Died On This Date (October 10, 2010) Marion Brown / Avant-Garde Jazz Saxophonist
themusicsover Marion Brown
September 8, 1931 – October 10, 2010
Marion Brown was an influential saxophonist who was closely associated with the avant-garde jazz movement of the ’60s. After settling in New York City during the early ’60s, Brown quickly began running in the same circles as Sun Ra, Ornette Coleman, Archie Shepp, and John Coltrane. He can be heard playing on the latter’s great 1966 album, Ascension. During the ’70s, Brown transitioned to education, holding positions at such prestigious colleges as Amherst, Wesleyan and Bowdoin. And during the ’80s, Brown became equally respected for his paintings and drawings. In poor heath in recent years, Marion Brown passed away in a Florida nursing home on October 10, 2010. He was 79.
What You Should Own
Among other things, Bill Dixon was an experimental jazz trumpeter who was somewhat unique in that he often included delay and reverb in his playing. Over the course of a career that spanned some 60 years, he formed the Jazz Composers Guild and collaborated with the likes of Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp and Rob Mazurek. Dixon was also an educator, teaching at Bennington College in Vermont for nearly 30 years and chairing its Black Music Division for nearly 20. Bill Dixon was 84 when he passed away in his sleep on June 16, 2010.