Results for "George Russell"

George Russell

Born: June 23, 1923

George Russell is a hugely influential, innovative figure in the evolution of modern jazz, the music's only major theorist, one of its most profound composers, and a trail blazer whose ideas have transformed and inspired some of the greatest musicians of our time.

Russell was born in Cincinnati in 1923, the adopted son of a registered nurse and a chef on the B&O Railroad. He began playing drums with the Boy Scout Drum and Bugle Corps and eventually received a scholarship to Wilberforce University where he joined the Collegians, whose list of alumni include Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter, Fletcher Henderson, Ben Webster, Cootie Williams, Ernie Wilkins and Frank Foster. But his most valuable musical education came in 1941, when, in attempting to enlist in the Marines, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, spending 6 months in the hospital where he was taught the fundamentals of harmony from a fellow patient. From the hospital he sold his first work, "New World," to Benny Carter. He joined Benny Carter's Band, but was replaced by Max Roach; after Russell heard Roach, he decided to give up drumming. He moved to New York where he was part of a group of musicians who gathered in the basement apartment of Gil Evans. The circle included Miles Davis, Gerry Mulligan, Max Roach, Johnny Carisi and on occasion, Charlie Parker. He was commissioned to write a piece for Dizzy Gillespie's orchestra; the result was the seminal "Cubano Be/Cubano Bop" the first fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms with jazz, premiered at Carnegie Hall in 1947 and featuring Chano Pozo. Two years later his "Bird in Igor's Yard" was recorded by Buddy DeFranco, a piece notable for its fusion of elements from Charlie Parker and Stravinsky.

Alex Ventling's Wavemakers at Becco in Oslo

by Daniel Mège
September 12, 2026

Alex Ventling's Wavemakers Becco Oslo September 3, 2026 In Oslo's Tullinkvartalet district, the pulsing of the Delta Light Installation leads to the courtyard of Becco, a wine bar and hotspot of the city's music scene, where on the second floor one finds a concert venue. On this night, light converged with ...

Andy Sheppard: Salt Catchers

by Neil Duggan
September 10, 2026

Since discovering John Coltrane as a teenager, tenor and soprano saxophonist Andy Sheppard has forged a remarkable career, earning multiple British Jazz Awards, international acclaim and even a place in the UK pop charts. His musical range is equally impressive: alongside jazz giants George Russell, Gil Evans and Carla Bley, he has worked with artists as ...

Randy Ingram: Sound Within

by Pierre Giroux
August 3, 2026

A sobriquet that could be applied to the pianist Bill Evans is “the poet of the jazz piano," as he more than almost any other pianist combined technical mastery with emotional restraint, creating music that feels introspective rather than demonstrative. Every pianist who has ever fallen under Evans' spell has eventually faced the same dilemma. One ...

How John Coltrane Changed Rock Music: Eight Miles High

by Kyle Simpler
May 16, 2026

In a 1969 interview, Miles Davis said, “I could put together the greatest rock 'n' roll band you  ever heard." In many ways, Davis did just that, though it remains a point of contention among many of his fans, who might argue otherwise. Davis himself later made the point that his music from the late sixties and ...

Javon Jackson, Jack McDuff, and Brian Landrus

by Jerome Wilson
March 25, 2026

This episode features new music from Javon Jackson and Brian Landrus as well as older music by Tom Skinner and Brother Jack McDuff. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) 00:00 Laura Jurd “Pirates" from Human Spirit ...

All About Jazz Publishes Peer Reviewed Long-form Feature On Andy Wasserman And George Russell’s Lydian Chromatic Concept

March 12, 2026

All About Jazz, widely recognized as the world's largest and most trafficked jazz content platform, has published a major peer‑reviewed article in its prestigious Jazz in Long Form section titled “Andy Wasserman, George Russell, and the Living Lineage of the Lydian Chromatic Concept.” The feature, authored by Patrick Doyle, is now available at: Andy Wasserman, George ...

Andy Wasserman, George Russell, and the Living Lineage of the Lydian Chromatic Concept

by Patrick Doyle
March 4, 2026

Few theoretical works have altered the course of modern jazz as profoundly as George Russell's Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization. Fewer still have had their legacy preserved with the depth of care, fidelity, and lived musicianship that Andy Wasserman has devoted to it for more than four decades. For over 40 years, Wasserman ...

Richie Beirach: Indelible Memories and Thought-Provoking Reflections on a Life in Jazz, Part 1

by Victor L. Schermer
January 31, 2026

This two-part article was first published on All About Jazz on August 13, 2019. Part 1 | Part 2 Richie Beirach hovers somewhat mysteriously in the pantheon of the great modern jazz pianists. Some of the others in that category from his generation (coming up in the 1960s/'70s), like Herbie Hancock, Keith ...

Ken Hohman's Iconoclastic List of the Top 9 Jazz Recordings for 2025

by Ken Hohman
January 9, 2026

I feel like a few of my favorite jazz records over the past year were overlooked or didn't fare well with many jazz critics. But I filter through a heck of a lot of jazz each year in advance of my radio shows, so I feel justified in being quixotic or even setting the record straight ...