Sam Rivers (jazz musician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sam Rivers
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Sam Rivers (flute) at Studio Rivbea jazz loft, July, 1976, New York City
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Samuel Carthorne Rivers |
| Born | September 25, 1923 El Reno, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | December 26, 2011 (aged 88) Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, avant-garde jazz, free jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, bandleader, composer, educator |
| Instruments | Tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, flute, harmonica, piano |
| Years active | 1950s–2011 |
| Labels | Blue Note, Impulse, FMP, RCA, Nato, Postcards, Stunt, Timeless, Rivbea Sound, Posi-Tone, Marge |
| Associated acts | Tony Williams, Bobby Hutcherson, Andrew Hill, Jimmy Lyons, Dave Holland, Barry Altschul, Tony Hymas, Anthony Braxton, Quincy Jones, Miles Davis, Don Pullen, Larry Young, Cecil Taylor |
Samuel Carthorne Rivers (born September 25, 1923 – died December 26, 2011) was an American jazz musician and composer. He was best known for playing the tenor saxophone. But he also played many other instruments. These included the soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, flute, harmonica, and piano.
Sam Rivers started playing jazz in the early 1950s. He became more famous in the mid-1960s. This was when a style called free jazz became popular. Rivers knew a lot about music and how to create it. He was a very important artist in jazz music.
Contents
Sam Rivers' Early Life
Sam Rivers was born in El Reno, Oklahoma, in the United States. His father was a gospel musician. He sang in famous groups like the Fisk Jubilee Singers. This meant Sam grew up around music. His grandfather, Marshall W. Taylor, was a religious leader.
In the 1940s, Sam Rivers was in the Navy. He was stationed in California. There, he often played music with a blues singer named Jimmy Witherspoon. In 1947, Rivers moved to Boston, Massachusetts. He studied music at the Boston Conservatory. He also performed with other musicians like Quincy Jones.
Playing with Miles Davis
In 1959, Sam Rivers started playing with a young drummer named Tony Williams. Tony was only 13 years old! Because Tony suggested it, Rivers briefly joined the Miles Davis Quintet in 1964. The quintet recorded one live album with Rivers. It was called Miles in Tokyo.
Rivers did not stay with Miles Davis for long. He had other music jobs in Boston. Also, his playing style was very new and experimental. It was a bit too "out there" for Miles Davis at that time. Soon after, another saxophonist named Wayne Shorter took his place.
Recording with Blue Note
After playing with Miles Davis, Sam Rivers signed with Blue Note Records. This is a famous jazz record label. He recorded four albums as the main artist. He also played on other musicians' albums. Some famous musicians who played on his albums were Herbie Hancock and Freddie Hubbard.
Rivers' music came from a style called bebop. But he was also very adventurous. He was good at playing free jazz. His first Blue Note album, Fuchsia Swing Song (1964), used a style called "inside-outside." This meant he would sometimes play outside the usual harmony. But he always knew how to get back to it smoothly.
Sam Rivers was also a great composer. A song he wrote called "Beatrice" became a jazz standard. Many other famous saxophonists have recorded it.
The Loft Jazz Era
In the 1970s, Sam Rivers and his wife, Bea, opened a jazz club. It was called "Studio Rivbea." It was in a part of New York City called NoHo. This club was very important for jazz music. It was a place where artists could perform their music freely. They did not have to worry about what nightclubs or concert halls usually wanted.
A music critic named John Litweiler said that in the 1970s, "Loft Jazz meant Free Jazz." Studio Rivbea was the most famous of these clubs. Several recordings were made there. They were released as a series called Wildflowers.
During this time, Rivers kept recording albums. He made several for Impulse!. He also played on a well-known album called Conference of the Birds with Dave Holland.
Later Career and Legacy
In the early 1990s, Sam Rivers and his wife moved to Florida. He wanted to work on his orchestra music there. This led to his RivBea Orchestra. It became the longest-running version of his big band. He often performed with his Orchestra and a smaller group called the Trio.
In 1998, he recorded two big-band albums. They were called Culmination and Inspiration. These albums were even nominated for a Grammy Award! He also released other important albums like Portrait, which was a solo recording.
Sam Rivers passed away on December 26, 2011, in Orlando, Florida. He was 88 years old. He left behind a huge amount of music and a legacy as a truly unique and influential jazz artist.
Images for kids
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Jemeel Moondoc and Rashid Bakr at Studio Rivbea July, 1976
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Sam Rivers in Orlando, Florida in 2008
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Sam Rivers in Orlando, Florida in 2007
Discography
As leader
- 1964: Fuchsia Swing Song (Blue Note, 1965)
- 1965: Contours (Blue Note, 1967)
- 1966: A New Conception (Blue Note, 1967)
- 1967: Dimensions & Extensions (Blue Note, 1986)
- 1973: Streams (Impulse!, 1973) – live
- 1971-73: Hues (Impulse!, 1974) – live
- 1974: Crystals (Impulse!, 1974)
- 1975: Sizzle (Impulse!, 1976)
- 1976: The Quest (Red, 1976)
- 1979: Waves (Tomato, 1979)
- 1979: Contrasts (ECM, 1980)
- 1982: Colours (Black Saint, 1983)
- 1995: Portrait (FMP, 1997)
- 1998: Culmination (RCA Victor/BMG France, 1999)
- 1998: Inspiration (RCA Victor/BMG, 1999)
- 1999: Aurora (Rivbea Sound, 2005)
- 2003: Celebration (Posi-Tone, 2004)
As co-leader
- 1976: with Dave Holland - Dave Holland / Sam Rivers (Improvising Artists)
- 1976: with Dave Holland - Sam Rivers / Dave Holland Vol. 2 (Improvising Artists)
- 1996: with Julian Priester - Hints on Light and Shadow (Postcards)
- 2007: with Dave Holland / Barry Altschul - Reunion: Live in New York (Pi, 2012)
As sideman
- Miles Davis, Miles in Tokyo (Columbia, 1964)
- Andrew Hill, Change (Blue Note, 1966)
- The Dave Holland Quartet, Conference of the Birds, (ECM 1973)
- Bobby Hutcherson, Dialogue (Blue Note, 1965)
- Tony Williams, Life Time (Blue Note, 1965)
- Tony Williams, Spring (Blue Note, 1966)
- Larry Young, Into Somethin' (Blue Note, 1964)
