Alan Shorter
Encyclopedia
Alan Shorter was a free jazz
trumpet
and flugelhorn
player, and the older brother of composer and saxophone
player Wayne Shorter
.
District in Newark, New Jersey
. He started on alto saxophone
, but switched to trumpet
after graduating from high school. He attended Howard University
but soon rebelled against the ultra-conservative atmosphere and dropped out (he later attended and graduated from New York University
(NYU)). He played his first professional gigs with a local bebop
big band
called the Jackie Bland Band (other members included his brother Wayne, trombonist Grachan Moncur III
, and pianist Walter Davis, Jr.
). He was very much a bebop player in his early years, but soon gravitated towards free jazz
, and with the exception of six months he spent in a US Army Band, continued to play in that style for the rest of his career.
He recorded two albums as a leader: Orgasm (1968) and Tes Esat (1971) (both were out of print for many years until re-issued by Verve Records
in 2004 and 2005 respectively). He also recorded five albums with saxophonist Archie Shepp
(1965–1970), including the classic, Four for Trane
, three albums with Marion Brown
(1965–1966), one album with Alan Silva
(1970), and made an appearance on one of his brother's albums (The All Seeing Eye
in 1965). Several of these albums feature his unusual compositions, his most famous being "Mephistopheles".
In the mid-1960s Alan moved to Europe, leading his own avant-garde
gigs in Geneva
and Paris
. His style of free jazz
sometimes proved to be too far-out for European audiences (his brother remembered that Alan's gigs in Europe would often end with him responding to the crowd's boos by yelling, "You're not ready for me yet!") but he generally found European audiences more receptive than those in the U.S. Eventually he moved back to the states, where he taught briefly at Bennington College
but otherwise faded into obscurity. He died of a ruptured aorta
in L.A. in 1987, at age 56, shortly after becoming engaged to Ruth Ann Hancock, a cousin of Herbie Hancock
.
Alan's playing is comparable to Don Cherry
, but with a more aggressive, anarchic bent. His own albums feature his groups functioning as a unit, rather than focusing on his own virtuosity (or lack thereof). Reportedly, his musical style is much like he was personally: deep and intellectual, but intentionally strange (his childhood nickname was "Doc Strange").
With Wayne Shorter
With Marion Brown
Free jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
and flugelhorn
Flugelhorn
The flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
player, and the older brother of composer and saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
player Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.He is generally acknowledged to be jazz's greatest living composer, and many of his compositions have become standards...
.
Biography
Alan was born in the IronboundIronbound
The Ironbound is a large working-class neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey. This close-knit, multi-ethnic community covers approximately four square miles . Historically, the area was called "Dutch Neck," "Down Neck," or simply "the Neck," because of the way the Passaic River curved to form what...
District in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
. He started on alto saxophone
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
, but switched to trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
after graduating from high school. He attended Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
but soon rebelled against the ultra-conservative atmosphere and dropped out (he later attended and graduated from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
(NYU)). He played his first professional gigs with a local bebop
Bebop
Bebop differed drastically from the straightforward compositions of the swing era, and was instead characterized by fast tempos, asymmetrical phrasing, intricate melodies, and rhythm sections that expanded on their role as tempo-keepers...
big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
called the Jackie Bland Band (other members included his brother Wayne, trombonist Grachan Moncur III
Grachan Moncur III
Grachan Moncur III is an American jazz trombonist who has mostly played free jazz, as well as being a prolific composer. He is the son of jazz bassist Grachan Moncur II and the nephew of jazz saxophonist Al Cooper.-Biography:...
, and pianist Walter Davis, Jr.
Walter Davis, Jr.
Walter Davis, Jr. was an American hard bop pianist.Born in Richmond, Virginia, Davis performed as a teenager with Babs Gonzales and his group Three Bips and a Bop. In the 1950s, Davis recorded with Melba Liston, Max Roach and played with Roach, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie...
). He was very much a bebop player in his early years, but soon gravitated towards free jazz
Free jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
, and with the exception of six months he spent in a US Army Band, continued to play in that style for the rest of his career.
He recorded two albums as a leader: Orgasm (1968) and Tes Esat (1971) (both were out of print for many years until re-issued by Verve Records
Verve Records
Verve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...
in 2004 and 2005 respectively). He also recorded five albums with saxophonist Archie Shepp
Archie Shepp
Archie Shepp is a prominent African-American jazz saxophonist. Shepp is best known for his passionately Afrocentric music of the late 1960s, which focused on highlighting the injustices faced by the African-Americans, as well as for his work with the New York Contemporary Five, Horace Parlan, and...
(1965–1970), including the classic, Four for Trane
Four for Trane
Four for Trane is a studio album by Archie Shepp released on Impulse! Records in 1964. Three of the five tracks are reworkings of pieces originally recorded on co-producer John Coltrane's 1960 Giant Steps, rearranged by Shepp and Roswell Rudd....
, three albums with Marion Brown
Marion Brown
Marion Brown was a jazz alto saxophonist and ethnomusicologist. He is most well known as a member of the 1960s avant-garde jazz scene in New York City, playing alongside musicians such as John Coltrane, Archie Shepp, and John Tchicai...
(1965–1966), one album with Alan Silva
Alan Silva
Alan Silva is an American free jazz double bassist and keyboard player.-Biography:...
(1970), and made an appearance on one of his brother's albums (The All Seeing Eye
The All Seeing Eye
The All Seeing Eye is a jazz album by saxophonist Wayne Shorter recorded on October 15, 1965 and released on the Blue Note label as BLP 4219 and BST 84219. The album features performances by Shorter with Freddie Hubbard, Grachan Moncur III, James Spaulding, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Joe...
in 1965). Several of these albums feature his unusual compositions, his most famous being "Mephistopheles".
In the mid-1960s Alan moved to Europe, leading his own avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
gigs in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. His style of free jazz
Free jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
sometimes proved to be too far-out for European audiences (his brother remembered that Alan's gigs in Europe would often end with him responding to the crowd's boos by yelling, "You're not ready for me yet!") but he generally found European audiences more receptive than those in the U.S. Eventually he moved back to the states, where he taught briefly at Bennington College
Bennington College
Bennington College is a liberal arts college located in Bennington, Vermont, USA. The college was founded in 1932 as a women's college and became co-educational in 1969.-History:-Early years:...
but otherwise faded into obscurity. He died of a ruptured aorta
Aorta
The aorta is the largest artery in the body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and extending down to the abdomen, where it branches off into two smaller arteries...
in L.A. in 1987, at age 56, shortly after becoming engaged to Ruth Ann Hancock, a cousin of Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
.
Alan's playing is comparable to Don Cherry
Don Cherry (jazz)
Donald Eugene Cherry was an innovative African-American jazz cornetist whose career began with a long association with saxophonist Ornette Coleman. He went on to live in many parts of the world and work with a wide variety of musicians.-Biography:Cherry was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and...
, but with a more aggressive, anarchic bent. His own albums feature his groups functioning as a unit, rather than focusing on his own virtuosity (or lack thereof). Reportedly, his musical style is much like he was personally: deep and intellectual, but intentionally strange (his childhood nickname was "Doc Strange").
As leader
- 1968: Orgasm (Verve RecordsVerve RecordsVerve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...
) - with Charlie HadenCharlie HadenCharles Edward Haden is an American jazz musician. He is a double bassist, probably best known for his long association with saxophonist Ornette Coleman...
, Gato BarbieriGato BarbieriLeandro Barbieri , better known as Gato Barbieri , is an Argentinean jazz tenor saxophonist and composer who rose to fame during the free jazz movement in the 1960s and from his latin jazz recordings in the 1970s.-Biography:Born to a family of musicians, Barbieri began playing music...
, Muhammad AliMuhammad Ali (drummer)Muhammad Ali is a free jazz drummer.Ali was born and grew up in Philadelphia. He, along with his father and brothers, converted to Islam. He recorded with Albert Ayler in 1969 on the sessions released as Music is the Healing Force of the Universe and The Last Album. He moved to Europe in 1969...
, Rashied AliRashied AliRashied Ali, born Robert Patterson was an American free jazz and avant-garde jazz drummer best known for playing with John Coltrane in the last years of Coltrane's life.-Biography:... - 1971: Tes Esat (America Records) - with Gary WindoGary WindoGary Windo was a jazz tenor saxophonist.He came from a musical family in England and by age six took up drums and accordion, then guitar at 12, and finally saxophone at 17. He lived in the United States in the 1960s, but returned to England in 1969...
, Johnny DyaniJohnny DyaniJohnny Mbizo Dyani was a South African jazz double bassist and pianist, who played with such musicians as Don Cherry, Steve Lacy, David Murray and Leo Smith....
, Rene Augustus
As sideman
With Archie SheppArchie Shepp
Archie Shepp is a prominent African-American jazz saxophonist. Shepp is best known for his passionately Afrocentric music of the late 1960s, which focused on highlighting the injustices faced by the African-Americans, as well as for his work with the New York Contemporary Five, Horace Parlan, and...
- Four for TraneFour for TraneFour for Trane is a studio album by Archie Shepp released on Impulse! Records in 1964. Three of the five tracks are reworkings of pieces originally recorded on co-producer John Coltrane's 1960 Giant Steps, rearranged by Shepp and Roswell Rudd....
(1964) - Archie Shepp and the Full Moon EnsembleArchie Shepp and the Full Moon EnsembleArchie Shepp and the Full Moon Ensemble is a live album by Archie Shepp recorded at the Juan les Pins Jazz Festival in Antibes, France, on July 18, 1970. It was originally released on the BYG Actuel label in two volumes and re-released as a double CD in 2002...
(1970) - Pitchin CanPitchin CanPitchin Can is an album by jazz saxophonist Archie Shepp recorded in Europe in 1969 and 1970 for the America label. The album features one track by Shepp with Clifford Thornton, Noah Howard, Julio Finn, Leroy Jenkins, Dave Burrell, Earl Freeman, Sunny Murray and Chicago Beau and one extended track...
(1970) - Doodlin'Doodlin'Doodlin' is an album by jazz saxophonist Archie Shepp recorded in Paris, France in November, 1970 and released on the Inner City label in 1976. The album features performances by Shepp with Alan Shorter, Bob Reid and Muhammad Ali...
(1970) - Coral RockCoral RockCoral Rock is an album by jazz saxophonist Archie Shepp recorded in Europe in 1970 for the America label at the same sessions which produced Pitchin Can. The album was also issued by the Prestige label in 1973. The Allmusic review by Brandon Burke states "Coral Rock features an absolutely monster...
(1973)
With Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.He is generally acknowledged to be jazz's greatest living composer, and many of his compositions have become standards...
- The All Seeing EyeThe All Seeing EyeThe All Seeing Eye is a jazz album by saxophonist Wayne Shorter recorded on October 15, 1965 and released on the Blue Note label as BLP 4219 and BST 84219. The album features performances by Shorter with Freddie Hubbard, Grachan Moncur III, James Spaulding, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Joe...
(1965)
With Marion Brown
Marion Brown
Marion Brown was a jazz alto saxophonist and ethnomusicologist. He is most well known as a member of the 1960s avant-garde jazz scene in New York City, playing alongside musicians such as John Coltrane, Archie Shepp, and John Tchicai...
- Marion Brown Quartet (1965)
- Marion Brown (1965)
- Juba-lee (1966)