Home » Jazz Musicians » Eric Kloss

Eric Kloss

Eric Kloss is a world renowned alto and tenor saxophonist, a multi-instrumentalist, recording artist, composer, clinician, educator, and television personality. Blind from birth music became his vision. A true child prodigy he performed with his mentor Sonny Stitt at age 12. Backed by jazz guitarist Pat Martino, his recording career began at age 16 with the release of “Introducing Eric Kloss”. Blending hard bob, be-bop, pop, rock, funk, free jazz, classical and world music, he went on to release 22 critically acclaimed recordings on the Prestige and Muse labels. A who’s who of jazz masters appeared as sidemen on his albums including Gerald Veasley, Barry Miles, Don Patterson, Jaki Byard, Gil Goldstein, Richard Davis, Alan Dawson, Cedar Walton, Jimmy Owens, Kenny Barron, Booker Ervin, Leroy Vinnegar, Billy Higgins, Kenny Barron, Bob Cranshaw, and Alan Dawson. His most acclaimed album, Eric Kloss and the Rhythm Section, features the Miles Davis rhythm section of Corea, DeJohnette, and Dave Holland. Kloss toured the USA and Europe for 25 years wowing audiences with his technical brilliance and wild improvisations. Eric was a frequent guest on the PBS TV show Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, second only to pianist Johnny Costa for most appearances by any musician. In 1989 he became a spokesman for Yahoo Music promoting and performing with the sax-like MX-11 wind synthesizer. In the 1990s he began teaching at Duquesne University and went on to become head of the jazz department at Carnegie Mellon University. As an educator and clinician he mentored a new generation of jazz performers and instructors. The Fantasy Jazz label has reissued several of his recordings: First Class, About Time, the 2 CD box set Eric Kloss & the Rhythm Section/Love and All That Jazz, and the 2 CD box set Sky Shadows/In the Land of the Giants. Eric withdrew from teaching and performing in 2001 when he became seriously ill. He continues to write and plans to perform and record if his health improves. The unreleased work Cosmic Adventures demonstrates his musical mastery.

Eric Kloss: First Class!

Read "First Class!" reviewed by David Rickert

by David Rickert
September 14, 2004

The people at Prestige knew they had something special when they discovered Eric Kloss; here was a blind teenager who had grown up studying all the musical styles of the fifties and sixties and had the chops and ideas to hang with the best of them. To that end, the record label quickly recorded Kloss in a variety of settings to capitalize on his prodigious talents. These sessions are making their way onto CD on two-fer reissues, and First Class! ...

301

Jazz From The Vinyl Junkyard

Eric Kloss: Grits and Gravy

by C. Andrew Hovan
December 9, 2003

One of the true child prodigies of the ‘60s, saxophonist Eric Kloss holds the distinction of having a record contract with Prestige Records at the ripe young age of 15. Blind, smart as a whip, and technically proficient at even this early stage in his career, Kloss went on to make some remarkable albums up through the early ‘70s and then disappeared into academia. While his first two records featured him with organ combos and have been paired on a ...

105

Album Review

Eric Kloss: About Time

by C. Andrew Hovan
July 12, 2002

No better title could have been placed on this disc because it certainly was “about time” that saxophonist Eric Kloss’ first two Prestige albums come back into circulation after years of purgatory. All of just 16 years old when Kloss cut his first album in 1965 ( Introducing Eric Kloss ), the maturity displayed is still staggering even after all these years. In fact, the album might still be one of the most impressive debut sets ever cut by a ...

325

Album Review

Eric Kloss: Sky Shadows/In The Land Of The Giants

by Glenn Astarita
July 1, 1999

Although he’s apparently maintaining a low profile these days, saxophonist Eric Kloss recorded quite a few albums for Prestige records by the time he reached the tender ago of 19. Here, Prestige has reissued Kloss’ Sky Shadows and In The Land Of The Giants on 1 Compact Disc. From the liners....” This Music, from 1968 and ’69, finds the emerging Kloss in full flight, whether the setting is post-bop or modal, standard or balladic”. At this juncture, Kloss shows maturity, ...

341

Album Review

Eric Kloss: One, Two, Free

by Douglas Payne
November 1, 1998

Pittsburgh native Eric Kloss (b. 1949) was one of the most distinctive, original voices to emerge on alto sax in the mid-60s. He was only 16 when the first of his eleven Prestige albums was released in 1965. These records featured the cream of the crop of New York musicians and the young Kloss more than held his own with heavyweights like Booker Ervin, Jaki Byard, Chick Corea, Cedar Walton, and most notably, guitarist Pat Martino.Kloss ...

274

Album Review

Eric Kloss: One, Two, Free

by Jim Santella
October 1, 1998

Recorded in 1972 on Muse, this album features Eric Kloss on alto sax, Pat Martino on guitar, Ron Thomas on piano, Dave Holland on bass, and Ron Krasinski at the drums. Highly prolific in the 1960s and ‘70s, both the Pittsburgh saxophonist and Philadelphia guitarist had been creating albums that incorporated funk, pop, rock, and some free jazz. The times have changed and genre definitions aren’t what they used to be, but the music lives on.

In agreement with the ...

Video / DVD

Eric Kloss: A Soulful Start

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
January 23, 2018

When Eric Kloss recorded Introducing Eric Kloss at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., in September 1965 he couldn't drive. For one, he was blind since birth. For another, he was just 16. But Kloss could blow, as evidenced by his sidemen: Don Patterson (org), Pat Martino (g) and Billy James (d), Born in Greenville, Pa., Kloss attended the Western Pennsylvania School for the Blind, which was run by his father. Like Ray Charles, George Sharing, Al Hibbler, ...
read more