Buddy Tate; Played Tenor Sax in Basie Orchestra

Saxophonist Buddy Tate, a leading member of the Count Basie Orchestra in the 1940s, has died.

Tate died Saturday in Chandler, Ariz. He was 87.

Considered by many critics to be one of the more distinctive players to emerge from the swing era, the tenor sax-playing Tate was known for having a big tone and an excellent command of upper register harmonics.

He joined the Basie band briefly in the mid-1930s and again in 1939 as a replacement for another prominent saxophonist, Herschel Evans. In his second tour with Basie, Tate stayed until the late 1940s.

Born in Sherman, Texas, George Holmes Tate started out playing alto saxophone in a number of bands between 1927 and 1939.

Some years after leaving Basie, he formed his own group, which was resident at the Celebrity Club in Harlem for nearly 20 years.

In the 1970s and ‘80s, he played with the Illinois Jacquet-led Texas Tenors and appeared at jazz festivals in Europe and on college campuses around the country.

Tate recently moved to Arizona from New York state to be closer to his family. He is survived by his daughters, Georgett and Josie, and several grandchildren.