David Young
Jazz Saxophonist
Inducted into the Indianapolis Jazz Hall of Fame in 2001
David Young
(October 23, 1933 – February 6, 2009)
David Young was a jazz saxophonist and member of the amazing Indiana Avenue generation of the 1950s, a group that also included David Baker, Freddie Hubbard, and Wes Montgomery. He attended Crispus Attucks High School as well as Butler University, Indiana University, and Kentucky State College. He served in the US Army and played in the Army band.
David was a fellow student, along with Baker, at the now-legendary Lenox School of Jazz.
Young in his early period was sometimes influenced by John Coltrane, but he always had a distinctive sound that evolved throughout the 1960s and 70s into a fluid, inside/outside attack of quiet strength. Unknown to the general jazz public, he retained a great deal of respect among his fellow artists. In addition to George Russell and Baker, he played with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, the Frank Foster Big Band, Jack McDuff Quintet, and Sam Rivers’ Harlem Ensemble.
Cited for his lifetime pursuit of excellence in music, Young received a key to the city and investiture in the Congressional Record as a jazz legend by US Senator Richard Lugar.
