John Surman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Surman
Surman performing in Birdland, 2 September 2009
Background information
Birth name	John Douglas Surman
Born	(1944-08-30) 30 August 1944 (age 80) Tavistock, Devon, England
Genres	Jazz avant-garde, free jazz, modal jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer, arranger
Instruments	Baritone saxophone, soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, synthesizer
Years active	1960s–present
Labels	Deram, Dawn, ECM
Associated acts	John McLaughlin, Barre Phillips, Stu Martin, John Warren, John Potter

John Douglas Surman (born August 30, 1944) is a talented English musician. He plays several instruments like the saxophone, clarinet, and synthesizer. John Surman is also a composer. He is known for his unique style of jazz music, which often includes ideas from folk music. He has even created music for dance shows and movies!

Exploring John Surman's Musical Journey

John Surman at the 2017 Oslo Jazz Festival

John Surman was born in Tavistock, England. He first became famous in the mid-1960s. He played the baritone saxophone with the Mike Westbrook Band. Soon, people also heard him playing the soprano saxophone and bass clarinet.

His first music on a record was with the Peter Lemer Quintet in 1966. After playing with other jazz and blues musicians, he released his own first record in 1968.

Forming Music Groups

In 1969, John Surman started a group called The Trio. He played with American musicians Barre Phillips (bassist) and Stu Martin (drummer). In the mid-1970s, he created one of the first jazz groups made only of saxophones. This group was called S.O.S. It included Mike Osborne and Alan Skidmore.

During these early years, he also recorded with many other artists. These included famous musicians like John McLaughlin and Chris McGregor.

Experimenting with New Sounds

By 1972, John Surman began trying out synthesizers. That year, he recorded Westering Home. This was one of his first solo projects. On these projects, he played all the parts himself. He used a technique called overdubbing to layer the sounds.

Many of the musical friendships he made in the 1970s lasted for many years. He played in a quartet with pianist John Taylor. He also worked with Norwegian singer Karin Krog, who is his long-term partner. He also collaborated with American drummer and pianist Jack DeJohnette.

His connection with ECM Records has also been very strong. He has recorded many albums with them since the late 1970s. He plays various instruments on these albums. Sometimes he plays alone, and sometimes with other musicians.

Special Music Projects

Since the 1990s, John Surman has composed unique music pieces. He has played with a church organ and a choir. He also performed with a classical string group. Another project featured the London Brass and Jack DeJohnette.

He has also played in a special trio with oud-player Anouar Brahem. An oud is a stringed instrument from the Middle East. He also performed old songs with singer John Potter. John Surman even contributed to a drum and bass album called Disappeared.

He has worked with many other great musicians over the years. These include bassists Miroslav Vitouš and Dave Holland. He also played with guitarists Terje Rypdal and John Abercrombie.

His newest album is called "Words Unspoken." It was released in February 2024. This album has received great reviews from music critics. It features talented musicians like Rob Luft and Thomas Strønen.

Awards and Recognitions

John Surman has received several awards for his music:

• 1999: Spellemannprisen (a Norwegian music award) for the album Bluesand, with Karin Krog.
• 2013: Spellemannprisen for the album Songs About This and That, also with Karin Krog.

Discography

As leader

• John Surman (Deram, 1969)
• How Many Clouds Can You See? (Deram, 1970)
• The Trio with Barre Phillips, Stu Martin (Dawn, 1970)
• Conflagration (The Trio) with Barre Phillips, Stu Martin and others (Dawn, 1971)
• Tales of the Algonquin with John Warren (Deram, 1971)
• Where Fortune Smiles with John McLaughlin, Dave Holland, Stu Martin, Karl Berger (Dawn, 1971)
• Westering Home (Island, 1972)
• Jazz in Britain '68-'69 with Alan Skidmore, Tony Oxley (Decca Eclipse, 1972)
• Morning Glory with John Marshall, Terje Rypdal, Chris Laurence, John Taylor, Malcolm Griffiths (Island, 1973)
• John Surman (Jazz Vogue, 1974)
• Live at Moers Festival with Tony Levin (Ring, 1975)
• Live at Woodstock Town Hall (Dawn, 1975)
• Sonatinas with Stan Tracey (Steam, 1978)
• Upon Reflection (ECM, 1979)
• Cloud Line Blue with Karin Krog (Polydor, 1979)
• The Amazing Adventures of Simon Simon (ECM, 1981)
• Such Winters of Memory (ECM, 1983)
• Withholding Pattern (ECM, 1985)
• By Contact (The Trio) with Barre Phillips, Stu Martin (Ogun, 1987) (reissue)
• Private City (ECM, 1988)
• Road to Saint Ives (ECM, 1990)
• Adventure Playground (ECM, 1992)
• The Brass Project with John Warren (ECM, 1993)
• Stranger than Fiction (ECM, 1994)
• Nordic Quartet with Karin Krog, Terje Rypdal and Vigleik Storaas (ECM, 1995)
• A Biography of the Rev. Absalom Dawe (ECM, 1995)
• Proverbs and Songs (ECM, 1997)
• Bluesand with Karin Krog (Meantime, 1999)
• Coruscating (ECM, 2000)
• Invisible Nature with Jack DeJohnette (ECM, 2002)
• Free and Equal (ECM, 2003)
• Way Back When (Cuneiform, 2005)
• The Spaces in Between (ECM, 2007)
• Rain on the Window with Howard Moody (ECM, 2008)
• Brewster's Rooster (ECM, 2009)
• Flashpoint: NDR Jazz Workshop (Cuneiform, 2011)
• Saltash Bells (ECM, 2012)
• Songs About This and That with Karin Krog (Meantime, 2013)
• Another Sky (Grappa, 2014)
• Infinite Paths with Karin Krog (Meantime, 2016)
• Invisible Threads (ECM, 2018)
• Words Unspoken (ECM, 2024 with Rob Luft, Thomas Strønen & Rob Waring)

As sideman

With Paul Bley

• 1986 Fragments (ECM)
• 1988 The Paul Bley Quartet (ECM)
• 1993 In the Evenings Out There (ECM)

With Graham Collier

• 2005 Workpoints (Cuneiform)
• 2007 Hoarded Dreams (Cuneiform)

With Christine Collister

• 1998 The Dark Gift of Time (Fledg'ling)
• 2000 Songbird
• 2001 An Equal Love

With Michael Gibbs

• 1970 Michael Gibbs (Deram)
• 1971 Tanglewood 63 (Deram)
• 2018 Festival 69 (Turtle)

With Per Husby

• 1987 Your Eyes
• 1990 Dedications (Hot Club)

With Alexis Korner

• 1970 Both Sides
• 1979 The Party Album
• 1981 Alexis Korner and Friends

With Karin Krog

• 1986 Freestyle (Odin)
• 2002 Raindrops, Raindrops
• 2010 Folkways (Meantime)

With Chris McGregor

• 1970 Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath (RCA/Neon, 1971)
• 2008 Up to Earth (Fledg'ling)

With John McLaughlin

• 1969 Extrapolation
• 1971 Where Fortune Smiles

With Mike Osborne and Alan Skidmore

• 1972 Shapes
• 1974 Looking for the Next One
• 1975 SOS (Ogun)

With Barre Phillips

• 1976 Mountainscapes (ECM)
• 1980 Journal Violone II (ECM)
• 1980 Music by... (ECM)

With John Potter

• 1999 In Darkness Let Me Dwell (ECM)
• 2003 Care-Charming Sleep (ECM)
• 2008 Romaria
• 2013 Night Sessions

With Colin Towns

• 1993 Mask Orchestra (The Jazz Label)
• 1997 Bolt from the Blue (Provocateur)

With Miroslav Vitous

• 1980 First Meeting (ECM)
• 1981 Miroslav Vitous Group (ECM)
• 1983 Journey's End (ECM)

With Mike Westbrook

• 1967 Celebration (Deram)
• 1968 Release (Deram)
• 1969 Marching Song Vol. 1 (Deram)
• 1969 Marching Song Vol. 2 (Deram)
• 1975 Citadel/Room 315 (RCA)
• 2018 The Night at the Old Place (Cadillac)

With others

• 1968 Local Colour, Peter Lemer (ESP Disk)
• 1968 Ronnie Scott And The Band – Live At Ronnie Scott's, Ronnie Scott (CBS)
• 1969 Gittin' to Know Y'All, Lester Bowie
• 1970 Flare Up, Harry Beckett (Philips)
• 1971 Going to the Rainbow, Rolf Kuhn (BASF)
• 1971 Duke Ellington Classics, Humphrey Lyttelton (Black Lion)
• 1972 Bass Is, Peter Warren (Enja)
• 1977 A Matter Of Taste, Mumps (Albert Mangelsdorff, Barre Phillips, Stu Martin) (MPS)
• 1979 In Pas(s)ing, Mick Goodrick (ECM)
• 1983 Irina, Barry Altschul (Soul Note)
• 1988 Meets the Francy Boland Kenny Clark Big Band, Gitte Haenning
• 1992 Ambleside Days, John Taylor (Ah Um)
• 1993 November, John Abercrombie (ECM)
• 1993 Room 1220, Albert Mangelsdorff (Konnex)
• 1998 Thimar, Anouar Brahem (ECM)
• 1998 From the Green Hill, Tomasz Stańko (ECM)
• 1999 First Impression, Misha Alperin (ECM)
• 2000 Disappeared, Spring Heel Jack
• 2003 Le Cinema de Bertrand Tavernier, Philippe Sarde
• 2005 Hybrids, Jack DeJohnette's The Ripple Effect (Golden Beams)
• 2009 The Believers, J. Peter Robinson
• 2011 Nino Rota, Richard Galliano (Deutsche Grammophon)

See also

In Spanish: John Surman para niños