Alexander "Al" Gafa (born April 9, 1941, New York City) is an American jazz guitarist.

Career

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Gafa worked extensively as a session musician for recordings in the mid and late 1960s in New York. In jazz he worked in that decade with Kai Winding, Michel Legrand, Sam Donahue, Duke Pearson, and Carmen McRae. He worked with McRae until 1971, then played in the 1970s with Dizzy Gillespie, Mike Longo, and Yusef Lateef. Gafa put together his own small groups in the decade; his sidemen included Kenny Barron, Ben Brown, Al Foster, Steve LaSpina, Andy LaVerne, Dave Shapiro, and Richard Wyands. He worked with Johnny Hartman from 1978 to 1982 and in the early 1980s with Susannah McCorkle and Joe Albany, Sammy Davis Jr., Sylvia Syms, Morgana King, Shirley Horn.[1]

Discography

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As leader

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  • Leblon Beach (Pablo, 1976)

As sideman

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With Dizzy Gillespie

  • Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Stitt Quintet Live in Paris & Copenhagen 1974
  • Dizzy Gillespie in Brazil with Trio Mocoto (1974)
  • Bahiana (Pablo, 1976)

With Johnny Hartman

With Mike Longo

  • The Awakening (Mainstream, 1972)
  • Matrix (Mainstream, 1972)

With Susannah McCorkle

With Duke Pearson

With others

References

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  1. ^ "Al Gafa". The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. 2nd edition, ed. Barry Kernfeld.