Air (free jazz trio)

Last updated

Air
OriginChicago, Illinois
Genres Jazz, free jazz
Years active1971–1986
Labels Novus
Past members

Air was a free jazz trio founded by saxophone player Henry Threadgill, double bassist Fred Hopkins, and drummer Steve McCall in 1971. [1] [2]

Contents

Career

Threadgill was asked by Columbia College in Chicago to arrange a number of Scott Joplin songs. [2] Joplin was so strongly associated with piano that the musicians enjoyed the challenge of performing his trademark songs without piano. They opted to play them as rags and as a basis for jazz improvization.

The album Air Lore contains improvizations over songs by Scott Joplin as well as selections by Jelly Roll Morton. [3]

Air broke up and reformed several times, and after McCall's death, Andrew Cyrille performed as part of the trio. They released two albums with drummer Pheeroan Aklaff as New Air on Black Saint Records. [4]

Discography

AlbumLabelYear of releaseYear Recorded
Air Song Why Not 19751975
Air Raid Why Not19761976
Wildflowers 1: The New York Loft Jazz Sessions Douglas19771976
Open Air Suit Arista Novus19781978
Montreux Suisse Arista Novus19781978
Air Time Nessa 19781977
Air Lore Arista Novus19791979
Live Air Black Saint 19801976 & 1977
Air Mail Black Saint19811980
80° Below '82 Antilles 19821982
(As New Air) Live at Montreal International Jazz Festival Black Saint19841983
(As New Air) Air Show No. 1 Black Saint19861986

[4]

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References

  1. Mandel, Howard (2002). "Air". In Barry Kernfeld (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). New York: Grove's Dictionaries Inc. pp. 20–21. ISBN   1-56159-284-6.
  2. 1 2 Yanow, Scott (1998). Erlewine, Michael; Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Yanow, Scott (eds.). All Music Guide to Jazz (3 ed.). San Francisco: Miller Freeman. p. 12. ISBN   0-87930-530-4.
  3. Gold, Gerald (February 7, 1988). "Records Notes: A Recording Studio As Artists See It". The New York Times .
  4. 1 2 Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 8. ISBN   0-85112-580-8.