Billy Bang

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Billy Bang (Vision Festival 2008)

Billy Bang , whose real name is William Vincent Walker (* 20th September 1947 in Mobile , Alabama ; † 11. April 2011 ) was an American jazz - violinist and composer .

Life

Although born in the southern states , the musician spent most of his childhood and adolescence in the Harlem neighborhood of New York , where his parents moved when Billy was barely two years old. During his school days he received his first violin lessons, but gave up music completely during his service in the Vietnam War , where he did military service during the Tet Offensive . It was not until the late 1960s that Bang's musical interest reawakened, and he acquired knowledge of jazz improvisation , initially under the guidance of bassist Wilbur Ware , and later with violinist Leroy Jenkins .

However, Bang's lively, unconventional way of playing did not attract more attention until a few years later, especially in the context of the so-called loft scene around saxophonist Sam Rivers . His final breakthrough brought him a European tour in 1977. In the following years, Billy Bang was a frequent guest at important festivals devoted to contemporary jazz in Europe (for example the Willisau Jazz Festival or the Moers Festival ).

Also in 1977, Bang founded the String Trio of New York with guitarist James Emery and double bassist John Lindberg , whose early recordings were almost unanimously acclaimed by reviewers. The violinist was named New Star of the Year 1981 in the critics' poll of the renowned jazz magazine Down Beat .

Since the 1980s, Bang has generally released at least one album a year under his own name, and he was also a frequent feature guest on productions by musicians he was friends with, for example in a trio with bassist William Parker and drummer Hamid Drake ( Scrap Book , 2003 ) or as a duo partner of D. D. Jackson ( Paired Down , 1997) and Sun Ra on a highly regarded homage to the violinist Stuff Smith (1993). His experiences in the Vietnam War have so far been used on two albums ( Vietnam: The Aftermath from 2001 and Vietnam: Reflections from 2005, the latter also with the participation of Vietnamese musicians).

“With the CD project“ Vietnam: the Aftermath ”, his life changed for the New York musician. This CD was about the difficult coming to terms with (Afro) American history. Bang had put together a band of black veterans who to this day suffer from the impressions they received as young men in the Vietnam War. An extremely intensive music document that was also intended to serve as self-therapy - "Vietnam: Reflections" followed a good year ago. "

- Christian Broecking
From left: Billy Bang, Fred Anderson , William Parker and Kidd Jordan (Vision Festival 2008)

Discography

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ contactmusic.com
  2. ↑ Obituary. In: Rochester City newspaper
personal data
SURNAME Bang, Billy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Walker, William Vincent
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz violinist
DATE OF BIRTH September 20, 1947
PLACE OF BIRTH Mobile, Alabama
DATE OF DEATH April 11, 2011