Oliver Lake (born September 14, 1942)[1] is an American jazz saxophonist, flutist, composer, poet, and visual artist. He is known mainly for alto saxophone, but he also performs on soprano and flute.[2] During the 1960s, Lake worked with the Black Artists Group in St. Louis.[1] In 1977, he founded the World Saxophone Quartet with David Murray, Julius Hemphill, and Hamiet Bluiett.[2] Lake worked in the group Trio 3 with Reggie Workman and Andrew Cyrille.[2] Lake has appeared on more than 80 albums as a bandleader, co-leader, and side musician. He is the father of drummer Gene Lake. Lake has been a resident of Montclair, New Jersey.[3]
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Lake at Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society, Half Moon Bay, CA, 3/6/88
As leader or co-leader
- Heavy Spirits (Arista/Freedom, 1975)
- Passing Thru (Passin' Thru, 1974)
- Holding Together (Black Saint, 1976)
- Ntu: Point from Which Creation Begins (Arista/Freedom, 1976)
- Buster Bee (Sackville, 1978)
- Life Dance of Is (Arista Novus, 1978)
- Shine! (Arista Novus, 1979)
- Clevont Fitzhubert (Black Saint, 1981)
- Prophet (Black Saint, 1981)
- Jump Up (Gramavision, 1982)
- Plug It (Gramavision, 1983)
- Expandable Language (Black Saint, 1985)
- Gallery (Gramavision, 1986)
- Dancevision (Blue Heron, 1986)
- Impala (Gramavision, 1987)
- Otherside (Gramavision, 1988)
- Again and Again (Gramavision, 1991)
- Boston Duets (Music & Arts, 1992)
- Virtual Reality (Total Escapism) (Gazell, 1992)
- Zaki (hat ART, 1992)
- Edge-ing (Black Saint, 1994)
- Dedicated to Dolphy (Black Saint, 1996)
- Matador of 1st & 1st (Passin' Thru, 1996)
- Movement, Turns & Switches (Passin' Thru, 1997)
- Kinda' Up (Justin Time, 2000)
- Talkin' Stick (Passin' Thru, 2000)
- Have Yourself a Merry... (Passin' Thru, 2001)
- Cloth (Passin' Thru, 2003)
- Dat Love (Passin' Thru, 2004)
- Live (Passin' Thru, 2005)
- Urban Rumination (Metaphysical, 2005)
- Lake/Tchicai/Osgood/Westergaard (Passin' Thru, 2006)
- Makin' It (Passin' Thru, 2008)
- For a Little Dancin (Intakt, 2010)
- Plan (Passin' Thru, 2010)
- Lakes at the Stone (Passin' Thru, 2011)
- Wheels (Passin' Thru, 2013)
- All Decks (Intakt, 2013)
- What I Heard (Passin' Thru, 2014)
- To Roy (Intakt, 2015)
- Live at the Downtown Music Gallery NYC (2016)
- Right Up On (Passin' Thru, 2017)
With Trio 3
- Live in Willisau (Dizim, 1997)
- Encounter (Passin' Thru, 2000)
- Open Ideas (Palmetto, 2002)
- Time Being (Intakt, 2006)
- Wha's Nine: Live at the Sunset (Marge, 2008)
- Berne Concert (Intakt, 2009)
- At This Time (Intakt, 2009)
- Celebrating Mary Lou Williams–Live at Birdland New York (Intakt, 2011)
- Refraction – Breakin' Glass (Intakt, 2013)
- Wiring (Intakt, 2014)
- Visiting Texture (Intakt, 2017)
With the OGJB Quartet (Lake, Graham Haynes, Joe Fonda, Barry Altschul)
As sideman
With Björk
- Debut (One Little Indian, 1993)
- Celebrating Wood and Metal (MTV, 1997)
- Surrounded (One Little Indian, 2006)
With World Saxophone Quartet
- Point of No Return (Moers Music, 1977)
- Steppin' with the World Saxophone Quartet (Black Saint, 1979)
- W.S.Q. (Black Saint, 1981)
- Revue (Black Saint, 1982)
- Live in Zurich (Black Saint, 1984)
- Live at Brooklyn Academy of Music (Black Saint, 1986)
- Plays Duke Ellington (Elektra Nonesuch, 1986)
- Dances and Ballads (Elektra Nonesuch, 1987)
- Rhythm and Blues (Elektra Musician, 1989)
- Metamorphosis (Elektra Nonesuch, 1991)
- Moving Right Along (Black Saint, 1994)
- Breath of Life (Elektra Nonesuch, 1994)
- Takin' It 2 the Next Level (Justin Time, 1996)
- Four Now (Justin Time, 1996)
- Selim Sivad: a Tribute to Miles Davis (Justin Time, 1998)
- M'Bizo (Justin Time, 1999)
- Requiem for Julius (Justin Time, 2000)
- 25th Anniversary: The New Chapter (Justin Time, 2001)
- Steppenwolf (Justin Time, 2002)
- Experience (Justin Time, 2004)
- Political Blues (Justin Time, 2006)
With others
- Pheeroan Aklaff, Global Mantras (ModernMasters, 1998)
- Dee Alexander, Songs My Mother Loves (Blujazz, 2014)
- Karl Berger, Live at the Donaueschingen Music Festival (MPS, 1980)
- Karl Berger, New Moon (Palcoscenico, 1980)
- Borah Bergman, A New Organization (Soul Note, 1999)
- Black Artists Group, In Paris, Aries 1973 (self-issued in 1973; reissued by Aguirre in 2018)
- Samuel Blaser, Early in the Morning (Outnote, 2018)
- Joseph Bowie, Joseph Bowie & Oliver Lake (Sackville, 1976)
- Anthony Braxton, New York, Fall 1974 (Arista, 1975)
- Baikida Carroll, Orange Fish Tears (Palm, 1974)
- Alex Cline, For People in Sorrow (Cryptogramophone, 2013)
- Jerome Cooper, For the People (hat Hut, 1980)
- Marilyn Crispell, Circles (Victo, 1991)
- Andrew Cyrille, My Friend Louis (DIW, 1992)
- Andrew Cyrille, Ode to the Living Tree (Venus, 1995)
- Ted Daniel, In the Beginning (Altura Music, 1997)
- Ted Daniel, Innerconnection (NoBusiness, 2014)
- Defunkt, Live in Europe (Music Avenue, 2002)
- Dave Douglas, Metamorphosis (Greenleaf Music, 2017)
- Lisle Ellis, Sucker Punch Requiem: Henceforth (2008)
- Laika Fatien, Nebula (Verve, 2011)
- Donal Fox, Gone City (New World, 1997)
- Dennis Gonzalez, Idle Wild (Clean Feed, 2005)
- Ross Hammond, Our Place On the Wheel (Prescott, 2020)
- Craig Harris, Souls Within the Veil (Aquastra Music, 2005)
- Billy Hart, Enchance (Horizon, 1977)
- Julius Hemphill, One Atmosphere (Tzadik, 2003)
- Human Arts Ensemble, Whisper of Dharma (Universal Justice, 1972)
- Michael Gregory Jackson, Clarity (Bija, 1977)
- Michael Gregory Jackson, Karmonic Suite (Improvising Artists 1978)
- Bill Laswell, Bill Laswell & Material (Golden Stars, 2005)
- Abbey Lincoln, Who Used to Dance (Verve/Gitanes, 1997)
- Mark Masters, Farewell Walter Dewey Redman (Capri, 2008)
- Material, One Down (Elektra/Celluloid, 1982)
- Mediaeval Baebes, Undrentide (BMG, 2000)
- Meshell Ndegeocello, The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams (Bismillah, 2007)
- Meshell Ndegeocello, The Spirit Music Jamia: Dance of the Infidel (Universal/EmArcy, 2005)
- Tatsuya Nakamura, Song of Pat (Nadja, 1976)
- Lou Reed, Set the Twilight Reeling (Warner Bros., 1995)
- Archie Shepp, Phat Jam in Milano (Dawn of Freedom 2009)
- Solidarity Unit, Inc., Red, Black & Green (Universal Justice Records, 1972; Eremite, 2008)
- Bernadette Speach, Without Borders (Mode, 1988)
- String Trio of New York, Frozen Ropes (Barking Hoop, 2005)
- Sunny Murray, Apple Cores (Philly Jazz, 1978)
- Malachi Thompson, Freebop Now! (Delmark, 1998)
- Malachi Thompson, Talking Horns (Delmark, 2001)
- Trio Transition, Trio Transition with Special Guest Oliver Lake (DIW, 1988)
- James Blood Ulmer, Are You Glad to Be in America? (Rough Trade, 1980)
- James Blood Ulmer, Free Lancing (Columbia, 1981)
- Bennie Wallace, The Art of the Saxophone (Denon, 1987)
- Reggie Workman, Synthesis (Leo, 1986)
