Med Flory

Med Flory (b. Logansport, August 27, 1926 - d. North Hollywood, California, March 12, 2014) – Saxophonist, clarinetist, film/screen writer, and actor. Born and raised in Logansport, Med Flory began studying piano in the fifth grade and took up the saxophone in the ninth grade. It was not long until he was performing with a local dance band for three dollars a night and eventually traveling to other cities such as Lexington, Kentucky, and Bloomington, Indiana. In 1951 (around age twenty-five), Flory settled in New York and eventually made his way into the bands of Claude Thornhill (playing alto sax and clarinet) and Woody Herman (playing tenor sax). After a move to California around 1955, he made recordings over a number of years with groups led by Terry Gibbs, Woody Herman, Ray Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Torme, and Art Pepper. In addition, he formed his own big band, which played at the first Monterey concert in 1958. During the 1960s, he cut down on his jazz activities somewhat to allow time for writing and acting. Although usually appearing in small roles, he acted in numerous television shows and movies until the late 1980s. Famous TV shows that he appeared on include Bonanza, Lassie, Andy Griffith Show, and Magnum P.I, while his filmography includes The Hustle with Burt Reynolds and The Trouble with Girls with Elvis. In 1972, he and Buddy Clark founded a Charlie Parker tribute band called Supersax, which consisted of a big-band saxophone section (2 altos, 2 tenor, and bari) backed by a brass instrument (sometimes played Hoosier trumpeter Conte Candoli) and rhythm section. Their debut LP entitled Supersax Play Bird (Capitol) won a Grammy for Best Jazz Performance by a Group in 1973. Under Flory’s leadership, Supersax continued to perform and record albums on Capitol, Epic, and Columbia through the late 1980s. At age eighty-one, he led his own group that was billed as Med Flory & the Med Flory Back-up Band at Logansport’s Med Flory Jazz and Blues Fest on April 25-26, 2008.