Yesterday. He was accompanied around the album by Omar Hakim, Victor Bailey, Marcus McLaurin, William S. Patterson and Chuggy Carter. Since that time, all visible signs of a stroke have disappeared. In February 2015, he was hospitalized for 2 weeks, but can recover and bring back to composing and performing. Onaje Allan Gumbs kicked the bucket on April 6, 2020 at the age of 70.