Don Pullen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Don Pullen
Pullen in Half Moon Bay, California, June 13, 1988
Background information
Birth name	Don Gabriel Pullen
Born	(1941-12-25)December 25, 1941 Roanoke, Virginia, United States
Died	April 22, 1995(1995-04-22) (aged 53) East Orange, New Jersey, United States
Genres	Jazz, avant-garde jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer, arranger, record producer, bandleader
Instruments	Piano, organ
Years active	1964–1995
Labels	Timeless, Blue Note, Sackville, Black Saint, Atlantic, Palcoscenico, Mosaic, SRP
Associated acts	Milford Graves, Charles Mingus, Mingus Dynasty, Art Blakey, David Murray, John Scofield, George Adams, Hamiet Bluiett, Jane Bunnett

Don Gabriel Pullen (born December 25, 1941 – died April 22, 1995) was an American jazz musician. He played both the piano and the organ. Don Pullen created a very unique style of music during his career. He wrote many different kinds of songs, from blues to bebop and modern jazz. Because his music was so varied, it's hard to put it into just one category.

Don Pullen's Life and Music Journey

Early Life and Musical Start

Don Pullen grew up in Roanoke, Virginia, in a family that loved music. He started playing the piano when he was very young. He went to Lucy Addison High School and played in the school band.

Don also played with the choir at his local church. His cousin, Clyde "Fats" Wright, who was a professional jazz pianist, greatly influenced him. Even though he took some classical piano lessons, he mostly knew church music and the blues at first.

Pullen went to Johnson C. Smith University in North Carolina to study medicine. However, he soon realized that music was his true calling. After playing with local musicians and hearing jazz albums for the first time, he decided to focus on music. He wanted to play like famous jazz artists such as Ornette Coleman and Eric Dolphy.

Beginning His Music Career (1964 to 1972)

In 1964, Don Pullen visited Chicago, Illinois. There, he learned about Muhal Richard Abrams' ideas on making music. He then moved to New York. Soon, he met avant-garde saxophonist Giuseppi Logan. Logan invited Pullen to play piano on his first two albums, Giuseppi Logan (1964) and More (1965). These albums featured a style of jazz called "structured free playing."

After this, Pullen and Milford Graves formed a duo. They recorded a concert at Yale University in May 1966. They even started their own record label, SRP (which stood for "Self Reliance Project"). They released two albums from the concert. These were the first records to feature Pullen's name. These unique albums were very popular in Europe. In 2020, the music from both albums was released on a CD called The Complete Yale Concert, 1966.

Playing avant-garde jazz didn't always pay well. So, Pullen started playing the Hammond organ to find more work. He used his unique piano style on the organ too. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he played with his own organ trio in clubs. He also worked as an arranger for record companies and played with singers like Nina Simone.

In 1972, Pullen briefly played with Art Blakey's famous group, the Jazz Messengers.

Some critics wrongly thought Pullen was only a free jazz player. They also said he copied Cecil Taylor's style. Pullen strongly disagreed, saying he developed his own style before ever hearing Taylor. But these ideas about his music continued throughout his life.

Pullen didn't appear on many commercial recordings until 1971 and 1972. During this time, he played organ on three albums by saxophonist Charles Williams. One of these albums was named after a song Pullen wrote, "Trees And Grass And Things."

Joining Charles Mingus (1973 to 1975)

In 1973, drummer Roy Brooks introduced Pullen to the famous bassist Charles Mingus. After a quick try-out, Pullen became the new piano player in Mingus's group. Pullen then suggested George Adams for the tenor saxophone spot. Later, Dannie Richmond returned as the drummer. These musicians, along with Jack Walrath on trumpet, formed what many consider the last great Mingus group.

Being part of Mingus's group helped Pullen become well-known. He played in many concerts and on three of Mingus's studio albums: Mingus Moves (1973), Changes One and Changes Two (both 1974). This showed audiences and critics that Pullen could play more than just free jazz. Two of his own songs, "Newcomer" and "Big Alice," were recorded during the Mingus Moves sessions. However, "Big Alice" was not released until many years later on a CD. Pullen left the group in 1975 due to musical differences with Mingus.

Becoming a Bandleader (1975 to 1979)

Don Pullen usually played piano with a bass and drums behind him. But in early 1975, he was asked to play a solo concert in Toronto. This concert was recorded as Solo Piano Album for Sackville Records. It was the first album released only under Pullen's name. It included "Sweet (Suite) Malcolm," which a fellow musician, Cameron Brown, called a masterpiece.

People were starting to notice Pullen's talent, especially in Europe. In 1975, an Italian record company gave Pullen, George Adams, and Dannie Richmond a chance to each make their own album. They all played on each other's recordings. That same year, Pullen made two more solo albums in Italy: Five To Go and Healing Force. Healing Force received great praise. Pullen became a regular on tours for American musicians in Europe, playing avant-garde or free jazz.

In 1977, a major American record company, Atlantic Records, signed Pullen. He released two albums with them, Tomorrow's Promises and Montreux Concert. But after these, his contract with Atlantic ended. He then returned to European companies for three more albums: Warriors and Milano Strut in 1978, and The Magic Triangle in 1979. These albums, especially the powerful 30-minute title track of Warriors, have remained popular over the years.

During this time, he also recorded with groups led by other musicians like Billy Hart (drums) and Hamiet Bluiett (baritone sax). When the first Mingus Dynasty band was formed, Pullen played piano and appeared on their 1979 album Chair In The Sky. However, he soon left the band because he felt the music was too different from Mingus's original ideas.

The George Adams/Don Pullen Quartet (1979 to 1988)

In late 1979, Pullen, Adams, and Richmond planned a European tour as a quartet. Pullen invited Cameron Brown to join them on bass. They were asked to call themselves a "Mingus group," but they wanted to create their own identity. So, they performed as the George Adams/Don Pullen Quartet. They played music that was more structured than Pullen usually preferred. The group quickly connected and toured the world with the same members until Richmond passed away in early 1988.

From their first tour in 1979 until 1985, the quartet made many recordings for European labels. These included studio albums and live concert recordings. Albums like Earth Beams (1980), Live At The Village Vanguard (1983), and Decisions (1984) are great examples of their work from that time.

Even though they were highly respected in Europe, the quartet felt they weren't well-known enough in America. In 1986, they signed with Blue Note Records. They recorded Breakthrough (1986) and Song Everlasting (1987) with Blue Note. They hoped for more fame and success, as shown by the title of their first album, Breakthrough. However, they were disappointed by how hard it was to find their two records. Their live concerts were still amazing, but the music they recorded for Blue Note took time to gain the same high reputation as their European recordings.

After Dannie Richmond's death, the quartet finished their planned concerts with drummer Lewis Nash. They then broke up in mid-1988. Their music, often original songs by Pullen, Adams, and Richmond, covered many styles. They played everything from blues and ballads to post-bop and avant-garde jazz. Their ability to play all these different styles, sometimes in one song, made their music exciting and fresh.

During the time of the Quartet, Pullen also made a duo album with George Adams called Melodic Excursions (1982). He also released three albums under his own name. Two were solo piano albums: the praised Evidence Of Things Unseen (1983) and Plays Monk (1984). He also recorded The Sixth Sense (1985) with a quintet, which was also highly praised. He recorded with other musicians too, such as David Murray.

All of Pullen's future albums under his own name were for Blue Note. On December 16, 1988, he recorded his first trio album, New Beginnings, with Gary Peacock (bass) and Tony Williams (drums). This album surprised many and is considered one of the best trio albums ever. In 1990, he followed up with another trio album, Random Thoughts, which had a lighter feel. This time, he played with James Genus (bass) and Lewis Nash (drums).

African Brazilian Connection and Later Career (1990 to 1995)

In late 1990, Pullen added a new sound to his music by forming his African Brazilian Connection (ABC). This group included Carlos Ward (alto sax), Nilson Matta (bass), Guilherme Franco, and Mor Thiam (percussion). They mixed African and Latin rhythms with jazz. Their first album, Kele Mou Bana, came out in 1991. Their second album, Ode To Life (1993), was a tribute to George Adams, who had passed away in 1992. It included Pullen's emotional song "Ah George We Hardly Knew Ya." A third album, Live...Again, recorded in July 1993 at the Montreux Jazz Festival, was released in 1995. This album featured longer versions of songs from their previous albums. Pullen became more popular and successful with this group than with any other. In 1993, Ode To Life reached fifth place on the U.S. Billboard Top Jazz Album chart.

In the last few years of his life, Pullen toured with his trio, his African Brazilian Connection, and as a solo artist. He didn't release any more solo albums. He also played as a sideman (a musician who plays with a band but is not a regular member) with many notable artists. These included Jane Bunnett (especially their duo album New York Duets), Bill Cosby, and David Murray on his 1991 album Shakill's Warrior. He also toured and recorded with the group Roots.

Pullen's final project was a special work that combined the sounds of his African Brazilian Connection (with Joseph Bowie on trombone) with a choir and drums of Native Americans. Even though his paternal grandmother was part Native American (likely Cherokee), he only started exploring American Indian music in July 1992. In 1994, Pullen was diagnosed with lymphoma, a type of cancer. He worked very hard to finish this composition. In early March 1995, just weeks before he passed away, he played on his final recording, Sacred Common Ground. This album featured the Chief Cliff Singers, who are Kootenai Indians from Elmo, Montana. This project brought him back to his roots in blues and church music. He was too ill to play at the live premiere, so D.D. Jackson took his place. Pullen discussed the music with Jackson from his hospital bed shortly before he died on April 22, 1995, from lymphoma.

Pullen wrote many songs, often as musical pictures or memories of people he knew. His best-known songs include the funny "Big Alice" (for an imaginary fan), "Double Arc Jake" (for his son Jake and Rahsaan Roland Kirk), the heartfelt "Ode To Life" (for a friend), and the sad "Ah George We Hardly Knew Ya." Sometimes he wrote songs with a religious feeling, like "Gratitude" and "Healing Force." He also wrote about the struggles of African-Americans, such as "Warriors" and "Endangered Species: African American Youth." After the assassination of civil rights activist Malcolm X, Pullen wrote a suite dedicated to him. However, this piece needed more instruments than a normal jazz group had, so only the piano parts were ever recorded. Except for the Plays Monk album, Pullen mostly featured his own songs on his albums, until he formed the African Brazilian Connection. His songs are also well-represented on the George Adams/Don Pullen Quartet albums.

You can see Pullen's piano playing on the DVDs Mingus At Montreux 1975 and Roots Salutes The Saxophones.

Tributes After His Death

Many musicians wrote songs to honor Don Pullen after he passed away. David Murray and D.D. Jackson recorded an album called Long Goodbye: A Tribute to Don Pullen (1998). This album was dedicated to Pullen and featured his songs. Other musicians who wrote tributes include Jane Bunnett, Cameron Brown, and Myra Melford. D.D. Jackson also dedicated a song called "For Don" to him on his 1996 CD, Paired Down, Vol. I.

In 2005, Mosaic Records re-released four Blue Note recordings that had been hard to find. These included Breakthrough and Song Everlasting by the Don Pullen/George Adams Quartet, and New Beginning and Random Thoughts by Pullen's own trio. Also, some of his songs were used in movies, such as "Big Alice" in The Preacher's Wife and "Once Upon A Time" in Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored.

Don Pullen's Music Albums

As the Main Artist

As Part of the George Adams/Don Pullen Quartet

• All That Funk (Palcoscenico, 1979)
• More Funk (Palcoscenico, 1979)
• Don't Lose Control (Soul Note, 1979)
• Earth Beams (Timeless, 1980)
• Life Line (Timeless, 1981)
• Melodic Excursions (Timeless, 1982)
• City Gates (Timeless, 1983)
• Live at the Village Vanguard (Soul Note, 1983)
• Live at the Village Vanguard Vol. 2 (Soul Note, 1983)
• Decisions (Timeless, 1984)
• Live at Montmartre (Timeless, 1985)
• Breakthrough (Blue Note, 1986)
• Song Everlasting (Blue Note, 1987)
• Paradise Space Shuttle (Timeless, 1989) (Recorded in 1979)
• Decisions (Timeless, 1990) (Recorded in 1984)

As a Guest Musician (Sideman)

With George Adams

• George Adams (1975)

With the Art Ensemble of Chicago

• Fundamental Destiny, recorded 1991 (AECO, 2007)

With Hamiet Bluiett

• Resolution (Black Saint, 1977)
• Orchestra, Duo and Septet (1977)
• SOS (Im/possible to kept) (1979)
• Live at Carlos I (1986)
• Live at Carlos I: Another Night (1986)

With Roy Brooks

• Duet in Detroit (Enja, 1987 [1993])

With Jane Bunnett

• In Dew Time (1989)
• New York Duets (1989)
• Live at Sweet Basil (1992)

With Beaver Harris

• A Well-Kept Secret (1980)
• Negcaumongus (1980)

With Billy Hart

• Enchance (Horizon, 1977)

With Giuseppi Logan

• The Giuseppi Logan Quartet (ESP, 1965)
• More (ESP, 1965)

With Cecil McBee

• Alternate Spaces (India Navigation, 1979)

With Marcello Melis

• Free to Dance (Black Saint, 1978)
• Angedras' (Black Saint, 1982)

With Charles Mingus

• Mingus Moves (Atlantic, 1973)
• Mingus at Carnegie Hall (Atlantic, 1974)
• Changes One (Atlantic, 1974)
• Changes Two (Atlantic, 1974)

With Charles Mingus' Dynasty

• Chair in the Sky (1979)

With David Murray

• Holy Siege on Intrigue (Volume 2) (1977)
• Flowers for Albert (1977)
• Children (Black Saint, 1985)
• Shakill's Warrior (DIW, 1991)
• Shakill's II (DIW, 1993)

With Sunny Murray

• Apples Cores (1977)

With Maceo Parker

• Roots Revisited (Minor Music, 1990)

With Ivo Perelman

• Children of Ibeji (1992)

With Dannie Richmond

• Dannie Richmond (1975)

With Sam Rivers

• Black Africa (1977)

With Roots

• Salutes the Saxophone (1991)
• Stablemates (1992)

With John Scofield

• Live 3 Ways (1990)

With Jack Walrath

• Serious Hang (Muse, 1992)

With Charles Williams

• Charles Williams (Mainstream, 1971)
• Trees and Grass and Things (Mainstream, 1971)
• Stickball (Mainstream, 1972)