Joseph Jarman

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Joseph Jarman (born September 14, 1937 in Pine Bluff , Arkansas , † January 9, 2019 ) was an American jazz saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist, drummer, singer, composer . He was among the founders of the AACM and the Art Ensemble of Chicago .

Live and act

Jarman grew up in Chicago , studied drums in high school , but switched to saxophone and clarinet during his military service . There he played in an army band, the 11th Airborne Division Band . In 1959, after his discharge from the army, Jarman studied at Wilson Junior College , where he a. a. Richard Wang taught. There he met the bassist Malachi Favors and the saxophonists Roscoe Mitchell , Henry Threadgill and Anthony Braxton . Mitchell introduced Jarman to pianist Muhal Richard Abrams , and Jarman, Mitchell and Favors thus became members of Abrams' Experimental Band , a formation that initially only played privately and did not perform publicly when it was formed in 1961. The same musicians played in a wide variety of compositions at this time and finally founded the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) in 1965 .

During this time Jarman's first solo albums were created; In 1966 he and his band recorded the album Song for on the Delmark label , which inserted the spoken word in an unusual way at the time and used so-called “little instruments”, a technique that Jarman and Mitchell were supposed to use even more effectively with the Art Ensemble .

Shortly after the death of his band members Charles Clark and Christopher Gaddy in 1969, Jarman joined Roscoe Mitchell, Malachi Favors and trumpeter Lester Bowie , who founded the Art Ensemble in 1967 . From 1969 it became known as the Art Ensemble of Chicago . Within the group, Jarman is considered to be the "advocate of the word / music connection, as a pronounced intellectual, poet and theater man" .

The group performed in costumes at their concerts; Jarman's face was made up with African make-up and explained it “ as a kind of shamanistic image that is fed by the most diverse cultures. “With his instrumental theater, Jarman emphasizes the“ unity of all arts ”. The group went to Paris in 1969 and Jarman settled there for several years. In 1983 he moved from New York to Chicago and has lived there ever since.

In addition to working in the Art Ensemble , Jarman also repeatedly pursued his own projects: for example, he appeared in 1977 with Roscoe Mitchell and Anthony Braxton at the New Jazz Festival Moers , recorded several albums with Don Moye around 1980 and also played in a trio with Thurman Barker and Amina Claudine Myers . Jarman was a member of the Art Ensemble until 1993 ; then he devoted himself to spiritual practices engaged in Zen - Buddhism and Aikido and lasted until 1996 by the jazz scene back. That year he recorded the album Connecting Spirits in a duo with Marilyn Crispell , which contains compositions by himself and John Coltrane . Jarman returned to the Art Ensemble of Chicago in 2003.

In addition to the saxophone and clarinet, Jarman played countless woodwind and percussion instruments; since the album The Third Decade by the Art Ensemble of Chicago he also used the synthesizer . As a composer he has written works for orchestra and multimedia pieces for music and dance.

Selection discography

  • 1966 - Song For (Delmark), with Bill Brimfield
  • 1968 - As If It Were The Seasons (Delmark)
  • 1977 - Egwu-Anwo ( India Navigation ) with Don Moye
  • 1979 - Joseph Jarman / Don Moye Trio: Black Paladins (Black Saint) with Johnny Dyani
  • 1981 - Joseph Jarman / Don Moye Quartet: Earth Passage / Density (Black Saint)
  • 1996 - Connecting Spirits (Music & Arts) with Marilyn Crispell
  • 1996 - Pachinko Dream Track 10 (Music & Arts)
  • 1997 - Bright Moments - Return of the Lost Tribe (Delmark) with Malachi Favors, Kahil El'Zabar

literature

Web links

Individual references, comments

  1. ↑ Nate Chinen: Joseph Jarman, 81, Dies; Mainstay of the Art Ensemble of Chicago. The New York Times, January 11, 2019, accessed January 12, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Jarman's band consisted of Charles Clark (bass), Christopher Gaddy (piano) and Thurman Barker (drums) when recording from 1966 to 1968 . In 1969 Clark and Gaddy died and Jarman broke up his band.
  3. ↑ cit. according to Kunzler, p. 568
  4. ↑ Jason Gross: Joseph Jarman. In: Perfect Sound Forever. October 1998, accessed January 2, 2006 .
  5. ↑ cit. according to Kunzler
  6. ↑ recorded at the San Francisco Asean American Jazz Festival with Japanese musicians
personal data
SURNAME Jarman, Joseph
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist, drummer, singer, composer
DATE OF BIRTH September 14, 1937
PLACE OF BIRTH Pine Bluff , Arkansas
DATE OF DEATH January 9, 2019