Sunny Murray facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sunny Murray |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Marcellus Arthur Murray |
| Born | September 21, 1936 Idabel, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | December 7, 2017 (aged 81) Paris, France |
| Genres | Free jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Drummer |
James Marcellus Arthur "Sunny" Murray (September 21, 1936 – December 7, 2017) was an American musician. He was one of the first drummers to play in the free jazz style. This style of jazz music is known for being very open and experimental.
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About Sunny Murray
Sunny Murray was born in Idabel, Oklahoma. He was raised by his uncle. He started playing drums when he was nine years old. As a teenager, he lived in Philadelphia. He spent two years in a special school for young people who had gotten into trouble.
In 1956, he moved to New York City. There, he worked at a car wash and as a building manager. During this time, he played music with many other musicians. Some of them were Red Allen, Ted Curson, Willie "The Lion" Smith, Rocky Boyd, and Jackie McLean.
Playing with Cecil Taylor
In 1959, Sunny Murray played with pianist Cecil Taylor for the first time. Murray said that playing with Taylor changed his whole way of thinking about drums. He had to invent a completely new way to play.
For about a year, they just practiced and studied together. They went to workshops and tried many creative things. They were experimenting with music without having any paid jobs. In 1961, Murray recorded with Taylor's group. This recording was part of an album called Into the Hot.
Traveling to Europe
In 1962, Murray went to Europe with Cecil Taylor and saxophonist Jimmy Lyons. While they were in Sweden, they made a big breakthrough in their music style. Murray said they decided to play "free." This meant they could try anything new because their music was so fresh.
Later that year, in Denmark, the group recorded some important concerts. These recordings became the album Nefertiti the Beautiful One Has Come.
Meeting Albert Ayler
Also in 1962, while in Sweden, Murray met saxophonist Albert Ayler. Ayler heard Taylor's group play and told them they were the musicians he had been waiting for. Murray remembered that Taylor was very excited when Ayler first played with them.
Murray continued to play with Ayler. He joined Ayler's group with bassist Gary Peacock. Murray recorded many albums with Ayler, including the famous Spiritual Unity. One writer said that Murray was a very important musician. His free way of playing drums gave Ayler the freedom he needed to create his own music. Murray also said he played with John Coltrane in 1964. Coltrane even offered him a spot in his band, but Murray turned it down.
Later Years and Own Music
Sunny Murray started recording his own music in 1965. His first album as a leader was Sonny's Time Now. This album featured Albert Ayler, Don Cherry, and Henry Grimes. It also included a poem by Amiri Baraka.
Later, Murray moved to Europe and released more albums. He also kept playing and recording with many other musicians. In 1980, he played with Cecil Taylor again for the album It Is in the Brewing Luminous. They recorded together again in 1996 for the album Corona.
Sunny Murray passed away on December 7, 2017, at the age of 81. A movie about him, called Sunny's Time Now: A Portrait of Jazz Drummer Sunny Murray, was released in 2008.
Sunny's Unique Style
Sunny Murray was one of the first drummers to change how drums were played in jazz. Drummers usually kept the time for the music. But Murray focused on making different sounds and textures with his drums.
When he played with Albert Ayler, they broke away from traditional music rules. They made their own rules for how the music should sound.
Murray was inspired by a scientist named Hermann von Helmholtz. He said Helmholtz helped him develop his drumming technique. Murray would play the bass drum very fast. He would also create waves of sound with his cymbals. One bassist said that Murray's playing was so fast it almost sounded slow. He called it "the theory of relativity" in music.
Murray wanted his drums to make natural sounds. He tried to make them sound like car engines or glass breaking. He didn't just want them to sound like drums. He wanted them to sound like crashing cars, volcanoes, and thunder. He even tried to design a new drum set. He wanted it to sound more like human voices, like humming, screaming, laughing, and crying.
Albums by Sunny Murray
As the Main Artist
- Sonny's Time Now (1965)
- Sunny Murray (1966)
- Sunshine (1969)
- Big Chief (1969)
- Homage to Africa (1970)
- An Even Break (Never Give a Sucker) (1970)
- Charred Earth (1977)
- Apple Cores (1978)
- Live at Moers Festival (1979)
- Aigu-Grave (1980)
- 13# Steps On Glass (1995)
- Illumination (1995)
- Illuminators (1996)
- Homework (1997)
- We Are Not at the Opera (1998)
- Home Cooking in the UK (2004)
- Perles Noires (2005)
- The Gearbox Explodes! (2008)
- Sonic Liberation Front Meets Sunny Murray (2010)
- I Stepped Onto a Bee (2011)
- Boom Boom Cat (2011)
Playing with Other Musicians
Sunny Murray played drums on many albums for other artists. Here are some of the musicians he worked with:
- With Albert Ayler:
* Spirits (1964) * Spiritual Unity (1965) * Bells (1965) * Holy Ghost: Rare & Unissued Recordings (1962–70) (2004)
- With Dave Burrell:
* Echo (1969)
- With Archie Shepp:
* Black Gipsy (1970) * Yasmina, a Black Woman (1969)
- With Cecil Taylor:
* Nefertiti, the Beautiful One Has Come (1965) * Into the Hot (1962) * It Is in the Brewing Luminous (1981) * Corona (2018)
- With others:
* Billy Bang, Outline No. 12 (1982) * Charles Gayle, Kingdom Come (1994) * David Murray, Recording N.Y.C. 1986 (1986) * Alexander von Schlippenbach, Smoke (1990)
