Sahib Shihab
| Sahib Shihab | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Edmund Gregory |
| Born |
23 June 1925 Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | 24 October 1989 (aged 64) Nashville, Tennessee |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Saxophone |
| Years active | 1940s–1980s |
| Associated acts | Gene Quill, Phil Woods, Hal Stein, Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band |
Sahib Shihab (born Edmund Gregory; 23 June 1925, Savannah, Georgia – 24 October 1989, Nashville, Tennessee) was an American jazz and hard bop saxophonist (baritone, alto, and soprano) and flautist. He variously worked with Luther Henderson, Thelonious Monk, Fletcher Henderson, Tadd Dameron, and Dizzy Gillespie amongst others.
He first played alto saxophone professionally for Luther Henderson at age 13 and went on to study at the Boston Conservatory and to play with trumpeter Roy Eldridge. He played lead alto with Fletcher Henderson in the mid 1940s.
He was one of the first jazz musicians to convert to Islam and changed his name in 1947. During the late 1940s, Shihab played with Thelonious Monk and on July 23, 1951 he recorded with Monk for the Lp Genius of Modern Music: Volume 2. During this period, he also appeared on recordings by Art Blakey, Kenny Dorham and Benny Golson. The invitation to play with Dizzy Gillespie's big band in the early 1950s was of particular significance as it marked Shihab's switch to baritone.
On August 12, 1958, Shihab was one of the musicians photographed by Art Kane in his famous photograph known as A Great Day in Harlem.
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