Gary Meek

THIS DESCRIPTION OR BIOGRAPHY IS INCOMPLETE.  IT IS CENTRED AROUND THE PERIOD OF THE ARTIST'S WORK WITH MELT2000/B&W MUSIC

Born in Encino, California, on March 16, 1961, Gary Meek's natural musical talent led him to pick up a variety of instruments at an early age. He started playing the piano at the age of five and working through his father's record collection. After hearing his dad's copy of 'Begin The Beguine' by Artie Shaw, young Gary decided to play the clarinet. He played both piano and clarinet in Junior High School, but found upon entering High School that in order to join the jazz band, he would have to learn saxophone and flute, too.
After graduating from High School, and while a student at the Dick Grove School of Music (1979 - 1980), Gary joined the Los Angeles Jazz Workshop, swinging his sax in a big band once a week. He played saxophone and keyboards at weddings, parties and in nightclubs until, at the age of 25, his big break came with a gig with Dionne Warwick's band on a worldwide tour in 1986.
The following year, Gary met Airto and Flora and discovered musical soul mates. "They offered me my first major road gig," he recalls, "and the challenge of adapting to Brazilian music, which I had never played before". For four years Gary toured the world with the two legendary Brazilian jazz artists, appearing on their albums and with The Gods of Jazz supergroup, with the likes of Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock.
In 1990, along with the guitarist Jose Neto, Airto, Flora and Gary formed a quartet known as Fourth World. Aside from his work with Fourth World, Gary has also appeared on approximately 50 records by diverse artists, including Sergio Mendez, Yutaka Yokokura, Kevyn Lettau, Frank Gambale, the Rippingtons, Dave Benolt, Alphonse Mouzon, Jeff Lorber and many others. In 1991, Gary recorded his first, self-titled solo album for Lipstick Records.
For his second solo album, his first for M.E.L.T (then B&W Music), Gary recruited a quartet and invited his colleague from Fourth Worl. José Neto to guest on guitar. The release of Time One in the Spring of 1995 was marked with a European tour which concluded with a triumphant residency at Ronnie Scotts in London where the Meek style, combining Latin and funk with jazz improvisations, drew great acclaim from the critics.
When not playing out, Gary lives in Woodland Hills, California, where he is usually to be found writing songs and plotting the next phase of his plan to affect the world with his own unique sound. He composes in his home studio with an assortment of keyboards, an Apple Mac computer and an a DAT recorder. For actual albums - the next is as yet untitled, but due in Spring, 1997 - he prefers working with real musicians.