John Stevens (musician)

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John William Stevens (born June 10, 1940 in Brenford , England, † September 13, 1994 in Ealing , London ) was a British jazz drummer (and occasionally played the trumpet).

Life

After completing school and college in Ealing, Stevens studied at the Royal Air Force Music School and played in military bands, where he met Paul Rutherford and Trevor Watts . At that time he was particularly interested in skiffle , traditional jazz and modern jazz ; some appearances with Francy Boland , Tubby Hayes and others are during this time. In 1964/65 he worked in London with Ronnie Scott , Stan Tracey and Hayes. He also played in a quartet with Ian Carr , John McLaughlin and Jeff Clyne . In 1965 he formed his own septet, which included Kenny Wheeler , Alan Skidmore and Ron Mathewson . Almost at the same time he founded the Spontaneous Music Ensemble with Trevor Watts in order to specifically research improvisations, even without a given framework (theme, tempo, etc.) and agreements on duration and structure.

The Spontaneous Music Ensemble (especially in the late 1960s) and the evening concerts it organized at the Little Theater Club in the City of Westminster ( London ) became a reference point for the young generation of British jazz musicians - from Evan Parker to Derek Bailey , Paul Rutherford, Howard Riley , Maggie Nicols , Julie Tippetts to Barry Guy and Jamie Muir . At the beginning of the 1970s he became interested in more clearly defined rhythms and structures. He founded the group Splinters (1971), the John Stevens Dance Orchestra (1974) and the rock jazz band Away (1975, including with Allan Holdsworth ). Later the groups Freebop and Folkus emerged . He also worked with Bobby Bradford , Frode Gjerstad ( detail ), Steve Lacy , John Tchicai , Yoko Ono , Dudu Pukwana , Johnny Dyani , Pierre Dørge , but also in a trio with the songwriters John Martyn and Danny Thompson .

From 1983 Stevens was the musical director of the Outreach Community Music Project of the British Jazz Center Society ; then he was the driving force behind Community Music Limited , an independent foundation that used and expanded the music therapeutic function of freely improvised music in children and in psychiatry. Shortly before his death, Stevens completed his work Celebration with Voices for large choir, string quartet and jazzettos.

Stevens was instrumental in the development of British free jazz and its further developments.

literature

  • Ian Carr , Brian Priestley , Digby Fairweather (Eds.): Jazz Rough Guide. The ultimate guide to jazz. 1700 artists and bands from the beginning until today . Metzler Verlag, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-476-01584-X .
  • Richard Scott: The Molecular Imagination: John Stevens, The Spontaneous Music Ensemble and Free Group Improvisation. In: Franziska Schroeder, Mícheál Ó hAodha (Ed.): Soundweaving: Writings on Improvisation . Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle upon Tyne 2014, p. 95-109 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Stevens, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Stevens, John William (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British jazz drummer
DATE OF BIRTH June 10, 1940
PLACE OF BIRTH Brenford , England
DATE OF DEATH September 13, 1994
Place of death Ealing , London