Marion Brown facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marion Brown
Background information
Born	(1931-09-08)September 8, 1931 Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Died	October 18, 2010(2010-10-18) (aged 79) Hollywood, Florida, United States
Genres	Avant-garde, jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, ethnomusicologist
Instruments	Alto saxophone
Years active	1962–1993

Marion Brown (September 8, 1931 – October 18, 2010) was an American jazz musician. He played the alto saxophone, wrote music, and was also a visual artist. He was part of the avant-garde jazz scene in New York City during the 1960s. He played with famous musicians like John Coltrane and Archie Shepp. He even played on Coltrane's important 1965 album Ascension. A music reviewer, Scott Yanow, called him "one of the brightest and most lyrical voices of the 1960s avant-garde."

Who Was Marion Brown?

Marion Brown was a talented musician who explored new sounds in jazz. He was also an ethnomusicologist, which means he studied music from different cultures. His work blended his American roots with global musical ideas.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Marion Brown was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1931. He was raised by his mother. His grandfather had escaped slavery from Georgia's Sea Islands. Marion started learning the saxophone when he was young. He was inspired by the famous jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker.

He left high school early and joined the army. For three years, he played alto saxophone, clarinet, and baritone saxophone in the army band. He was stationed in Hokkaido, Japan, for some time.

After the army, in 1956, he went back to Atlanta. He studied music at Clark College with Wayman Carver. Later, he moved to Washington, D.C., and started law school at Howard University. During this time, he discovered the music of jazz artists like John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman.

Starting His Jazz Career

In 1962, Marion Brown left law school and moved to New York City. There, he met many musicians and writers. He became friends with Amiri Baraka, a writer who helped introduce him to the jazz world. Brown said that Baraka "opened the door for me."

He also met Ornette Coleman and Archie Shepp. Brown didn't have his own saxophone at first, so Ornette Coleman let him use his white plastic saxophone. Brown's talks with Baraka and Shepp helped them think about how American jazz connected to African music.

Playing with Jazz Legends

In 1964, Brown performed in a special concert series called "Four Days in December." The next year, he played on Archie Shepp's album Fire Music. He also joined John Coltrane for the recording of Ascension.

Brown recalled that Coltrane liked his music. When Coltrane decided to record Ascension, he felt Brown was a good fit. Brown described the music on Ascension as very intense and exciting. He remembered that the people in the studio were "screaming" during the recording.

In the mid-1960s, Marion Brown started releasing his own albums. These included Marion Brown Quartet (1966), Why Not? (1968), and Three for Shepp (1966). Coltrane even helped him get a recording deal with the Impulse! label. Brown also played with other jazz greats like Sun Ra and Pharoah Sanders.

Time in Europe

In 1967, Brown moved to Europe. He continued to perform and record there. He also became interested in architecture, Impressionistic art, African music, and the music of Erik Satie. He was a special music fellow in Paris.

While in Europe, he recorded the album Porto Novo in Holland. He also worked with Gunter Hampel on film soundtracks and other albums.

Returning to the U.S.

Marion Brown came back to the United States in 1970. He settled in Connecticut. He worked in elementary schools, teaching children how to make instruments and create their own music. He also continued to play with Wadada Leo Smith.

From 1971 to 1976, he taught at several colleges, including Bowdoin College and Amherst College. In 1976, he earned a master's degree in ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University. His master's paper was about his music and travels. He also studied South Indian flute during this time.

A Trilogy of Albums

In the early 1970s, Brown recorded three albums influenced by the poet Jean Toomer. These albums, Afternoon of a Georgia Faun, Geechee Recollections, and Sweet Earth Flying, explored his Southern upbringing. They blended African, African-American, and European musical styles.

A reviewer, Robert Palmer, said these albums showed how an artist could explore a topic using different techniques. He compared it to how authors write a series of books.

Brown also recorded with many other musicians in the 1970s. He received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. He used these grants to write music for solo piano. He also arranged music by the French composer Erik Satie.

Later Years and Legacy

In the 1980s, Brown continued to record music. He also started focusing on drawing and painting. His artwork was shown in several exhibitions. In 1984, he wrote his autobiography called "Recollections."

By the late 1990s, Marion Brown became ill. He had several surgeries and a partial leg amputation. He spent his final years in an assisted living facility in Hollywood, Florida. He passed away in 2010 at the age of 79.

In September 2010, the governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, declared September 15 "Marion Brown Day."

Musical Influence

Marion Brown's music has influenced many artists. Pianist Amina Claudine Myers released an album called Poems for Piano: The Piano Music of Marion Brown in 1979, featuring his compositions.

Even indie rock bands have been inspired by him. Superchunk included a song called "Song for Marion Brown" on their album Indoor Living. Another group, Savath and Savalas, released "Two Blues for Marion Brown."

In 2004, the band His Name Is Alive performed a tribute concert playing only Brown's music. Parts of this concert were later released as the album Sweet Earth Flower: A Tribute to Marion Brown in 2007.

Marion Brown's Thoughts on Music

Marion Brown had strong ideas about jazz music. He believed that "free jazz" does swing, but in a very complex way. He said it was "closer to African beats" than other jazz styles.

He also said that his music came from the blues. He found music from other cultures interesting but didn't feel he needed to copy them. He felt his own musical background was rich enough.

Discography

As a leader

• 1966: Marion Brown Quartet (ESP-Disk/Fontana)
• 1967: Juba-Lee (Fontana)
• 1967: Three for Shepp (Impulse!)
• 1967: Porto Novo (Arista)
• 1968: Why Not? (ESP-Disk)
• 1968: Gesprächsfetzen with Gunter Hampel (Calig)
• 1968: Le Temps Fou with Gunter Hampel, Ambrose Jackson, Steve McCall, and Barre Phillips (Polydor)
• 1969: In Sommerhausen with Gunter Hampel and Jeanne Lee (Calig)
• 1970: Afternoon of a Georgia Faun (ECM)
• 1973: Soundways with Elliott Schwartz (Bowdoin College Music Press)
• 1973: Geechee Recollections (Impulse!)
• 1974: Sweet Earth Flying (Impulse!)
• 1975: Creative Improvisation Ensemble with Leo Smith (Freedom)
• 1975: Duets with Leo Smith and Elliott Schwartz (Freedom)
• 1975: Vista (Impulse!)
• 1976: Awofofora (Discomate)
• 1977: Wildflowers 2 (The New York Loft Jazz Sessions) (Douglas / Casablanca); Brown appears on one track; reissued in 1999 by Knit Classics on Wildflowers: The New York Loft Jazz Sessions – Complete
• 1977: Zenzile Featuring Marion Brown (Baystate)
• 1977: La Placita / Live in Willisau (Timeless Muse)
• 1977: Solo Saxophone (Sweet Earth)
• 1978: Reeds 'n Vibes with Gunter Hampel (Improvising Artists)
• 1978: Passion Flower (Baystate)
• 1979: Soul Eyes (Baystate)
• 1979: November Cotton Flower (Baystate)
• 1979: 79118 Live (DIW)
• 1980: Back to Paris (Freelance)
• 1982: Solo Saxophone (Yale University, 1981) (Other Ear)
• 1983: Gemini (Birth)
• 1985: Recollections (Creative Works)
• 1986: Songs of Love and Regret with Mal Waldron (Freelance)
• 1988: Much More with Mal Waldron (Freelance)
• 1993: Offering (Venus)
• 1993: Gemini + play Sun Ra "live" in concert with Gunter Hampel (Birth)
• 1993: Mirante Do Vale ~ Offering II (Venus)
• 2000: Echoes Of Blue (Double Moon)
• 2016: Five Improvisations (B.Free)
• 2018: Live at the Black Musicians' Conference, 1981 with Dave Burrell (NoBusiness)
• 2019: Capricorn Moon to Juba Lee Revisited (ezz-thetics)
• 2020: Why Not? Porto Novo! Revisited (ezz-thetics)

As a sideman

With Harold Budd

• The Pavilion of Dreams (Editions EG, 1976)
• Luxa (All Saints, 1996)

With John Coltrane

• Ascension (Impulse!, 1965)

With Stanley Cowell

• Regeneration (Strata-East, 1976)

With Burton Greene

• Burton Greene Quartet (ESP Disk, 1966)

With The Group (Ahmed Abdullah, Brown, Billy Bang, Sirone, Fred Hopkins, Andrew Cyrille)

• Live (NoBusiness Records, 2012)

With the Gunter Hampel All Stars

• Jubilation (Birth, 1983)

With Grachan Moncur III

• Shadows (Denon, 1977)

With Archie Shepp

• Fire Music (Impulse!, 1965)
• The New Wave in Jazz (Impulse!, 1965) – one track
• Attica Blues (Impulse!, 1972)
• Attica Blues Big Band Live at the Palais des Glaces (Blue Marge, 1993)

Filmography

• You See What I'm Trying To Say? (Henry English, 1967)
• See The Music (Inside The Creative Improvisation Ensemble) (Theodor Kotulla, 1971)
• Jazz Is Our Religion (John Jeremy, 1972)
• Inside Out In The Open (Alan Roth, 2001)
• Meditations on Revolution V: Foreign City (Robert Fenz, 2003)

Images for kids

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  Marion Brown, a jazz alto saxophonist, composer, writer, visual artist, and ethnomusicologist.

See also

In Spanish: Marion Brown para niños