Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Sunny Murray was born James Marcellus Arthur Murray on September 21, 1936 in Idabel, Oklahoma and was raised by an uncle who later died after being refused treatment at a hospital because of his race. He began playing drums at the age of nine, however, during his teen years he lived in a rough part of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and spent two years in a reformatory.
By 1956, he was in New York City working in a car wash and as a building superintendent. During this time, he played with among others, trumpeters Red Allen and Ted Curson, pianist Willie “The Lion” Smith, and saxophonists Rocky Boyd and Jackie McLean. 1959 saw him playing for the first time with pianist Cecil Taylor and subsequently turned his direction towards experimenting with creative new ideas. In 1961, Murray made a recording with Taylor’s group that was released under the auspices of Gil Evans as one side of Into the Hot.
In 1962 Sunny went to Europe for the first time with Taylor and saxophonist Jimmy Lyons. During that time, the group made a stylistic breakthrough while in Sweden and started playing free. While in Denmark later that year, the trio recorded the influential concerts released as Nefertiti the Beautiful One Has Come.
That same year Taylor and Murray met saxophonist Albert Ayler, with whom the group recorded together for Danish television as the Cecil Taylor Unit. Upon their return to the United States, the group performed at the Take Three club in Greenwich Village and at Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center in New York City on New Year’s Eve 1963 as the Cecil Taylor Jazz Unit, with a healthy Grimes on bass.
Continuing to play with Ayler, Sunny went on to join Ayler’s trio with bassist Gary Peacock. He recorded a number of albums with Ayler, and his unchained approach to percussion gave Ayler the freedom to travel his own road that had hitherto been lacking. In 1964 he played with John Coltrane, however, declined the offer to join the band.
He recorded his debut album as a leader in 1965 with Sonny’s Time Now, which was released on Leroi Jones’s Jihad label. This was followed by twenty more leader albums on various labels until 2011 with the recording of Boom Boom Cat. Over the course of his career he would record as a sideman for a host of musicians, but his final recording session as a sideman was Corona, once again teamed with Cecil Taylor, released posthumously in 2018. Drummer Sunny Murray, who had a documentary made in 2008 titled Sunny’s Time Now: A Portrait of Jazz Drummer Sunny Murray, transitioned on December 7, 2017 from multiple organ failure at the age of 81.
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CHAMPIAN FULTON, HIDE TANAKA & FUKUSHI TAINAKA
Sets: 7:30pm | 9:30pm
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ETIENNE CHARLES’ CREOLE CHRISTMAS
Jazz trumpeter Etienne Charles adds a new twist to the holidays with his dynamic Creole Christmas band! Charles and his ensemble celebrate the Christmas season with unique interpretations of pieces from Charles’ diverse musical roots, featuring classic selections from the Caribbean, American, and European holiday songbooks.
Valet Parking ~ $10.00 prepaid
Valet parking is available for all Jazz St. Louis performances. Discounted $10 valet parking may be purchased when ordering your tickets. Please make sure to select the correct date and time when adding parking to your cart with your tickets before purchasing.
December 14 ~ 7:30pm
December 15 ~ 11:00am | 7:30pm
December 16 ~ 7:30pm | 9:30
December 17 ~ 7:30pm | 9:30
December 18 ~ 6:30pm
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NELSON ON NELSON
Lecturer, saxophonist, flutist, and music educator, Oliver Nelson Jr., provides rare insights into the life and music of one of St. Louis’ most influential and successful jazz musicians, saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, composer, and bandleader, Oliver Nelson Sr.
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STACY KENT
The internationally acclaimed, Grammy-nominated vocalist Stacey Kent returns to Jazz St. Louis for much-anticipated performances! Stacey Kent is a jazz singer in the mold of the greats, with a legion of fans worldwide, a host of honors and awards including a Grammy nomination, album sales over 2 million, Gold, Double-Gold and Platinum-selling albums that have reached a series of No. 1 chart positions during the span of her career. Stacey Kent makes her long-awaited Jazz St. Louis debut.
Valet Parking ~ $10.00 prepaid
Valet parking is available for all Jazz St. Louis performances. Discounted $10 valet parking may be purchased when ordering your tickets. Please make sure to select the correct date and time when adding parking to your cart with your tickets before purchasing.
Performances:
November 30 ~ 7:30pm
December 1 ~ 7:30pm
December 2 ~ 7:30pm | 9:30pm
December 3 ~ 7:30pm | 9:30pm
December 4 ~ 6:30pm
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