Bill Dixon
Encyclopedia
Bill Dixon was an America
n musician, composer
, visual artist, and educator. Dixon was one of the seminal figures in the free jazz
movement. He played the trumpet
, flugelhorn
, and piano
, often using electronic delay and reverberation as part of his trumpet playing.
. His family later moved to Harlem, New York City when he was about 7. His studies in music came relatively late in life, at the Hartnette Conservatory of Music (1946–1951). He studied painting at Boston University and the WPA Arts School and the Art Students League. During the early 1950s he had a job at the United Nations, and founded the UN Jazz Society.
In the 1960's Dixon established himself as a major force in the jazz avant-garde movement. In 1964, Dixon organized and produced the 'October Revolution in Jazz', four days of music and discussions at the Cellar Café in Manhattan. The participants included notable musicians Cecil Taylor
and Sun Ra
among others. It was the first free-jazz festival of its kind. Dixon later founded the Jazz Composers Guild, a cooperative organization that sought to create bargaining power with club owners and effect greater media visibility. He was relatively little recorded during this period, though he co-led some releases with Archie Shepp
and appeared on Cecil Taylor
's Blue Note
record Conquistador! in 1966.
He was Professor of Music at Bennington College
, Vermont
, from 1968 to 1995, where he founded the college's Black Music Division. From 1970 to 1976 he played "in total isolation from the market places of this music", as he puts it. Solo trumpet recordings from this period were later released by Cadence Jazz Records
, and later collected on the self-released multi-CD set Odyssey along with other material.
He was one of four featured musicians in the Canadian documentary Imagine the Sound
(along with Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp, and Paul Bley
), 1981.
In recent years he recorded with Cecil Taylor, Tony Oxley
, William Parker
, Rob Mazurek
, and many others.
On June 16, 2010, Bill Dixon died in his sleep at his home after suffering from an undisclosed illness.
Other labels
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n musician, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, visual artist, and educator. Dixon was one of the seminal figures in the 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...
movement. He played the 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...
, 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...
, and piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, often using electronic delay and reverberation as part of his trumpet playing.
Biography
Dixon hailed from Nantucket, MassachusettsNantucket, Massachusetts
Nantucket is an island south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in the United States. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and the coterminous Nantucket County, which are consolidated. Part of the town is designated the Nantucket...
. His family later moved to Harlem, New York City when he was about 7. His studies in music came relatively late in life, at the Hartnette Conservatory of Music (1946–1951). He studied painting at Boston University and the WPA Arts School and the Art Students League. During the early 1950s he had a job at the United Nations, and founded the UN Jazz Society.
In the 1960's Dixon established himself as a major force in the jazz avant-garde movement. In 1964, Dixon organized and produced the 'October Revolution in Jazz', four days of music and discussions at the Cellar Café in Manhattan. The participants included notable musicians Cecil Taylor
Cecil Taylor
Cecil Percival Taylor is an American pianist and poet. Classically trained, Taylor is generally acknowledged as one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an extremely energetic, physical approach, producing complex improvised sounds, frequently involving tone clusters and...
and Sun Ra
Sun Ra
Sun Ra was a prolific jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy," musical compositions and performances. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama...
among others. It was the first free-jazz festival of its kind. Dixon later founded the Jazz Composers Guild, a cooperative organization that sought to create bargaining power with club owners and effect greater media visibility. He was relatively little recorded during this period, though he co-led some releases with 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...
and appeared on Cecil Taylor
Cecil Taylor
Cecil Percival Taylor is an American pianist and poet. Classically trained, Taylor is generally acknowledged as one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an extremely energetic, physical approach, producing complex improvised sounds, frequently involving tone clusters and...
's Blue Note
Blue note
In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note sung or played at a slightly lower pitch than that of the major scale for expressive purposes. Typically the alteration is a semitone or less, but this varies among performers and genres. Country blues, in particular, features wide variations from the...
record Conquistador! in 1966.
He was Professor of Music 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:...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, from 1968 to 1995, where he founded the college's Black Music Division. From 1970 to 1976 he played "in total isolation from the market places of this music", as he puts it. Solo trumpet recordings from this period were later released by Cadence Jazz Records
Cadence Jazz Records
Cadence Jazz is an American record label specializing in noncommercial jazz music. It is associated with Cadence Magazine.Cadence Jazz was founded by Bob Rusch in Redwood, New York in 1980...
, and later collected on the self-released multi-CD set Odyssey along with other material.
He was one of four featured musicians in the Canadian documentary Imagine the Sound
Imagine the Sound
Imagine the Sound is a 1981 Canadian documentary film about free jazz, directed by Ron Mann. It features interviews with and musical and dramatic performances by pianist Cecil Taylor, saxophonist Archie Shepp, trumpeter Bill Dixon and pianist Paul Bley. The film has been digitally restored and was...
(along with Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp, and Paul Bley
Paul Bley
Paul Bley, CM is a pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing.-Biography:...
), 1981.
In recent years he recorded with Cecil Taylor, Tony Oxley
Tony Oxley
Tony Oxley is an English free-jazz drummer and one of the founders of Incus Records.-Biography:Tony Oxley was born in Sheffield, England. A self-taught pianist by age eight, he first began playing the drums at seventeen. While in the Black Watch military band from 1957 to 1960 he studied music...
, William Parker
William Parker (musician)
William Parker is an American free jazz double bassist, poet and composer.-Biography:Parker was not formally trained as a classical player, though he did study with Jimmy Garrison, Richard Davis, and Wilbur Ware and learned the tradition. Parker is one of few jazz bassists who regularly plays arco...
, Rob Mazurek
Rob Mazurek
Rob Mazurek is an American composer, jazz musician, and visual artist originally from Chicago, Illinois. Mazurek now resides in São Paulo Brazil.-Biography:...
, and many others.
On June 16, 2010, Bill Dixon died in his sleep at his home after suffering from an undisclosed illness.
As leader
Soul Note Records- 1980: Bill Dixon in Italy volumes 1 & 2 with Alan SilvaAlan SilvaAlan Silva is an American free jazz double bassist and keyboard player.-Biography:...
, Freddie WaitsFreddie WaitsFreddie Douglas Waits was a hard bop and post-bop drummer.He was a member of Max Roach's M'Boom percussion orchestra.... - 1981: November 1981 with Silva, Laurence Cook, Mario PavoneMario PavoneMario Pavone is an American jazz bassist.He grew up in Waterbury, Connecticut and began performing in 1965. He was a member of Paul Bley's trio during 1968-72, and Bill Dixon's trio during the 1980s. He also performed with such musicians as Barry Altschul, Wadada Leo Smith, and Gerry Hemingway...
- 1985: Thoughts with Peter KowaldPeter KowaldPeter Kowald was a German free jazz musician.A member of the Globe Unity Orchestra, and a touring double-bass player, Kowald collaborated with a large number of European free jazz and American free-jazz players during his career, including Peter Brötzmann, Irène Schweizer, Karl Berger, Fred...
- 1988: Son of Sisyphus
- 1994: Vade Mecum volumes 1 & 2
- 1999: Papyrus volumes 1 & 2
Other labels
- 1962: Archie Shepp - Bill Dixon Quartet (SavoySavoy RecordsSavoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part in popularizing bebop.Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part...
) - 1964: Bill Dixon 7-tette/Archie Shepp and the New York Contemporary 5Bill Dixon 7-tette/Archie Shepp and the New York Contemporary 5Bill Dixon 7-tette/Archie Shepp and the New York Contemporary 5 is an album released on the Savoy label originally featuring one LP side by Bill Dixon's septet and one LP side by the New York Contemporary Five featuring saxophonist Archie Shepp...
(Savoy, split LP) - 1967: Intents and Purposes (RCA)
- 1981: Considerations 1 & 2 (Fore)
- 1984: Collection (Cadence)
- 1999: Berlin Abbozzi (Free Music Production) with Matthias Bauer, Klaus Koch, Tony Oxley
- 2001: Odyssey (Archive Editions)
- 2007: 17 Musicians in Search of a Sound (Aum Fidelity)
- 2008: Bill Dixon with Exploding Star Orchestra (Thrill Jockey)
- 2009: Tapestries for Small Orchestra (Firehouse 12)
- 2011: Envoi (Victo)
As sideman
- Conquistador!Conquistador!Conquistador! is a 1966 album by Cecil Taylor released on the Blue Note label. The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow states "During the two lengthy pieces, Lyons' passionate solos contrast with Dixon's quieter ruminations while the music in general is unremittingly intense...
(Blue Note, 1966, Cecil Taylor) - Opium for Franz (Pipe, 1977, with Franz Koglman)
- The Enchanted Messenger: Live from Berlin Jazz Festival (Soul Note, 1996)
- Taylor/Dixon/Oxley (Victo, 2002, with Cecil Taylor and Tony Oxley)
- Bill Dixon/Aaron Siegel/Ben Hall: Weight/Counterweight (Brokenresearch, 2009)
As producer or composer
- The Marzette Watts Ensemble: The Marzette Watts Ensemble (Savoy, 1969) (producer and composer)
- Marc Levin and his Free Unit: The Dragon Suite (BYG, 19??) (producer)
- Jacques Coursil Unit: Way Ahead (BYG, 1969) (composer)