Andrew Woolfolk (October 11, 1950 – April 24, 2022) – Zanzibar (1973)

The late great Earth, Wind & Fire saxophonist's solos were an essential element of this thirteen-minute long masterpiece from their 1973 Head to the Sky LP.

Watch full video on YouTube.

Andrew Woolfolk played saxophone and flute with Earth, Wind & Fire for nearly twenty years from 1973-85 and 1987-93.

Born in San Antonio, Texas, he moved to Colorado as a child and attended East High School in Denver, where he became friends with his fellow classmate Philip Bailey. After graduating, Bailey went on to attend the University of Colorado, and while a student there in 1972 he was invited by Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White to join the group.

Following the departure of EWF saxophonist Ronnie Laws after they released their 1972 LP Last Days And Time, Woolfolk came onboard as Laws’ replacement.

The first album he was featured on was their 1973 classic Head to the Sky.

Virtually every track on this album was outstanding, from the title track with its uplifting message of hope to the Skip Scarborough-written meditation on betrayal and false faces, “The World's a Masquerade.”

But its masterpiece was the thirteen-minute long closing cut “Zanzibar,” a sonic journey to the African continent and beyond. It was written by the Brazilian bossa nova singer, guitarist, and composer Eduardo de Góes "Edu" Lobo.

And Woolfolk’s playing on it was sublime, with his solos compared to the sounds of Alice and John Coltrane.

After his passing, Philip Bailey wrote the following tribute on the group’s website:

“We turned buddies and bandmates after assembly in high school. His identity was Andrew Paul Woolfolk. We misplaced him tonight after he had been sick for greater than six years. From this Land of the Dying to the Land of the Dwelling, he has Transitioned on to the Without end.”

Rest in Power to the great Andrew Woolfolk, gone one year ago today.

#soul #funk #EWF #AndrewWoolfolk