David Izenzon
Encyclopedia
David Izenzon was an American jazz
double bass
ist.
Izenzon began playing double bass
at age twenty-four. He played locally in his hometown of Pittsburgh before moving to New York City in 1961. There he played with Paul Bley
, Archie Shepp
, Sonny Rollins
, and Bill Dixon
, but he is best known for his association with Ornette Coleman
, begun in October 1961. He played in Coleman's Town Hall, 1962 concert and played with him regularly from 1965 to 1968, often in a trio format with Charles Moffett
. During this time he also recorded with Harold McNair
and Yoko Ono
. He taught music history
at Bronx Community College
from 1968 to 1971 and played with Perry Robinson
and Paul Motian
, but reduced his time in music in 1972 when his son became ill. In 1973 he received a Ph.D. in psychotherapy
from Northwestern University
and co-founded Potsmokers Anonymous with his wife, Pearl. In 1975 he composed a jazz opera
entitled How Music Can Save the World, dedicated to those who helped his son recover. From 1977 he worked again with Coleman and Motian, up until his death in 1979.
Bassist John Lindberg
dedicated his 1997 album Offers for Luminosity to Izenzon.
With Ornette Coleman
With Steve Kuhn
and Toshiko Akiyoshi
With Harold McNair
With Paul Motian
With Yoko Ono
With Joseph Scianni
With Archie Shepp
With Sonny Rollins
With Bob Thiele
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
ist.
Izenzon began playing double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
at age twenty-four. He played locally in his hometown of Pittsburgh before moving to New York City in 1961. There he played with 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:...
, 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...
, Sonny Rollins
Sonny Rollins
Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins is a Grammy-winning American jazz tenor saxophonist. Rollins is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. A number of his compositions, including "St...
, and Bill Dixon
Bill Dixon
Bill Dixon was an American 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.-Biography:Dixon hailed from...
, but he is best known for his association with Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s....
, begun in October 1961. He played in Coleman's Town Hall, 1962 concert and played with him regularly from 1965 to 1968, often in a trio format with Charles Moffett
Charles Moffett
Charles Moffett was a free jazz drummer.Moffett began his musical career as a trumpeter before switching to drums. He is probably best known for his part in Ornette Coleman's trio with David Izenzon in the 1960s. He also appeared on other important albums of that period, such as Archie Shepp's...
. During this time he also recorded with Harold McNair
Harold McNair
Harold McNair was a renowned saxophonist and flautist.-Background:...
and Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
. He taught music history
Music history
Music history, sometimes called historical musicology, is the highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that studies the composition, performance, reception, and criticism of music over time...
at Bronx Community College
Bronx Community College
The Bronx Community College of The City University of New York is a community college in the City University of New York system located in the University Heights neighborhood of The Bronx.- History :...
from 1968 to 1971 and played with Perry Robinson
Perry Robinson
Perry Morris Robinson is an American jazz clarinetist and composer. He is the son of the noted composer Earl Robinson. -Biography:...
and Paul Motian
Paul Motian
Stephen Paul Motian was an American jazz drummer, percussionist and composer of Armenian extraction.He first came to prominence in the late 1950s in the piano trio of Bill Evans, and later led several groups...
, but reduced his time in music in 1972 when his son became ill. In 1973 he received a Ph.D. in psychotherapy
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
from Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
and co-founded Potsmokers Anonymous with his wife, Pearl. In 1975 he composed a jazz opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
entitled How Music Can Save the World, dedicated to those who helped his son recover. From 1977 he worked again with Coleman and Motian, up until his death in 1979.
Bassist John Lindberg
John Lindberg
John Lindberg is an American jazz double-bassist.Lindberg studied at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and moved to New York City in 1977. There he played with the Human Arts Ensemble alongside Joseph Bowie and Bobo Shaw, and he was in ensembles with Anthony Braxton from 1978-1985...
dedicated his 1997 album Offers for Luminosity to Izenzon.
Discography
With Jaki ByardJaki Byard
Jaki Byard was an American jazz pianist and composer who also played trumpet and saxophone, among several other instruments. He was noteworthy for his eclectic style, incorporating everything from ragtime and stride to free jazz...
- Sunshine Of My Soul (Prestige. 1967)
With Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s....
- Town Hall, 1962 (ESP, 1962)
- Chappaqua SuiteChappaqua SuiteChappaqua Suite is a free jazz album, recorded and released in 1965, by alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman. It was originally commissioned by actor/director Conrad Rooks as the soundtrack to his film Chappaqua; however, the music was not used in the released version of the film...
(Columbia, 1965) - An Evening With Ornette Coleman (Polydor, 1965)
- At the Golden Circle StockholmAt the Golden Circle StockholmAt the Golden Circle Stockholm is a two-volume album by the Ornette Coleman Trio, documenting concerts on the nights of December 3 and 4, 1965, in the Gyllene Cirkeln club in Stockholm. It marked the beginning of Coleman's contract with Blue Note....
(Blue Note, 1965)
With Steve Kuhn
Steve Kuhn
Steve Kuhn is an American jazz pianist, composer and trio leader.-Biography:He began studying piano at the age of five and studied under Boston piano teacher Margaret Chaloff, mother of jazz baritone saxophonist Serge Chaloff, who taught him the "Russian style" of piano playing. At an early age he...
and Toshiko Akiyoshi
Toshiko Akiyoshi
is a Japanese American jazz pianist, composer/arranger and bandleader. Among a very few successful female instrumentalists of her generation in jazz, she is also recognized as a major figure in jazz composition. She has received 14 Grammy nominations, and she was the first woman to win the Best...
- The Country and Western Sound of Jazz PianosThe Country and Western Sound of Jazz PianosThe Country and Western Sound of Jazz Pianos is an album recorded by jazz pianists Toshiko Akiyoshi and Steve Kuhn in New York City in 1963 and released on the Dauntless label. It was later re-released on the Chiaroscuro label under the title, Together, Steve Kuhn and Toshiko Akiyoshi.-Track...
(Dauntless, 1963)
With Harold McNair
Harold McNair
Harold McNair was a renowned saxophonist and flautist.-Background:...
- Affectionate Fink (Island, 1965)
With Paul Motian
Paul Motian
Stephen Paul Motian was an American jazz drummer, percussionist and composer of Armenian extraction.He first came to prominence in the late 1950s in the piano trio of Bill Evans, and later led several groups...
- DanceDance (Paul Motian album)Dance is the third album by Paul Motian to be released on the ECM label. It was released in 1977 and features performances by Motian with David Izenzon and Charles Brackeen.-Reception:...
(ECM, 1977)
With Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
- Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono BandYoko Ono/Plastic Ono BandYoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band is the avant-garde debut album by Yoko Ono, which came after recording three experimental releases with John Lennon and a live album as a member of The Plastic Ono Band...
(Apple, 1968)
With Joseph Scianni
- Man Running (Savoy, 1965)
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...
- Archie Shepp & The New Contemporary 5/The Bill Dixon 7-Tette (Savoy, 1964)
- Fire MusicFire MusicFire Music is a studio album by Archie Shepp released on Impulse! Records in 1965. "Malcolm, Malcolm Semper Malcolm" is dedicated to Malcolm X, whilst "Los Olvidados" is a homage to the film of the same name. The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow states "This particular early Archie Shepp recording...
(Impulse!, 1965) - On This NightOn This NightOn This Night is an album by Archie Shepp released on Impulse! Records in 1965. The album contains tracks recorded by Shepp, David Izenzon and J.C. Moses in March 1965 and with a larger band in August of that year...
(Impulse!, 1965) - Further Fire Music (Impulse!, 1965)
With Sonny Rollins
Sonny Rollins
Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins is a Grammy-winning American jazz tenor saxophonist. Rollins is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. A number of his compositions, including "St...
- The Standard Sonny RollinsThe Standard Sonny RollinsThe Standard Sonny Rollins is an album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, his last recorded for the RCA Victor label, featuring performances by Rollins with Herbie Hancock, Jim Hall, David Izenzon, Teddy Smith, Stu Martin, Bob Cranshaw and Mickey Roker....
(RCA, 1964) - The Alternative Rollins (RCA, 1964)
With Bob Thiele
Bob Thiele
Bob Thiele was an American record producer who worked on countless classic jazz albums and record labels.-Biography:...
- Head Start (Flying Dutchman, 1967)