Bill Cole (musician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bill Cole
|
|
|---|---|
Bill Cole (right) performing with Warren Smith in October 2005 in Takoma Park, Maryland
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Shadrack Cole |
| Born | 1937 (age 87–88) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Genres |
|
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1974 – present |
| Labels | Boxholder Records (de) |
| Associated acts |
Untempered Ensemble
|
| Alma mater |
1967: University of Pittsburgh, BA
1970: University of Pittsburgh, MA
1974: Wesleyan University, PhD (with highest honors)
1987: Dartmouth College, Honorary MA
|
| Spouse(s) |
Linda Joy Punchatz (maiden); m. 1967
Sarah Elizabeth Sully (maiden); m. 1982
|
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions |
Professor of Music, Amherst College, 1972–1974
Professor of Music, Dartmouth College, 1974–1990
Professor of African American Studies, Syracuse University, 2005–2010
|
| Influences |
|
William Shadrack Cole is an American jazz musician, composer, and educator. He is also an ethnomusicologist, which means he studies music from different cultures. Bill Cole is known for combining sounds from Eastern music with American jazz.
He has mastered many unique wind instruments from around the world. These include the Ghanaian atenteben, the Chinese suona, and the Korean hojok and piri. He also plays the South Indian nagaswaram, the North Indian shehnai, the Tibetan trumpet, and the Australian didjeridu. Cole earned his PhD in ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University. He has written two books about famous jazz musicians, Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Bill Cole is also the founder and leader of a music group called the Untempered Ensemble.
Contents
Bill Cole's Academic Journey
Bill Cole has had a long career as a professor. From 1972 to 1974, he taught music at Amherst College. Then, from 1974 to 1990, he was a music professor at Dartmouth College. Dartmouth recognized his work by giving him a special honorary degree in 1987. He even led the Music Department there for three years, starting in 1981.
Later, from 2005 to 2010, Cole was a professor of African-American studies at Syracuse University. He also served as the head of that department. He retired in 2010 and is now a Professor Emeritus, which means he keeps his title after retirement.
When Cole was studying for his master's degree at the University of Pittsburgh, his advisor was Nathan Davis. Dr. Davis was the first African-American teacher Cole had ever had, all the way back to kindergarten. For his doctorate at Wesleyan University, Cole's advisor was Clifford Thornton. He also learned from the jazz musician Sam Rivers during his time at Wesleyan.
Musical Collaborations
Bill Cole has performed with many well-known musicians. Some of these artists include Ornette Coleman, Jayne Cortez, Julius Hemphill, Sam Rivers, James Blood Ulmer, and Fred Ho.
Books by Bill Cole
Bill Cole has written important books about jazz history:
- Miles Davis: The Early Years (1974)
- John Coltrane (1976)
In his book about John Coltrane, Cole wrote about the deep meaning in Coltrane's music. He said it dealt with human problems and feelings. Cole also noted that the song "Alabama" by Coltrane was inspired by a speech from Dr. Martin Luther King. This song was a tribute to the four African-American girls who died in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama.
Bill Cole's Music Albums
Bill Cole has released many albums, both as a solo artist and with other musicians.
Solo and with Other Artists
- The First Cycle (1980)
- Unsubmissive Blues (1980) – with Jayne Cortez
- There It Is (1982) – with Jayne Cortez and the Firespitters
- Everywhere Drums (1990) – with Bill Cole & Jayne Cortez
- William Parker: Double Sunrise Over Neptune (2007)
- Billy Bang and Bill Cole (2010) – with Billy Bang
- As If You Knew (2011) – with Jayne Cortez and the Firespitter Band
- Joseph Daley – Portraits: Wind, Thunder and Love (2014)
- This album includes a piece called "Shadrack / Portrait of Bill Cole."
- Trayvon Martin Suite (2015) – with Joseph Daley
- Bill Cole & William Parker – Two Masters (Live at the Prism) (2005)
- Boy From Black Mountain (2009) – Cole played the Chinese suona on this album.
Bill Cole's Untempered Ensemble
Bill Cole also leads his own group, the Untempered Ensemble. They have released several albums:
- Vision ONE (1997)
- The Untempered Trio (1992)
- This album includes songs composed by Cole, like "Peace for Nagaswarm."
- Some song titles are Yorùbá proverbs, which are wise sayings.
- Untempered Ensemble Live in Greenfield, Massachusetts (2000)
- This album features songs honoring important figures like Fanny Lou Hamer and Amadou Diallo.
- It also includes a long piece called "Freedom 1863: a fable," which tells stories about historical figures like Sojourner Truth, Harriett Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Martin Luther King Jr..
- Duets and Solos, Volume I (2000)
- Duets and Solos, Volume II (2001)
- Seasoning the Greens (2002)
- This album includes compositions by Bill Cole and Warren Smith.
- Proverbs for Sam (2008)
- This album was made to honor saxophonist Sam Furnace, who passed away in 2004.
- The song titles are also proverbs, like "Don't Wait For the Day of Battle Before Getting Your Weapons Ready."
- Untempered Ensemble (2011)
- Politicsm – A Tribute to Jayne Cortez (2013)
- Sunsum (2014)
- This album includes songs with titles like "The Dove Finds Peace Everywhere."
- The Living Lives Not Among the Dead. Why Seek It There? (2018)
- This live recording was dedicated to bassist Wilber Morris.
Videography
Bill Cole's music has also been used in dance performances:
- He created the musical score for a dance piece presented by Douglas Dunn and Rudy Burckhardt.
- His music was also featured in another dance performance by Douglas Dunn and Dancers.
Challenges at Dartmouth College
During his time at Dartmouth College, Bill Cole faced difficulties from a student publication called the Dartmouth Review. This newspaper was not officially part of the college. It often criticized college programs that focused on non-European cultures, like African-American Studies.
Starting in 1983, the Review published articles that were very critical of Professor Cole. These articles made him feel personally and professionally attacked. At one point, Cole even filed a lawsuit against the newspaper, but it was later settled without the Review admitting fault or paying money. Both Cole's and the Review's reputations were affected.
In 1988, four student journalists from the Review went to Cole's classroom after class. They wanted him to apologize for comments he had made. This led to a tense situation where one student was taking photos. Cole grabbed the student's arm, which damaged the camera flash.
Dartmouth College took action against the students for their behavior. Three of them were suspended from the college for a period of time. One student was put on disciplinary probation. This event was even discussed on the TV show 60 Minutes. A student who saw the confrontation said it made her realize that some people might dislike others just because of their race.
In August 1990, after 16 years at Dartmouth, Bill Cole resigned. He felt that the repeated attacks from the Review had made it very difficult for him to continue his work there. He later shared that he felt "blackballed," meaning he was unfairly excluded. He reflected that sometimes, helping your own community can make things harder in certain environments.
Bill Cole's Family
Bill Cole's parents were William Lucius "John" Cole and Gladys Alice Seel. Interestingly, both Bill Cole's father and the famous jazz musician Miles Davis's father were dentists.
Cole's first wife, Linda Joy Punchatz, is an artist. Her uncle was the well-known science fiction artist Don Ivan Punchatz. Linda's cousin, Gregor Punchatz, is a digital artist who works on films and video games.
