Al Block

Albert "Al" Block (1925/1926 – August 15, 2015) was an American saxophonist, clarinetist, flutist, and jazz musician. Over the years, in his musical career, he worked with and recorded for several influential musicians, including Benny Goodman, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Raymond Scott, Tom Talbert, Boyd Raeburn, Artie Shaw, Guy Lombardo, Sauter-Finegan, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Jack Jones, Jan Akkerman, Jimmy Rushing, and Nancy Wilson, among others.

Al Block was born Albert David Block in 1925 or 1926. In his early career, he played clarinet for Artie Shaw and his Orchestra's 1950 album He's Gone Away. alongside Teddy Kotick (bass), Dave Williams (drums), Jimmy Raney (guitar), Gil Barrios (piano), Don Lanphere (tenor saxophone), Ed Wasserman (tenor saxophone), Eddie Bert (trombone), Porky Cohen (trombone), Sonny Russo (trombone), Lee Castle (trumpet), Louis R. Mucci (trumpet), and Steve Lipkins (trumpet).

The album was followed by the 1954 album Inside Sauter-Finegan by Sauter-Finegan Orchestra (Eddie Sauter and Bill Finegan.) The following year, Block performed on Charlie Parker's 1955 album The Magnificent Charlie Parker, with Charles Mingus (bass), Ray Brown (bass), Teddy Kotick (bass), Hal McKusick (clarinet), Kenny Clarke (drums), Max Roach (drums), Roy Haynes (drums), John Lewis (piano), Tony Aless (piano), Walter Bishop, Jr. (piano), Miles Davis (trumpet), and Red Rodney (trumpet).

In 1959, he worked on Gil Evans' album Great Jazz Standards. In 1961, he performed on Miles Davis' album Sketches of Spain. In 1964, he reunited with Gil Evans on his album The Individualism of Gil Evans.

In 1965, Block performed with Eddie Sauter and Stan Getz for the soundtrack of Arthur Penn's crime-drama Mickey One, starring Warren Beatty, Alexandra Stewart, and Hurd Hatfield.

Block's flute solo opened each episode of the PBS series "Open Mind." He also played on numerous jingles and performed in the orchestras of top Broadway shows such as West Side Story, Gypsy, Cabaret, Sweet Charity, La Cage Aux Folles, etc.

Between 1950 and 1965, Block was involved in 60 recording sessions. A resident of New York, he was a member of Local 802 - American Federation of Musicians.

Block was married twice. His first marriage was with Peggy Johnson, with whom he had a daughter, Jennifer. In 1983, he married his second wife, the soprano and classical singer Marni Nixon. 

Block died from pneumonia on August 15, 2015, at the age of 89.