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Marion Brown

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For the American politician, seeMarion Fuller Brown.For the New Zealand nurse, seeMarion Brown (nurse).
Marion Brown
Background information
Born(1931-09-08)September 8, 1931
Atlanta, Georgia,United States
DiedOctober 18, 2010(2010-10-18)(aged 79)
Hollywood, Florida,United States
GenresAvant-garde,jazz
Occupation(s)Musician, ethnomusicologist
Instrument(s)Alto saxophone
Years active1962–1993

Marion Brown(September 8, 1931[1]– October 18, 2010)[2]was an Americanjazzalto saxophonist, composer, writer, visual artist, andethnomusicologist.He was a member of theavant-gardejazz scene in New York City during the 1960s, playing alongside musicians such asJohn Coltrane,Archie Shepp,andJohn Tchicai.He performed on Coltrane's landmark 1965 albumAscension.AllMusicreviewerScott Yanowdescribed him as "one of the brightest and most lyrical voices of the 1960s avant-garde."[3]

Biography[edit]

Early life[edit]

Brown was born inAtlantain 1931[1]and was raised by a single mother.[4]He was the grandson of an escaped slave from Georgia'sSea Islands.[5][6]He began studying the saxophone at an early age, inspired byCharlie Parker.[4]He left high school in the 10th grade and joined the army.[7]During his three-year enlistment, he played alto saxophone, clarinet, and baritone saxophone, and was stationed inHokkaidofor some time.[7]

In 1956, he returned to Atlanta and enrolled atClark College,where he studied music,[7]taking lessons fromWayman Carver.[5]After graduating, he moved to Washington, DC, where he enrolled atHoward University's law school.[5]During this time, he began listening to musicians such asJohn Coltrane,Ornette Coleman,andArchie Shepp,all of whom he would soon meet and come to know.[7]

Early career[edit]

In 1962, Brown left Howard and moved toNew York City,where he befriended a number of musicians, as well as writers such asAmiri Baraka(then known as LeRoi Jones), who was also a Howard drop-out,[8]andA. B. Spellman,a Howard graduate. According to Brown, "The writers who listened to me and liked my playing, they inspired me to be better, and I inspired them to keep listening. LeRoi Jones opened the door for me; he introduced me to the world. He was a very beautiful and very smart person."[9]

He also metOrnette ColemanandArchie Shepp,and introduced Shepp to Baraka.[8]Brown recalled that Shepp "offered me the opportunity to play with him. But I didn't have a saxophone, so Ornette Coleman let me use his white plastic saxophone to get started."[4]

According to writer Aldon Lynn Nielsen, Brown's "conversations with Baraka and Shepp aided them in their thinking through of the relationships between the American jazz avant-garde and African musical traditions."[10]Brown later played a minor acting role in the original production of Baraka'sDutchman.[8]

In 1964, Brown performed with Shepp andBill Dixonin "Four Days in December",a series sponsored by theJazz Composers Guild.[9]The following year, he participated in the recording of Shepp'sFire Music[11]as well asJohn Coltrane'sAscension.[12]According to Brown, he was introduced to Coltrane by Shepp: "Archie told him about my music and he started to listen to it and he liked it. And then, several times, he would come to hear me play and he liked that. So when he decided to doAscension,I fit the picture of somebody that he wanted in it. "[4]

Regarding the music onAscension,Brown stated: "You could use this record to heat up your apartment on a cold morning."[13]Regarding the recording session, he recalled: "We did two takes, and they both had that kind of thing in them that makes people scream. The people who were in the studio were screaming. I don't know how the engineers kept the screams out of the record. Spontaneity was the thing. Trane had obviously thought a lot about what he wanted to do, but he wrote most of it out in the studio. Then he told everybody what he wanted: he played this line and he said that everybody would play that line in the ensembles. Then he said he wanted crescendi until we were together, and then we got into it."[14]

During the mid-1960s, Brown began recording under his own name:Marion Brown Quartet,recorded in 1965 and released on ESP the following year;[15]Why Not?,recorded in 1966 and released on ESP in 1968;[16]Juba-Lee,recorded in 1966 and released on Fontana in 1967;[17]andThree for Shepp,recorded and released in 1966 onImpulse!.[18]Coltrane had used his influence at Impulse! to secure Brown his own recording date with the label.[19]Brown also performed withSun Ra[5]andPharoah Sanders,[20]and recorded withBurton Greeneon the albumBurton Greene Quartet.[21]

In Europe[edit]

In 1967, Brown moved to Europe, where he continued performing and recording, and where he developed an interest in architecture,Impressionisticart,African musicand the music ofErik Satie.He was an American Fellow in Music Composition and Performance at theCité internationale des artsin Paris.[22]On a show on French television, he played a version of Sound Structure with drummerEddy Gaumont.[23]Late that year, while in Holland, he recordedPorto NovowithHan BenninkandMaarten Altena.[24]

While in Europe, Brown met and befriendedGunter Hampel,and in 1968 they recorded the soundtrack forMarcel Camus' filmLe temps fou,with a band featuringSteve McCall,Barre Phillips,and Ambrose Jackson.[25][26]Brown and Hampel recorded two more albums,Gesprächsfetzen(in 1968)[27]andMarion Brown In Sommerhausen(in 1969).[28]While in Europe, Brown also performed in duos withLeo Smith,[29]recordingCreative Improvisation Ensemble.[30]

Return to U.S.[edit]

In 1970, Brown returned to the United States, settling inConnecticut,where he at first worked in elementary schools, "teaching children how to make instruments and create their own music,"[4]and where he continued his musical partnership withLeo Smith.[1]He composed and performedincidental musicfor aGeorg Büchnerplay,Woyzeck.[22]

From 1971 to 1976, he taught atBowdoin College,Brandeis University,Colby College,andAmherst College,[7][22]and in 1976 he earned a master's degree inethnomusicologyfromWesleyan University.[31]His master's thesis was entitled "Faces and Places: The Music and Travels of a Contemporary Jazz Musician".[32]During this time, he also studied South Indian flute with P. Vishwanathan.[33]

In the early 1970s, Brown also recorded a trilogy of albums influenced by poetJean Toomer,reflecting on his southern upbringing, in which "images of the Georgia countryside, many of them drawn from Toomer's poetry, and improvisational techniques of African, AfroAmerican, and European provenance enrich and revivify one another:",[34]ECM),[35]Geechee Recollections(1973,Impulse!),[36]which featuredLeo SmithandSteve McCallamong others;Sweet Earth Flying(1974,Impulse!,named after a line in a Toomer poem),[37][38]which featuredMuhal Richard AbramsandSteve McCallamong others and November Cotton Flower ( 1979 Baystate Japan ) with Hilton Ruiz.

ReviewerRobert Palmerwrote: "The trilogy as a whole is an exemplary demonstration of how... a thoughtful artist can explore a 'subject' through a variety of techniques, processes, and formal disciplines. The shifting of perspective and approach from work to work is reminiscent of Durrell'sAlexandria Quartetand indeed Brown's examination of the emotional, intellectual, and aesthetic ramifications of his origins is the sort of thing one finds frequently in literature and rarely in improvisional music.[34]

During the 1970s, Brown also recorded withArchie Shepp(Attica Blues,1972[39]andAttica Blues Big Band Live At The Palais Des Glaces,1979[40]),Leo Smith(Duets,1973[41]),Elliott Schwartz(DuetsandSoundways,both 1973[41][42]),Stanley Cowell(Regeneration,1975[43]),Harold Budd(The Pavilion of Dreams,1976[44]), andGrachan Moncur III(Shadows,1977[45]). He also released ten albums under his own name.

In 1972 and 1976, Brown received grants from theNational Endowment for the Arts,which he used to compose and publish several pieces for solo piano, one of which was based on poetry fromJean Toomer's bookCane.He also transcribed some piano and organ music byErik Satieincluding hisMesse des pauvresandPages mysterieuses,and arranged the composer'sLe Fils des étoilesfor two guitars and violin.[22]

In the 1980s, Brown continued recording, and also began focusing on drawing and painting, exhibiting his artwork at a number of shows.[7]His charcoal portrait of blues guitaristBlind Lemon Jefferson[46]was included in an art show calledJus' Jassat Kenkeleba Gallery in New York City, which also included works by artists such asRomare Bearden,Charles SearlesandJoe Overstreet.[22][47][48]In 1984, he published an autobiography titled "Recollections".[22]In the 1990s, he occasionally performed and read his poetry at Studio 5C in New York.[1]

Final years[edit]

By the late 1990s, Brown had fallen ill; due to a series of surgeries and a partial leg amputation, Brown resided for a time in the Bethany Methodist Home, Brooklyn.[1]He spent his final years in an assisted living facility inHollywood, Florida,where he died in 2010, aged 79.[49]

In September 2010,Deval Patrick,then governor ofMassachusetts,issued a proclamation naming September 15 "Marion Brown Day."[50]

Influence[edit]

PianistAmina Claudine Myers' debut albumPoems for Piano: The Piano Music of Marion Brown(Sweet Earth, 1979) predominantly featured Brown's compositions.[51]

Aside from his influence in the jazz avant-garde, several other areas of music have taken interest in Brown's music. Indie rockersSuperchunkincluded a song called "Song for Marion Brown" on their albumIndoor Living,[52]andSavath and Savalasreleased a piece entitled "Two Blues for Marion Brown" as part ofHefty Records's Immediate Action series.[53]

His Name Is Aliveperformed a tribute concert in 2004, performing solely Brown's music. In 2007, High Two released portions of the concert with studio versions asSweet Earth Flower: A Tribute to Marion Brown.[54]

Thoughts on music[edit]

"It is wrong to say that free jazz does not swing. It swings to a high number of beats. It is polyrhythmic. But it is hard for people listening to it to realize that... Free jazz is closer to African beats than bop or swing were; African rhythm is very complex."[55]

"My reference is the blues, and that's where my music comes from. I do listen to music of other cultures, but I just find them interesting. I don't have to borrow from them. My music and my past are rich enough.B.B. Kingis myRavi Shankar."[56]

Discography[edit]

As leader[edit]

As sideman[edit]

WithHarold Budd

WithJohn Coltrane

WithStanley Cowell

WithBurton Greene

  • Burton Greene Quartet(ESP Disk, 1966)

With The Group(Ahmed Abdullah,Brown,Billy Bang,Sirone,Fred Hopkins,Andrew Cyrille)

  • Live(NoBusiness Records, 2012)

With theGunter HampelAll Stars

  • Jubilation(Birth, 1983)

WithGrachan Moncur III

  • Shadows(Denon, 1977)

WithArchie Shepp

Filmography[edit]

  • You See What I'm Trying To Say?(Henry English, 1967)
  • See The Music (Inside The Creative Improvisation Ensemble)(Theodor Kotulla, 1971)
  • Jazz Is Our Religion(John Jeremy, 1972)
  • Inside Out In The Open(Alan Roth, 2001)
  • Meditations on Revolution V: Foreign City(Robert Fenz, 2003)

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdePorter, Lewis (2001). "Brown, Marion (Jr.)". In Kuhn, Laura (ed.).Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians.Vol. 1. New York:G. Schirmer, Inc.p. 470.
  2. ^Keepnews, Peter (October 26, 2010)."Marion Brown, notable free jazz saxophonist".The Boston Globe.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  3. ^Erlewine, Michael; Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Yanow, Scott, eds. (1996).All Music Guide to Jazz(2nd ed.). Miller Freeman. p. 104.
  4. ^abcde"A Fireside Chat with Marion Brown".allaboutjazz.com.April 11, 2003.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  5. ^abcd"Marion Brown".allaboutjazz.com.February 10, 2008.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  6. ^Weiss, Jason (2012).Always in Trouble: An Oral History of ESP-Disk, the Most Outrageous Record Label in America.Wesleyan University Press. p. 147.My grandfather was a conjurer. He knew about roots and all kinds of medicines, and he never went to school for it. He found everything all on his own. He was a genius.
  7. ^abcdefMergner, Lee (April 26, 2019)."Jazz Saxophonist Marion Brown Dies".jazztimes.com.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  8. ^abcAnderson, Iain (2007).This Is Our Music:Free Jazz, the Sixties, and American Culture.University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 99.
  9. ^abWeiss, Jason (2012).Always in Trouble: An Oral History of ESP-Disk, the Most Outrageous Record Label in America.Wesleyan University Press. p. 145.
  10. ^Nielsen, Aldon Lynn (2013). "'Now Is the Time': Voicing against the Grain of Orality ". In Hebl, Ajay; Wallace, Rob (eds.).People Get Ready: The Future of Jazz Is Now!.Duke University Press. p. 37.
  11. ^"Archie Shepp – Fire Music".discogs.com.1965.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  12. ^"John Coltrane – Ascension".discogs.com.February 1966.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  13. ^Baber, Chris (Oct 15, 2022)."John Coltrane – Ascension: An Appreciation".jazzviews.net.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  14. ^The Major Works of John Coltrane(liner notes). GRP Records. 1992.
  15. ^"Marion Brown Quartet – Marion Brown Quartet".discogs.com.1966.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  16. ^"Marion Brown Quartet – Why Not".discogs.com.1968.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  17. ^"Marion Brown Septet – Juba-Lee".discogs.com.1967.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  18. ^"Marion Brown – Three For Shepp".discogs.com.1967.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  19. ^Giddins, Gary(1998).Visions of Jazz: The First Century.New York: Oxford University Press. p. 486.
  20. ^Jones, Leroi(1968).Black Music.New York: Da Capo Press. p. 121.
  21. ^"Burton Greene Quartet – Burton Greene Quartet".discogs.com.1966.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  22. ^abcdefBrown, Marion (1984).Marion Brown: Recollections.J. A. Schmidt.
  23. ^"Marion Brown video live French TV 1967 (advante-garde jazz)"– viaYouTube.
  24. ^"Marion Brown – Porto Novo".discogs.com.1975.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  25. ^Brown, Marion (1984)."Le Temps Fou: Film de Camus (Marcel)".worldcat.org.Schmitt.ISBN9783923396030.OCLC658888147.RetrievedSeptember 12,2023.
  26. ^"Marion Brown – Le Temps Fou".discogs.com.1969.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  27. ^"Marion Brown / Gunter Hampel – Gesprächsfetzen".discogs.com.1968.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  28. ^"Marion Brown – Marion Brown In Sommerhausen".discogs.com.1969.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  29. ^Allen, Clifford (Summer 2007)."REISSUE THIS! Marion Brown".paristransatlantic.com.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  30. ^"Marion Brown / Leo Smith – Creative Improvisation Ensemble".discogs.com.25 July 1994.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  31. ^"Marion Brown Memorial Broadcast".columbia.edu.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  32. ^"Marion Brown: Faces and Places: The Music and Travels of a Contemporary Jazz Musician".worldcat.org.OCLC19012484.RetrievedSeptember 12,2023.
  33. ^Feather, Leonard; Gitler, Ira (1999). "Brown, Marion Jr.".The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz.New York:Oxford University Press.p. 85.
  34. ^abPalmer, Robert (August 11, 1974)."A Jazz Saxophonist Re-examines His Southern Roots".The New York Times.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  35. ^"Marion Brown – Afternoon Of A Georgia Faun".discogs.com.1970.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  36. ^"Marion Brown – Geechee Recollections".discogs.com.1973.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  37. ^Toomer, Jean."Storm Ending".powerpoetry.org.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  38. ^"Marion Brown – Sweet Earth Flying".discogs.com.1974.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  39. ^"Archie Shepp – Attica Blues".discogs.com.1972.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  40. ^"Archie Shepp – Attica Blues Big Band Live At The Palais Des Glaces".discogs.com.1993.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  41. ^ab"Marion Brown – Duets".discogs.com.1975.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  42. ^"Marion Brown, Elliott Schwartz – Soundways".discogs.com.1973.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  43. ^"Stanley Cowell – Regeneration".discogs.com.1976.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  44. ^"Harold Budd – The Pavilion Of Dreams".discogs.com.1978.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  45. ^"Grachan Moncur III – Shadows".discogs.com.1977.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  46. ^"Georgia Recollections: The Marion Brown Discography: Paintings and Drawings".piezoelektric.org.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  47. ^"Georgia Recollections: The Marion Brown Discography: Exhibitions with Marion Brown's Art".piezoelektric.org.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  48. ^McNally, Owen (December 5, 2010)."Jazz Saxophonist Marion Brown Let His Music Speak For Him".courant.com.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  49. ^Keepnews, Peter (October 23, 2010)."Marion Brown, Free-Jazz Saxophonist, Dies at 79".The New York Times.Retrieved2016-01-23.
  50. ^Reney, Tom (September 14, 2012)."Governor Patrick's Proclamation: Marion Brown Day".nepr.net.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  51. ^Olewnick, Brian."Amina Claudine Myers: Poems for Piano: The Piano Music of Marion Brown".allmusic.com.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  52. ^"Superchunk – Indoor Living".discogs.com.1997.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  53. ^"Savath & Savalas – Immediate Action #1".discogs.com.25 July 2001.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  54. ^Jurek, Thom."His Name Is Alive: Sweet Earth Flower: A Tribute to Marion Brown".allmusic.com.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  55. ^Carles, Philippe; Comolli, Jean-Louis (2015).Free Jazz / Black Power.University Press of Mississippi. p. 158.
  56. ^Porto Novo - Marion Brown(liner notes). Arista. 1975. AL 1001.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marion_Brown&oldid=1225070259"