Richard Dunbar
Encyclopedia
Richard Dunbar was a player of the French horn, playing in the free jazz
scene. He was born in Brooklyn
, New York
, on May 29, 1944. He began studying the French horn in high school and never put it down. He also was known to play the bass guitar and shakeray, an African percussion instrument.
His first known appearance on record was on a 1968 recording by Bill Dixon
, University of the Streets. He appeared as a sideman with players such as Sam Rivers
, Earl Freeman and Ted Daniel. In the 1980s, he started a small label, Jahari Records, where he released five records under his own name:
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Dunbar also had associations with Sun Ra
. Around 1993, Dunbar moved to Paris, where he lived, continuing to play and teach music, until February 8, 2006, when he died suddenly at the age of 61, apparently of a heart attack, on the way to a gig. At the time he had just completed his first film and was working on the release of 5 new recordings.
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...
scene. He was born in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, on May 29, 1944. He began studying the French horn in high school and never put it down. He also was known to play the bass guitar and shakeray, an African percussion instrument.
His first known appearance on record was on a 1968 recording by 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...
, University of the Streets. He appeared as a sideman with players such as Sam Rivers
Sam Rivers
Samuel Carthorne Rivers , is an American jazz musician and composer. He performs on soprano and tenor saxophones, bass clarinet, flute, harmonica and piano....
, Earl Freeman and Ted Daniel. In the 1980s, he started a small label, Jahari Records, where he released five records under his own name:
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Dunbar also had associations with 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...
. Around 1993, Dunbar moved to Paris, where he lived, continuing to play and teach music, until February 8, 2006, when he died suddenly at the age of 61, apparently of a heart attack, on the way to a gig. At the time he had just completed his first film and was working on the release of 5 new recordings.
Discography
- Clear-Eyed Vision (1981)
- Running Buddies, Volume 1 (1982)
- Running Buddies, Volume 2 (1983)
- Dream Messages (1986)
- Dancing To The Light (1987)