John Purcell (musician)

Last updated

John Raymond Purcell (born May 8, 1952, New York City) is an American jazz saxophonist. [1]

Contents

Biography

Purcell was raised in Westchester, New York, where he started on French horn before switching to saxophone. He attended the Manhattan School of Music, achieving his master's degree in 1978, then formed a 22-piece ensemble based in Westchester; Frank Foster co-led the ensemble for a time. In 1975 Purcell developed a tumor on his larynx, which prevented him from playing for a year; he devoted this time to studying instrument design.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s Purcell worked freelance in many local New York ensembles and in Broadway pit orchestras. He played with Machito's Afro-Cuban Big Band, Chico Hamilton, Sam Rivers, Onaje Allen Gumbs (1983), Muhal Richard Abrams (1983–90), He recorded with the Roger Dawson septet featuring Hilton Ruiz piano, Claudio Roditi trumpet, John Betsch drums, percussionist Milton Cardona and bassist Anthony Cox(1983). American Jazz Orchestra (1985–91), Third Kind of Blue with Ronnie Burrage and again with another date for Anthony Cox (1984–87), Tania Maria (1984), Henry Butler (1987) He did work as a consultant for film and television shows in the 1980s and 1990s, and appears in the 1985 film The Cotton Club .

Unlike many reed players, Purcell is proficient on virtually all the reeds from piccolo, bass clarinet, flute, alto flute, oboe, tenor, alto and soprano saxes, a great reader who is also an original improvisor which made him a natural to replace Julius Hemphill in "The World Saxophone Quartet" when Hemphill left the group due to illness. Purcell was also a part of Jack DeJohnette's Special Edition This group also helped the careers of many lesser-known young horn players, as it had a rotating front line that included Purcell, David Murray, Arthur Blythe, Chico Freeman, and bassist Rufus Reid.

Purcell has taught at Westchester Conservatory (1970–80), Dwight Morrow High School (1976–79), Lehman College (1985–89), Rutgers (1987–90) and the Manhattan School of Music (1987–94). He also taught Jazz and World Music at the California State University at Monterey Bay in Seaside, California during the late 90s.

Discography

As leader

As sideman

With Muhal Richard Abrams

With Henry Butler

With Benny Carter

With Jack DeJohnette

With Dennis González

With Julius Hemphill

With Meco

With David Murray

With David Sanborn

With World Saxophone Quartet

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Threadgill</span> American composer, saxophonist and flautist

Henry Threadgill is an American composer, saxophonist and flautist. He came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles rooted in jazz but with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating other genres of music. He has performed and recorded with several ensembles: Air, Aggregation Orb, Make a Move, the seven-piece Henry Threadgill Sextett, the twenty-piece Society Situation Dance Band, Very Very Circus, X-75, and Zooid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roscoe Mitchell</span> American composer, jazz musician, and educator

Roscoe Mitchell is an American composer, jazz instrumentalist, and educator, known for being "a technically superb – if idiosyncratic – saxophonist". The Penguin Guide to Jazz described him as "one of the key figures" in avant-garde jazz; All About Jazz stated in 2004 that he had been "at the forefront of modern music" for more than 35 years. Critic Jon Pareles in The New York Times has mentioned that Mitchell "qualifies as an iconoclast". In addition to his own work as a bandleader, Mitchell is known for cofounding the Art Ensemble of Chicago and the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack DeJohnette</span> American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer (born 1942)

Jack DeJohnette is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lester Bowie</span> American jazz trumpeter and composer (1941–1999)

Lester Bowie was an American jazz trumpet player and composer. He was a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and co-founded the Art Ensemble of Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julius Hemphill</span> American jazz composer and saxophonist

Julius Arthur Hemphill was a jazz composer and saxophone player. He performed mainly on alto saxophone, less often on soprano and tenor saxophones and flute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Blythe</span> American jazz saxophonist and composer

Arthur Murray Blythe was an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer. He was described by critic Chris Kelsey as displaying "one of the most easily recognizable alto sax sounds in jazz, big and round, with a fast, wide vibrato and an aggressive, precise manner of phrasing" and furthermore as straddling the avant garde and traditionalist jazz, often with bands featuring unusual instrumentation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oliver Lake</span> American jazz musician, composer, poet, and artist (born 1942)

Oliver Lake is an American jazz saxophonist, flutist, composer, poet, and visual artist. He is known mainly for alto saxophone, but he also performs on soprano and flute. During the 1960s, Lake worked with the Black Artists Group in St. Louis. In 1977, he founded the World Saxophone Quartet with David Murray, Julius Hemphill, and Hamiet Bluiett. Lake worked in the group Trio 3 with Reggie Workman and Andrew Cyrille. Lake has appeared on more than 80 albums as a bandleader, co-leader, and side musician. He is the father of drummer Gene Lake. Lake has been a resident of Montclair, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Harris</span> American jazz trombonist

Craig S. Harris is an American jazz trombonist, who started working with Sun Ra in 1976. He also has worked with Abdullah Ibrahim, David Murray, Lester Bowie, Cecil Taylor, Sam Rivers, Muhal Richard Abrams, and Charlie Haden. He has recorded since 1983 as leader for India Navigation, Soul Note and JMT. For the latter he recorded with two groups. The Tailgater's Tales was a quintet with clarinetist Don Byron, trumpeter Eddie Allen, Anthony Cox on double bass, and Pheeroan akLaff on drums. His large ensemble Cold Sweat was a tribute to the music of James Brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Carter (musician)</span> American jazz musician

James Carter is an American jazz musician widely recognized for his technical virtuosity on saxophones and a variety of woodwinds. He is the cousin of noted jazz violinist Regina Carter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamiet Bluiett</span> American jazz musician and composer

Hamiet Bluiett was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. His primary instrument was the baritone saxophone, and he was considered one of the finest players of this instrument. A member of the World Saxophone Quartet, he also played the bass saxophone, E-flat alto clarinet, E-flat contra-alto clarinet, and wooden flute.

Tani Tabbal is a jazz drummer who has worked with Roscoe Mitchell, David Murray, and Cassandra Wilson.

Fred Hopkins was an American double bassist who played a major role in the development of the avant-garde jazz movement. He was best known for his association with the trio Air with Henry Threadgill and Steve McCall, and for his numerous performances and extensive recordings with major jazz musicians such as Muhal Richard Abrams, Arthur Blythe, Oliver Lake, and David Murray. He was a member of the AACM, and a frequent participant in the loft jazz scene of the 1970s. He also co-led a number of albums with the composer and cellist Diedre Murray. Gary Giddins wrote that Hopkins' playing "fused audacious power with mercuric reflexes." Howard Reich, writing in the Chicago Tribune, stated that "many connoisseurs considered [Hopkins] the most accomplished jazz bassist of his generation" and praised him for "the extraordinarily fluid technique, sumptuous tone and innovative methods he brought to his instrument."

Eddie Allen is an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist from Milwaukee.

Vincent Chancey is an American jazz hornist.

Ronnie Burrage is an American jazz drummer. His style draws from jazz, funk, and soul.

Baikida Carroll is an American jazz trumpeter.

<i>Requiem for Julius</i> 2000 studio album by World Saxophone Quartet

Requiem for Julius is an album by the jazz group the World Saxophone Quartet released by the Justin Time label. The album features performances by Hamiet Bluiett, John Purcell, Oliver Lake and David Murray and is dedicated to the band's founding member Julius Hemphill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerome Harris</span> American jazz musician

Jerome Harris is an American jazz musician specializing in electric and acoustic bass guitar, electric guitar, voice, and occasionally lap steel and small percussion.

This is the discography for American jazz musician Chico Freeman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaribu Shahid</span> American jazz musician

Jaribu Abdurahman Shahid is an American jazz bassist. He plays both double-bass and electric bass.

References